Arguably the climax of Cy Endfield's directorial career is this chronicle of the historic siege of Rorke's Drift in South Africa in 1879, where a small garrison of British soldiers successfully defend their station against attack by hordes of Zulu warriors. Debated ever since as either a lament or a celebration of British colonial expansion, the film was a smash hit in Britain, cementing Endfield's international reputation and his legacy.
DCP, color, 138 min. Production: Diamond Films. Distribution: Embassy Pictures Corp. Producer: Stanley Baker, Cy Endfield. Director: Cy Endfield. Based on a story by John Prebble. Screenwriter: John Prebble, Cy Endfield. Cinematographer: Stephen Dade. Editor: John Jympson. Composer: John Barry. With: Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine.