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Date	Original Topic
9th January 2002	Puzzeling scene in Zulu By Hugh Campbell There is a scene in the classic film "Zulu" that continues to be puzzleing to me. When Chard is defending himself near appears to be the cattle kraal or the back of the premiter wall, he is being challenged by 2 or 3 zulu warriors. In the scene, a man dressed in kahki, perhaps a Native Natal Contingent officer seems to be casually walking behind Chard as the he is deperately fending off his attackers. Chard takes as wipe across the neck and is staggered. Behind him, the NNC officer is shot dead and Chard turns around, grabs his pistol and shoots the zulus. This scene seems out of place within the context of the conflict at hand. Was it a filler or did the script call for an NCC solider to be "wandering" past Chard at that moment?
Date	Replies
9th January 2002	Glenn Wade Hi Hugh! I hope you don't mind me being too picky. The scene you speak of takes place during the first assault. Chard is standing(no wall is visible)and a man in a slouch hat and grey shirt walks past with a box in his hands and a rifle over his shoulder, he is suddenly shot and Chard jumps over to assist but the man is dead. Three Zulus who have jumped over the wall are confronted by a soldier who is killed, they rush towards Chard. When it next shows Chard, the rifle that the man in a hat and shirt was carrying has mysteriously had a bayonet fixed to it? Chard is then confronted by the Zulus, shoots one of them and fights the other two until assisted by corporal Schiess. The rest you all know! Just thought I'd add my opinion Hugh, hope it's ok? Thanks!
9th January 2002	Hugh Campbell Not at all. Pick away. If the man in the slouch hat looked a bit more desperate given the onrush of zulu warriors surrounding the encampment, the scene would be more effective. He just seems very nonchalant. You are right on the detail, but I just find it odd that he saunters by while Chard is warding off his attckers. A minor flaw in an otherwise brilliant film and I can ceratinly live with that, eh? Thanks for the response.
10th January 2002	Glenn Wade Hi again Hugh! Yes, I can't help wandering why that chap was walking behind Chard during an assault? He looks like he's day-dreaming(or thinking where he'd rather be, down the Local with his mates probably!)If I were him I'd take cover or take my place at the wall, he is basically saying 'shoot me, I haven't got all day'!, and he didn't! Bye Hugh!
10th January 2002	John Young The casualty in question is meant to be Acting Storekeeper Louis Byrne, Attached to the Commissariat & Transport Department. His death is somewhat more dramatically depicted in the Lady Butler painting of Rorke's Drift. He's the one punching the air with his fist having just been shot, next to Surgeon Reynolds. John
11th January 2002	Edward Bear Perhaps, it was a London soldier "Doing the Lambeth Walk", to create some sense of balance to all that Welsh singing!
14th January 2002	Eddie Saunders The bit that I found odd was the way Chard picked up a rifle with a perfectly good bayonet on it and (to start with at least) starts to wade into his Zulu attackers with the butt. Now I know he was an engineer but so am I and I still know that the pointy bit goes away from you.