| Date | Original Topic |
| 1st January 2002 | What did he say?
By Eddie Saunders
In the film Zulu towards the end when Chard and Bromhead are standing in the burned out remains of the hospital Chard asks (I can't remember the lines word for word) Who was left in here? Bromhead says something along the lines of "I don't know" to which Chard replies "They had names, faces...". Bromhead exclaims (this is the bit I'm unsure of) "Chard!" as if to say " for gods sake I don't know man." or does he mean "Charred!" as in unrecogniseably burned? I know it's not much in the scheme of things but this brief exchange has had me wondering for the last twenty years. |
| Date | Replies |
| 2nd January 2002 | Ian
Eddie,
He is saying it as 'Chard! For God's sake...'
Hope this helps. |
| 3rd January 2002 | Stephen McDonald
Agree with Ian.
In the movie Chard was pent-up with exhaustion and the burden of command.
So, the word was used in terms of what Ian explains. By the way Eddie...it was a good question. |
| 3rd January 2002 | Eddie Saunders
Thankyou all, think I'll watch it all again now and see if there's anything else I need cleared up. I did always wonder how Hook managed to avoid getting broken glass in his mouth when he swiped the medicinal brandy on the way out of the hospital (I've tried that method of bottle opening before unsuccessfully!)but I suppose if four thousand fellows have just come over the hill with the sole intention of repositioning your internal organs some yards from the rest of your components maybe you don't worry about that sort of thing. |
| 3rd January 2002 | mj
Eddie I have been like you all these years and wondered 'Chard' or 'Charred' I guess either would work in the situation but I'll have to go with everyone else on this and say it was 'Chard, catch yourself on wait til the roll is finished!'.
As for Hookie, well he was a Welshman boy-o!
|
| 4th January 2002 | Ian
Eddie, an interesting point about Hook, the film and the Brandy. Apparently Hook didn't drink in real life. |
| 5th January 2002 | Arthur Bainbridge
I always thought Hooky was the real hero, the british working class ,mebbes he didn't drink in real life but its a great scene.I guess one of the good things about Zulu is that all its heroes are different yet admirable |
| 6th January 2002 | mj
You know, come to think of it, he may have been a non drinker in real like but after that little set to in the hospital would have probably made any rigtheous (regardless of how he was portrayed in the movie) man want a taste of the spirits just to get the taste of death out of his mouth. Plus there was no tea available at the time. |
| 6th January 2002 | Diana Blackwell
Arthur,
Agreed! I've always thought the brandy-drinking scene was visually and spiritually the most beautiful moment in the whole film |
| 6th January 2002 | Fred
Mj
Since when was Gloucestershire part of Wales? Hook was born (and died and is buried) in Gloucestershire.
As for his portrayal in the film Zulu, it was a film of its time, a time when there were certain stock characters that had to appear, whatever the circumstances. There just had to be a ne'er do well who makes good in the end. There is no record that Hook was an insubordinate malingerer. Rather the contrary, he seems to have been a good conscientious soldier. He was in the hospital because he was posted there for its defence, probably by Bromhead. The reports also seem to make clear that he had no time for drinking, he was too busy helping the sick and wounded make it back to the second defence line. |
| 7th January 2002 | Alan Critchley
Hook was born in Alney, Churcham, Gloucester on 6th. August 1850. It was never a part of Wales.
He was of good reputation, and a good soldier.
P.S. brocken glass falls to to the bottom of a bottle, and in the film Hook didn't drink that much.
Alan |
| 8th January 2002 | Eddie Saunders
I think that the Hook in the film had something about breaking glass anyway. Bottles, cabinet doors... at one point he even shuts a window so that he can break it to shoot through it! Vandal. |
| 13th January 2002 | LordDeLaWarr
the thing that bothers me, is the saesnegs were using Welsh citizens for the building og their empire, not so unlike VietNam, well worse actually.
Two counties of Wales were expropiated from Wales to Englank after the failed bid of the Duke OF Monmouthshire for the throne. A third~ Monmouthshire was also to be switched , but time remediated that one boyo ! |
| 15th January 2002 | Fred
LordDeLaWarr
I was under the impression that the Welsh (and English, Irish and Scots) had enlisted voluntarily. Have we all missed the existence of an army press gang?
As for your two expropriated counties, you'll just have to start a liberation movement for them. Never know, you might end up with a film about the desparate defence of Pontypool against the incursion of a horde of thousands of rampaging Englishmen (football hooligans probably, to make it dramatic). You could call it `Pooloo'. |
| 17th January 2002 | Diana Blackwell
What does "saesneg" mean? |
| 17th January 2002 | Fred
My guess is that it's the same as sassenach (i.e. English in Gaelic/Celtic languages). |
