#
# Because the film was shot in South Africa, the cast and crew were lectured on the need to refrain from fraternizing with the topless tribal dancers since the penalty for interracial sex in the country at the time was seven years hard labor.
# Jack Hawkins was upset at the way his character (Rev. Witt) was shown on film, and refused to attend the opening.
# In the real battle for Rorke's Drift on which this film was based, only 17 British soldiers were actually killed.
# According to a recent book Stanley Baker intended the role of Private Hitch to be played by "the actor from "That Was the Week That Was" (1964) whose surname begins with a K". He was alluding to Roy Kinnear without realizing that the series also starred David Kernan. When Kernan turned up on the set Baker realized his mistake but hired him anyway.
# Because of the apartheid laws in South Africa at the time, none of the actors who portrayed the Zulu warriors were allowed to attend the premiere of the movie.
# Because of the strict apartheid laws enforced in South Africa at the time, the Zulu extras could not be paid equivalent rates to their white counterparts. To get around this, director Cy Endfield gifted all of the animals bought for this film (particularly cows) to the tribes - a gift far more valuable to them than the money that had been denied them.
# The 700+ Zulu extras were largely descendants of the actual warriors who took part in the battle, among them the then chief of the Zulu Nation, Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, taking the role of his predecessor, Cetawayo.
# Michael Caine originally auditioned for the part of Private Henry Hook, but was beaten to it by James Booth.
# James Booth's character, Private Henry Hook, was required to be in the field hospital which were mostly interior shots. Therefore he did not travel with the cast and crew to South Africa for the filming.
# During the first combat scenes, the powder charge is significant. In the later battle scenes, the rifles buck less because the powder charge is less. This was because at close range, even blanks were still dangerous.
Answered by
Alok Gupta
at
12:55 PM on January 19, 2009
