10 Brilliant Historical Movies With Unforgivable Inaccuracies
8. Henry Hook Was NOT A Drunk - Zulu (1964)
For a movie made in the 1960s Zulu does a fairly good job of portraying the 'antagonists' in favourable light. The Zulus don't get the classic 'ungodly savage' treatment, and are actually portrayed as extremely brave. There's obviously no comment on the blight of British colonialism, but hey, you can't win them all.
Starring Michael Caine in his breakout role as Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, Zulu tells the story of Rorke's Drift. The 1879 battle involved just under 150 British soldiers holding off a force of some 4000 Zulu warriors. As a step by step retelling this movie gets the key events right.
The final showdown never happened, though, and of course the Zulus and British never sung a salute to each other during the final stages of the battle, but it did make for some good viewing.
One of the most egregious inaccuracies was the handling of the real life figure Private Henry Hook. Portrayed by James Booth, the character is described as an insubordinate drunk and former thief. In reality, Hook was a model soldier who never drank and was highly respected amongst his peers. His relatives were so offended by his portrayal that they walked out of a screening.