Zulu Dawn/Zulu - New Immortals Film The Way Forward ?

Guest

I see a new film is getting released in the cinema called Immortals, filmed in exactly the same way as 300, allowing the necessary scale - regarding terrain, buildings and numbers of warriors involved, as well as looking fantastic ! This style of filming technique isn't to everyone's taste, but personally, I could live with it, if it led to the making of Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift films. I say, let's get back to the time of the historical epics, albeit filmed in a very different way.

I agree that there should be new versions of both Zulu Dawn and Zulu made, and this time get them more historically accrurate.

But I am not too sure about the filming of them in this type of format (if that's the correct name for it). From what I saw of 300, it looked far too much computerised, you couldn't tell if you were looking at real people or computer generated images, and it looked too dark and brown, the colours didn't look right.

I am all for the remaking of Zulu Dawn (which would correct the inaccuracies that appear in it), and especially keen on the remaking of the film Zulu, and this time they could correct the deliberate mistakes (or should that be "artistic licence") made in the earlier version, and give the world the real name of the 24th regiment that fought at RD.

So yes, remake both films, but I am not too sure of the style of filming that is used in 300, it looks far too much computerised and sort of too brown looking and 'uncolourised' for my taste.

Regards.

Guest

Mr. C., thanks for replying. Modern times demand modern methods, and competition is extreme nowadays, so films have to be vastly different than in the days of both Zulu films. Trying to get the portrayal of an historical event into the mainstream cinemas, has to match appeal-wise, the incredibly long phase of sci-fi and zombie horror films, that seem to have been the most regular types shown for years. Films need to have much stronger main characters and action scenes that keep your attention from beginning to end. The sort of brown colouring that stems from the movies Immortals and 300, I imagine is to give a more older, sepia (is that the right word?) feel to the films, instead of blinding bright colours and blue skies, as seen in the old technicolor days. I'd love to see a version of Isandhlwana using this film technique, with the main characters much more dominant on the screen, with hugely memorable lines and fight choreography.

Posts : 2308 Join date : 2010-07-02 Age : 42

Zulu- Blu-Ray.

The Special Features are:

Feature commentary with film Historian Sheldon Hall and Zulu's Second Unit Director Robert Porter

The Music of Zulu.

Zulu: Remembering an Epic.

The Making of Zulu: 'Role of Honour'.

The Making of Zulu: ...And Snappeth The Spear in Sunder.

Theatrical Trailer.

Teaser Trailer.

Guest

Impi, thanks for the details, but I think your post was meant for the other topic.

Hi Colin

I can see what you mean mate, but it's the 'brown/sepia' look with the lack of colour, and the computer generated people, they just don't look right to me somehow. OK, yes, it's what some folk like these days (mainly the younger generations), but I would rather see proper colours and real people, and also the real colours of the sky and landscape. Maybe it's because I was brought up when most films were black and white, then along came the magic of colour and WOW! what a difference that made, yes, it went through some teething troubles, but once they were sorted out it was fine, so I am not too keen on this computerised, almost colourless, brown/sepia way of filming, somehow (to me anyway), it just doesn't look right. But I do agree that both Zulu Dawn and Zulu should be remade, and remade more accurately than the earlier versions (especially Zulu).

Regards

Martin.

Hi Mr.M.Cooper .
I'm with you , I'm not big on the sepia movie look , it does look to computer generated for mine . Give me the
outdoors with sun , real actors etc etc .
cheers 90th. Idea

Hi 90th

Thanks for backing me up on this.

I think that films are a lot better done in the 'normal way', rather than the brown/sepia look with people that look like they are computer generated, as in 300, but I suppose that it's up to individual taste, or as we used to say 'each to his own'.

I still enjoy the good old black and white films, there were some classics done in B&W, but the sepia look just doesn't appear right somehow.

Regards

Martin.

Guest

Martin/90th, yes I fully agree in what you say about the older films, but it's the new film-making techniques that are taking over now, especially when they need a larger scale, as in buildings and numbers of extras that would be required for battle-scenes, and the actual building of huge sets would take a great deal of the film's budget. It just might not be possible now, other than the creation of them by CGI. As I say, they are following the same mood and grittiness, being used in many films nowadays in various action movies, including 'stand-out' characters, which if using the more older methods, may just not appeal to the modern audiences. The scale of Isandhlwana itself in numbers of people, as well as creating an identical battlefield, could only be by CGI. Of course, these new Zulu War films are most unlikely to happen, which is unfortunate, as then they could be compared and discussed on the forum to the 1964 and 1979 movies. Ah, well....

Hi Colin

Yes, I can understand what you mean with the larger scale, all the extras, buildings, battle scenes, and all the buildings, etc, being done by CGI, but do they really have to film it in this brown/sepia and almost colourless format, and with computer generated people that all seem to look like 'he man', could they not use more 'normal' looking people with ordinary looking bodies, and with proper colours rather than the colourless sepia look? Unfortunately I think you may be right about the 64 and 79 films being remade, but if they were, it would most likely 'bust the myth' of the 64 film, and not before time in my opinion.

Yes, it would be a good to compare the films and discuss them on the forum, there could even be a poll as to which versions were the best in the members opinions. But like you say, Ah, well......

Regards

Martin.

Guest

As a bit of a side hobby connected to the possibility of Zulu War films, I've been collecting various books, on what could be added to or used as reference, of how to create a new film version of Isandhlwana. Nothing in writing, just ideas at present. I wish somebody could take this notion further by developing a detailed paper (thesis?) on how it could be constructed, inclusive of footnotes and further reading. This might motivate someone to 'take the bull by the horns' (do you like the Zulu connection? :) ) enough to draft a screenplay. It'd be a start anyway, ideas-wise, I think. Idea

Guest

Obtained 300 on blu-ray today, to see if it enhances the film more than on my other dvd. Also, acquired the Immortals soundtrack cd, to hear if it has a similar type of music as the former.

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