Soldiers on Screen: Zulu

Join us for a special screening of the 1964 classic 'Zulu'. Afterwards, a panel of experts will be exploring the film's themes and examining its impact.

The British Army has been depicted on the silver screen since the earliest years of cinema.

Join us for a screening of the classic film 'Zulu' (1964), 60 years on from its original release. Telling the story of the Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879), it is a fact-based account of one of the opening clashes of a war fought by the British against the Zulu Kingdom in southern Africa.

Following the screening, a panel of leading historians will come together to help separate fact from fiction. They will examine the film's immediate impact and longer legacy, and explore some of its central themes and what they reveal about the soldiers who served.

This event is part of our Soldiers on Screen film series.

Running order

1.45pm – Doors open
2.00pm – Event begins with introduction from Museum member of staff
2.10pm – Film screening begins
4.30pm – Film screening ends
4.45pm – Panel discussion begins
5.30pm – Event ends

About the panel

Alex von Tunzelmann

Alex von Tunzelmann is a historian and screenwriter, broadcaster, and the author of books including 'Fallen Idols: Twelve Statues That Made History'.

Hannah Greig

Hannah Greig is a historian at Royal Holloway, London and an expert in 18th-century British history. She is also a consultant to film and TV, whose credits include feature films 'The Duchess' (2008) and 'The Favourite' (2019), as well as TV shows 'Poldark', 'Sanditon' and 'Bridgerton'.

Ian Knight

Military historian Ian Knight has been writing about 19th-century British colonial campaigns for 30 years. His book ‘Zulu Rising’ received universal critical acclaim, and he is a winner of the Anglo-Zulu Historical Society’s Chief Buthelezi Medal for his lifelong contribution to Anglo-Zulu studies.

Saul Dubow

Saul Dubow is Smuts Professor of Commonwealth History at the University of Cambridge and an expert on South African history.