Text 3943, 98 rader
Skriven 2006-07-15 19:42:00 av Robert E Starr JR (4416.babylon5)
Ärende: Re: Anyone catch Nightmar
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* * * This message was from Joseph DeMartino to rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.m * * *
         * * * and has been forwarded to you by Lord Time * * *         
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@REPLY: <1hkhb21ufvflmjjb0ltnsh7mlerdcq1m0v@4ax.com>
Wendy of NJ wrote:

> I guess it's my turn to nitpick? "Zuni" is a Native American tribe
> from the Southwest. Perhaps you're thinking about "Zulu"? (they're the
> ones that kicked some British butt at Roarke's Drift in Africa in the
> 19th century, IIRC)

1.  All the descriptions of the Karen Black piece refer to the (clearly
African) figurine as "zuni", which also struck me as odd but I figured
it could be a case of two unrelated words that happen to be spelled
alike  I've never read the original story, but it is possible the error
goes back to it - or that Matheson mentioned a Zuni fetish doll without
providing a detailed description or defninition in his scipt (which he
adapated from his own story.)  TV writers tend not to be much involved
with the actual production side of things, so he wouldn't be around to
correct the props and F/X guys if they came up with an African-looking
figurine either because they made the zuni/zulu error or because they
looked at actual zuni fetishes and decided they didn't have the visual
menace needed for the screen.  It would hardly be the first time
Hollywood threw strict accuracy out the window in favor of aesthetics
or drama.  <g>

2.  Counter nitpick. <g>

The Zulus kicked some British butt at the battle of Isandlwanda on June
22nd 1879   (Where failure to follow standard procedures, foolish
division of forces, bad dispositions and an unclear chain-of-command
led to about 1300 British and allied local troops being overrun and
slaughtered.  Western military forces battling indigenous warriors had
learned precisely nothing since Custer's defeat three years earlier,
almost to the day.)  The events of that battle are depicted, with
reasonable accuracy, in the sadly neglected film "Zulu Dawn" (1979)

The Battle of Rorke's Drift began later the same day.  Rorke's Drift
was the supply base in Natal province from which the invasion of
Zululand had set out on its last leg.  It also served as a hospital.
(Wounded from a preliminary skirmish prior to the main battle of
Isandlwanda were evacuated to Rorke's drift, and survivors later
trickled into the base after the battle.)  Rorke's Drift ("drift" meant
"ford" or "river crossing" in the local South African dialect) was
originally a trading post established by James Rorke.  Later it was
sold to Swedish missionaries and used as a church and residence.  It
consisted of two brick buildings and a low stone wall meant to keep
animals in (or out) of certain areas.  It was not and never had been a
military outpost and was not designed to resist attack.  In the short
time the British were there they did little to change it, beyond
converting one building into a hospital.

One of the Zulu commanders arrived at Isandlwanda too late for his men
to see much fighting, and he was determined that they have their chance
to kill some of the British.  So he disobeyed a direct order not to
leave Zulu territory and launched a mini-counter-invasion into Natal
and with about 4,500 warriors attacked the small garrison (104
effectives, including the lightly wounded who could still fire a rifle,
150 men all told) at Rorke's drift.

The battle started at about 4:30 that afternoon and continued through
the night, the British fighting behind defenses improvised from biscuit
boxes and wagons..  Parts of the enclosure fell to the attackers, and
they succeeded in setting the hospital on fire, but the British
continued to establish and defend ever smaller enclosures and when the
morning came the Zulu drew off after seeing the dust of a relief column
approaching from the direction of Isandlwanda.  (The rest of the
original invasion force, drawn off by a false report of a large Zulu
army the day before, had finally returned to the field at Isandlwanda
and discovered the fate of the men they had left there.)

Between 350 and 400 Zulu are believe to have been killed during the
battle (something over 300 bodies were found in the immediate area of
the camp, at least some of the wounded attackers crawled or limped from
the field and died in the brush, where bones were still being found
years later, and an unknown number would have succumbed later to battle
wounds and related infections.)

The defenders suffered 15 killed outright, 2 who died shortly
afterwards as a direct result of battle wounds and 16 were wounded in
the fighting.

11 of the defenders were awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest
award for military gallantry.  The V.C. is comparable to the American
Medal (*not* "Congressional Medal") of Honor.  More Victoria Crosses
were awarded for Rorke's Drift than for any single action in British
military history.  The Battle of Rorke's Drift is depicted, also with
fair accuracy (the battle itself being an almost exact re-enactment),
in the 1964 film "Zulu" starring Michael Caine.  

Regards, 

Joe
                                       
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