Original subtitles

the threat of Shaka Zulu

may soon be directed at the White settlers

residing in the Crowns territories.

Tend to the Zulus, Bathrust,

or it will be our sad task to find someone who can.

I think I know the very man that you need

Lt. Francis George Farewell.

I need courage, Worthing. Not patriotism!

There is always a price on courage

in this case, it should be paid in ivory.

My ultimate purpose will be to contact Shaka Zulu

in order to secure an alliance with His Majesty King George.

Alliances are made for civilized peoples, not savages.

I don't think they intend to harm us.

I think they are taking me because of the language.

What do we do now?

[theme song playing]

[vocalizing]

[singing in Zulu]

I We are growing higher J‘

[chuckles]

Bring him in.

Ndabezitha.

What do you think, Ngomane?

A scouting party. That's what it is, Nkosi.

Mm-hmm.

[groans]

What is your tribe?

The Dutch, Nkosi.

What do you do? Are you a warrior?

I was a farmer.

Now, I am a teacher.

And what do you teach?

I teach children to read and to write.

What nonsense is that?

May I show you, Nkosi?

[speaking Zulu]

[Vegte] A written word.

That reads, Shaka.

[commands in Zulu]

That is I?

It is the visual representation of your name.

And this is my name.

Piet.

What is this marking used for?

Witchcraft? Casting spells?

No. No, Nkosi.

It is used to transmit ideas, feelings over great distances.

But this ensures that what you say here

is heard there in exactly your words.

I am already assured of that, Piet.

[Shaka] If my messengers misrepresent me, they are dead.

Writing can also be used to store what you say today,

so that it can be heard generations from now.

The only way to store ideas,

feelings, is in the mind and in the heart.

[Shaka] And my future generations will hear the voice of the wind

bringing messages

from long ago...

of Shaka.

Yes. And that voice will speak of tyranny.

Is that what you Whites think of me? A tyrant?

That is the message brought to them,

by the wind.

Do you all speak our language?

Not all of them, Nkosi, no.

But they are learning.

Already there are some who know enough to be able to speak to you.

You interest me, white man.

From now on,

you are a Zulu.

[Shaka] And you shall act as my interpreter.

You shall teach my people your language,

and your people my language.

[Shaka] If you do well, I'll reward you handsomely.

But if you fail me,

I shall kill each and every member of your party.

[Shaka] Is that clear?

[commands in Zulu]

Ngomane, I want the armies assembled by the next full moon.

For a handful of men, Nkosi? Men who come in peace?

Are you my friend, Ngomane?

Yes, Nkosi. I am.

In spite of the fact that I can take your life at a moment's notice?

That is the basis of our friendship, Nkosi.

We share a common life, my own, Ndabezitha.

And so it will be with the white man.

When they realize my capability to destroy

their people at a moment's notice,

then, I'll discuss friendship.

[birds chirping]

[tribal singing]

[Henry]It was not without some trepidation

that we embarked upon what was to be

a ten day journey to Kwa Bulawayo.

We were led across breathtakingly beautiful landscapes,

where the wildlife appeared

to accept our intrusion without too much concern.

[singing in Zulu]

And then a sight to gladden the heart of any fortune hunter.

Farewell had not lied, when he promised his men more ivory

than they could possibly hope to take with them.

But it was made clear to us

that there would be no hunting without Shaka ’s permission.

As we passed many villages

which dotted the landscape, some of the people would hide,

while others would gather at a distance and stare at us in amazement.

It soon became clear to us

that we were being taken on a somewhat roundabout route,

so, as to display to us

the wealth, order, and discipline of the King's realm.

It was indeed impressive, especially the regimental kraals.

They dotted the landscape at ten to twenty mile intervals

and confirmed our fears

of Shaka being able to muster

an overwhelmingly powerful army,

capable of driving the British forces into the sea.

But quite unbeknown to us,

our venture had already turned the tide of Shaka '5 advance.

In order to impress us with a show of power,

he had been recalling his troops to the capital.

And in so doing, had taken the pressure off the Cape frontier.

By the seventh day, we approached a small Village,

no different to any other.

But the old saying of "fools rushing in where angels fear to tread, "

was to take on a new meaning for us here.

For I was about to get involved in a situation which was...

dangerously to affect our future relationship with the King of the Zulus.

Mana!

[tribe crying]

I should imagine that men whose skins are the colour of spirits

would be welcome at a funeral.

Phansi!

[Henry] Put her down, will you!

Put her down! Down!

[Francis] Fynn, what the devil do you think you are doing?

Francis, the girl's alive. I saw her move!

[Henry] Now, will somebody tell them to put her down!

Put her down!

[commands in Zulu]

[Mgobozi speaking Zulu]

[speaking in Zulu]

He's warning us not to interfere,

[Popham] or thesangoma, the diviner,

may accuse us of being abathakathi, wizards.

And that could mean death.

She's alive!

[Henry] She's burning with fever, but she's alive.

We need to get her back to the kraal.

[Popham speaking Zulu]

Wazani

[Mgobozi commanding in Zulu]

Great stuff, Fynn.

Great stuff.

[Henry]Need/ess to say,

Francis saw the incident as a means to some kind of end.

But none of us, I think,

realized just how dangerous the situation was.

I had meddled with the course of life and death

and now we would have to succeed bringing the girl back to health, if...

we, ourselves, were to survive the whole affair.

[sighs] I'm going to need some more cold water.

Amanzi.

Amanzi.

[requests in Zulu]

[replies in Zulu]

[Henry]The already tense atmosphere

created by the presence of the local witchdoctor

who watched my every move with cold antagonism

was heightened by the ominous sounds of the Royal regiments

as they passed through the night on their way to the King's capital.

It made Shaka 's army...

omnipresent.

[Henry] Where's that water?

Ah, it's here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

[baby crying]

Any sign?

Everything's over.

Come on.

[baby crying]

Come on, now.

[Henry] Wake up.

[theme song playing]

[speaking Zulu]

[man laughs]

[man speaking Zulu]

I suppose, now, we're going to get executed as wizards.

On the contrary, they believe you've resurrected her.

[laughing]

Farewell,

that's blasphemous and preposterous.

And very useful.

Could be our means of survival.

How do you mean?

Well, to all intents and purposes, you have resurrected her.

Now we'd be very foolish not to use that to our advantage.

A man without scruples could very easily become a god in this country,

couldn't he,

lieutenant?

But I'll have no part of it.

No, I shan't expect it of you.

But when he learns of this miracle and I suggest you that Shaka will,

and that you will be in no position to refuse.

[Francis] Besides, Fynn,

this fits awfully neatly

into your Faustian notion of the Zulu king, doesn't it?

-Who better suited to deal with Mephistopheles -than you, Dr Fynn, than you?

[laughing]

[Henry]And so began the eighth day of our journey to Kwa Bulawayo.

We've been given the name “Swallows" by our Zulu hosts,

because like those tenacious little birds

we had apparently, like magic,

come across the sea.

Our journey was unbeknown to us at the time.

Being watched closely by the most powerful "isangoma"

or witchdoctor in the realm.

News of our medical exploits had spread like wildfire,

and we were to learn later

that we had incurred the wrath of the witchdoctor fraternity.

[tribal music playing]

That night, as we camped along the banks of a river

not too far from the capital.

She, Sitayi, of whom we were to hear a great deal later,

went ahead of us to Kwa Bulawayo

for a private audience with the King.

[wind howling]

[Sitayi] You must not meet with these men, Baba.

It is dangerous.

Why?

Because you fear their powers exceed your own?

[Shaka] Can you bring the dead back to life?

Beware, Baba.

Those who wish to be served by magic,

often became its servants.

[Sitayi] We have no need of their powers.

You are Zulu.

You possess the heavens.

If what they say is true,

then theirisangoma possesses powers we cannot ignore.

I want those powers at my service.

[ominous music playing]

-[men ululating] -[people panicking]

[Sitayi]Remember the conditions of the prophecies.

Do not defy the ancestors by reaching for powers

that are not of your heritage

or the heavens will destroy you

through your own blood.

[theme song playing]

[vocalizing]

[singing in Zulu]

[tribe singing]

[tribal singing continues]

[tribe ululating]

[exclaiming in Zulu]

[speaking Zulu]

My god.

Is that an exclamation or a prayer?

[distant tribal singing]

Well, there is your first report to the colonial office, Tim,

We've not got a cat's chance in hell.

Now, don't be downcast, gentlemen.

[Francis] Look at it this way,

we are entering lands that no white man has ever seen.

[Francis] This moment is tremendous.

And your names will go down in history.

Whose history, sir? Ours,

or theirs?

Well, were I a betting man, Tim, I think I'd probably have to say theirs.

[Mgobozi speaking Zulu]

We have to wait here until he sends for us.

Who's moving?

[tribe singing]

Ba yete,

Ndabezitha.

The Whites have arrived,$igidi.

So I see.

[Shaka] That girl, Mgobozi. The one they say came back to life.

Was she really dead?

Yes,Ndabezitha. In my opinion she was.

Inform their chief and theisangomathat they may enter the Royal Kraal.

Ndabezitha.

The Whites are magicians, Shaka.

[Mgobozi] They work with illusion.

You have taught us to live in reality.

[Mgobozi] Even if the Whites had a hundred lives each,

those lives would be not worth a single dedicated life of one Zulu,

[Mgobozi] because we are superior.

The Leopard is also superior, Mgobozi.

He is a sovereign among the masters.

Each proud day of his life is worth a hundred days in the life of a raven.

[Shaka] Yet, if the Leopard were offered wings to fly,

he would be foolish to refuse them.

No, Shaka.

The Leopard's kingdom is the Earth.

On the earth, he is the master.

[Mgobozi] In the skies, he becomes a victim.

If the Whites offer you wings,

it is because they wish to make you their victim.

Did you hear that, Ngomane?

[Shaka] He has been with the Whites for a few days

and already he fears for the security of the State.

[Shaka] Their powers must be great indeed.

Phuma.

Ndabezitha.

And Mgobozi,

never abuse our friendship again.

Ndabezitha.

[people ululating]

[triumphant music playing]

Well, chin up!

Shoulders back, pretend we rule the world!

A little late for masquerading, isn't it, Francis?

On the contrary, the comedy's only beginning.

[Francis] And I suggest we give the public its money's worth.

[Henry] I never was very good at play acting.

Well, have a shot at it anyway,

because the minute we reach those gates I have a feeling that we are in

for a carefully planned theatrical display.

[Henry] What do you have in mind,Othello?

More likeMacbeth, I fancy.

[both laughing]

There's an awful lot of them, isn't there?

[crowd cheering]

Relieved to see you, Mr. Vegte.

Not as relieved as I am to see you, Mr. Farewell, Mr. Fynn.

Well, what do we do?

Well, right now, he is intrigued by your horses.

He wants to learn more about them, especially their speed and endurance.

And where is he?

He is back there, watching.

[men ululating]

Oh... I see.

It's as I thought, Mr. Fynn.

Curtain up, act one. Off we go!

[crowd cheering]

What the hell's going on?

Hambani!

Francis, I think we have a race on our hands.

Well, let’s show them a thing or two.

What do you think?

I don't know, but I hope to God we win.

[crowd cheering]

[commands in Zulu]

[men ululating]

How are you feeling, Mr. Wilkins?

Nervous.

Yes.

I think we might have made a mistake, Francis.

Oh, why?

Do you think we should have lost on purpose?

It might have been more diplomatic.

No,

the most diplomatic thing

that we could do is to show this Shaka that we're not clowns.

[chanting in Zulu]

[speaking Zulu]

[men ululating]

[singing in Zulu]

Your colonial office has no idea what it's up against.

[vocalizing]

[men ululating]

[crowd cheering]

[Shaka commands in Zulu]

That's broken the ice, hasn't it?

Breaking the ice, is that what you'd call it?

By proving that he can tame that animal,

he's trying to prove to himself that he can tame us.

I fear our position is more precarious than ever, Francis.

[men ululating]

[exclaiming triumphantly]

[tribe singing]

[Henry]There was no doubt as to Shaka's thoroughness.

He had deliberately delayed our arrival, so as to prepare his capital to receive us.

And in so doing, he had made use of the time to ensure that

we were fully aware of his power before we met with him.

Now, our gifts also showed our miscalculation of the man’s intelligence.

He was unimpressed and mostly dismissed the items,

passing them over to the Royal Ladies.

But as would always bathe case with our Royal Host,

he would never fail to surprise us with the unexpected.

Indeed, our introduction to the black Emperor

would prove to be the first of many harrowing experiences.

Tell him, these gifts come with the compliments of his brother, King George.

[Vegte repeating in Zulu]

[dog barking]

[speaking Zulu]

He wants to see those things on your face, Mr. Fynn. Your glasses.

Ndabezitha.

Ndabezitha

[Shaka speaking Zulu]

[Shaka laughing]

[speaking Zulu]

"This man does not want to see the world as it truly is."

[Henry] Does anybody?

[woman chuckles]

Thank you.

-[ woman laughing] -Pampata!

Ndabezitha.

Ndabezitha.

[Henry] How very poignant.

Centuries of poets, and not one of them

has thought of giving a fallen angel a mirror.

[Shaka speaking Zulu]

[woman chuckles]

He wants to know what does George look like?

Tell him tall and powerful. Not unlike the Great Elephant himself.

[Vegte speaking Zulu]

[speaking Zulu]

He asks to see the wood that makes music.

How the hell does he know?

Because a man who is as powerful as he is, has eyes and ears everywhere.

Now, get going.

Yes, sir.

[Henry]If Francis thought he was playing a game of outmanoeuvre,

then he could not have chosen a more formidable adversary.

[woman screaming]

[Shaka speaking Zulu]

"In your country," he asks,

“to whom does life belong?

[Vegte] To the king or to his subjects?"

In our country, each man is lord of his own life and only his own life.

The king included. Tell him!

[Vegte repeating in Zulu]

[Vegte repeating in Zulu]

[speaking Zulu]

"Can your King make you go to war?", he asks.

Yes.

[questioning in Zulu]

"And can you die in war?"

Yes!

[Vegte replies in Zulu]

[speaking Zulu]

[Vegte] "Then you are wrong," he says. "Your King owns life."

[speaking Zulu]

[Shaka continues in Zulu]

[Vegte] "Here, life belongs to Shaka."

[Vegte] "Her life belongs to Shaka

and you had no right to give her life

without the Great Elephant's permission."

[woman sobbing]

He's going to kill her!

What the hell do you think you're doing?

In God's name, we've got to stop him!

We're in no position to stop anything!

What would you have me do? Just sit here and watch?

Yes, Fynn, That's exactly what we must do!

[commands in Zulu]

[woman screaming]

[speaking Zulu]

He says,

“That in the future,

you will use your powers for the benefit of the Great Elephant."

[Ngomane speaking Zulu]

[Vegte] He says, "if we Whites truly possess these powers,

let them prove it.

Let them...

resurrect her again."

Tell the King...

that we have disobeyed him once

and that we will not make the same mistake again.

From now on, our powers will be used...

solely for his benefit.

Tell him.

[Vegte repeating in Zulu]

[Vegte continues in Zulu]

[Shaka speaking Zulu]

He says, "It is exactly for the benefit of the Great Elephant,

that the Swallows must prove their powers."

Fynn?

Resurrect her.

Are you mad?

No...

I'm not mad.

But you were, when you jumped into that grave.

[Henry] Now, you do something, or you'll be digging ours.

[Mgobozi]The Whites are magicians, Shaka. They work with illusion.

You have taught us to live in reality.

[commands in Zulu]

Give him the box, Mr. Ogle.

[music plays from the box]

[Henry]If we were going to win this game,

we would have to play it a lot better than this.

For the pieces had been set

and Checkmate could mean death for all of us.

[vocalizing]

[singing in Zulu]

I Be a man of greatness now I

J‘ A men so tall A men so kind J“

J“ Be a man of wisdom now I

J‘ A man of mind A man of light I

I Be a man of kindness now I

J“ A man so big And strong in mind I

I Be a man so humble now I

J‘ A man of man Now let it shine I

J‘ This is what you are I

J‘ This is how It was planned now I

J‘ This is what to be I

J‘ Every kind of man now I

J‘ This is what to say I

I With the kind of meaning I

J‘ This is what to feel I

I With the kind of feeling J‘

J“ We are growing I

J‘ Growing higher and higher I

J“ We are growing I

J‘ Growing higher and higher I

J“ We are growing I

J‘ Growing higher and higher I

J“ We are growing I

J‘ Growing higher and higher I

J“ Hear the children Hear the children J‘

J‘They are talking to you I

I Hear the wind blow Hear the wind blow J“

I It is blowing for you I

I See the grass grow See the grass grow I

I It whispers his name I

I See the fire blow See the fire blow J‘

J‘ His heart in the flame J‘

[singing in Zulu]

[vocalizing]