Cheap Shaka Zulu - The Complete Miniseries (DVD) (William C. Faure) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Shaka Zulu - The Complete Miniseries

African legend at its best!
I spent my teen years in South Africa, so I really wanted to see this. When I was young my parents saw it, but this is definitely not a kid's show, so I'm glad I waited until now. However, this is an enthralling (if disturbing) story. <
> <
>Shaka Zulu has grown into a legend of mythical proportions, and my impression of the movie is that, the attempt was made to portray the story as it is told in legend. In other words, there is a lot of fiction, but it is not fiction injected by the writers--it is fiction injected through years of lore and storytelling. I actually like this approach because it somehow seems more real than if Hollywood just made up what they wanted to. <
> <
>The actors did a tremendous job in portraying this story of the man known as Shaka. Truly, this is a gruesome story that is not for the faint of heart. There is enough gore to rival today's movies, and this was 100% a result of Shaka. Pre-Shaka, the Zulus were a small herding community that conducted its wars in a "jousting match" manner. Shaka, through intense vengeance and hate changed the whole outlook--not only of the Zulus but also of the whole subcontinent. <
> <
>This story starts with the British attempting to reach Shaka to make an alliance with him. It then moves to a few episodes that show Shaka's youth so as to show his reasons for hatred. After showing Shaka's path to supremacy (and tyranny), we are again taken back to "present" when the British are attempting to communicate with Shaka. The whole sequence of this story works very well. <
> <
>If you use short terms to sum up this story, there are several descriptions that could be used: brutal childhood, military brilliance, witchcraft and superstition, British arrogance, and painful love. This is really a fantastic story that covers the gamut of emotions. <
> <
>In the course of the 8 1/2 hours of story, there are a few scenes that stood out to me. Maybe you will have different ones, but the ones that left an impression on me were: 1. The scene where Dr. Fynn is telling Shaka about the King of Kings 2. When the "swallows" (or whites) were forced to go to battle with Shaka 3. Shaka's reaction to his new son and 4. Shaka's reaction after the death of his mother. I guess all of these tie together in that they show Shaka's twisted way of thinking. <
> <
>It's hard to say the ending of this movie was triumphant, but it was a relief. Be warned--don't watch this just for entertainment. While entertaining, this is a history lesson that will likely leave you feeling ill to your stomach. A powerful history lesson indeed, though, and you will see events that changed Africa! <
>

---

A Masterful Miniseries
This one is great. It is well done in terms of story, action and historicity. It takes liberties but it well conveys the legend of Shaka, the king that transformed the Zulus from a minor tribe into a major power. <
> <
>The backdrop of the series is a colonial government that is worried about the power and threat of the Zulus. Since the colonial office is in a parsimonious mood, funds are not available for sending troops. Instead, an officer of the royal navy is sent to make contact with Shaka in order to try and make a friendly alliance. This officer is played by Edward Fox. <
> <
>Fox and his band make contact with Shaka but start off at a disadvantage since they are themselves shipwrecked. Even so, they manage to pique Shaka's curiosity and become his valued assets as well as being his prisoners. During the course of this, a series of episodes are used as flashbacks to explain how Shaka came to power. <
> <
>The series is fascinating. It relies on legend and on history. Many of the actors are big names but most of them have only cameo roles. The real stars are the Zulus, particularly Henry Cele (as Shaka) who are telling their own story. There are ten fascinating hours. <
>

---

Shaka Zula Complete Miniseries
I purchased Shaka Zula - The Complete Mimiseries on DVD's for my Dad who has this movie on a VHS tape from when this series originally aired. My Dad loves this movie, and needless to say the VHS tape has started to jump and wear and did not have much life left in it. He was receiving a new DVD player for Christmas so I purchased Shaka Zulu on DVD for him. Dad has raved about the quality and this set has the whole miniseries (all 8 hours) which he is thrilled with. If your looking for the original miniseries this is it. Thank You. Denise L.