 |
Very interested in this topic!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
brilliant dvd
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Grreat DVD I bought it for my grandson to learn about South African history - his fataher was born in that country - it is a great educational film thanks
This DVD offers a good, basic, no frills account of the two interlinked battles at Islandwhana and Rorke's Drift. It is fairly successful at giving an all round appreciation of both actions, but hedges it bets on such topics as the alleged ammunition shortages at Islandwhana by explaining the 'screwed down boxes' and inefficient distribution methods, but then merely saying that the 'running out of bullets' explanation has been questioned ("and we'll never know the truth of it"), rather than actually providing any of the arguments which oppose that version of events. The narrative does indicate that the re-supply of ammunition was a bigger problem for Durnsford's men than the regular soldiers, yet fails to adequately mention how Durnsford's aggressive departure from the camp and the forced retreat of his men from their final firing line were such fatal moments in the struggle. I hoped that the DVD would contain lots of historic photographs, but I was disappointed in how scarce that kind of content turned out to be. Oddly enough, there were no contemporary images of the battle areas either. Also, the promised 3D computer graphics were limited to just two flat and unimpressive plans - a general map of the Islandwhana area and an outline of the stockaded mission, hospital and cattle kraal at Rorke's Drift (which did not show the surrounding terrain). The DVD relied heavily on footage taken from 'Zulu Dawn'. It used a lot of it out of the contexts of the original movie scenes; we must presume that nobody is expected to notice that individual Zulus charging across the screen were apparently fighting in both engagements (a faux pas because the attack of Rorke's Drift was made by warriors who had not got into the carnage at Islandwhana in time to 'wash their spears'). I bought this for less than £5.00 and the product is worth that much, but it could have been better - better researched, better illustrated and...well, you get the picture.Read full review
For the beginer, this DVD is probably one the best items you can buy to get you started on the road to learning more about the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879. It describes the events in detail with an unbias opinion by the expert Dr David Chandler. There are some great re-enactment scenes shot by modern actors to give you a more colourful view to the various events that took place as well as authentic photographs, drawings and prints of the era. I already have a considerable knowledge of the wars and have just recently returned from a visit to the battlefields in South Africa, and I own a large collection of books on the subject, however I wanted to add to my collection a visual account and this DVD is among others that should be owned by any enthusiast. The DVD includes a "test your knowledge" section which can be very entertaining. I give this DVD 10/10 when it comes down to telling the truth about the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879 which manages to expose the elaberation and misinterprtation portrayed in the original 1969 film "Zulu" If you get a chance to obtain it, get it, as I certainly reccomend it. especially for the avid part-time historian. vinceb713Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best-selling in DVDs & Blu-rays
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVDs & Blu-rays
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
