''Shangani Patrol'' is a war film based upon the non-fiction book ''A Time to Die'' by Robert Cary (1968), and the historical accounts of the

Shangani Patrol The Shangani Patrol (or Wilson's Patrol) was a 34-soldier unit of the British South Africa Company that in 1893 was ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors in pre-Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), during the First Matab ...

, with Brian O'Shaughnessy as Major Allan Wilson and

Will Hutchins Will Hutchins (born Marshall Lowell Hutchason; May 5, 1930) is an American actor most noted for playing the lead role of the young lawyer Tom Brewster, in the Western television series ''Sugarfoot'', which aired on ABC from 1957 to 1961 for ...

as the lead Scout

Frederick Russell Burnham Frederick Russell Burnham DSO (May 11, 1861 – September 1, 1947) was an American scout and world-traveling adventurer. He is known for his service to the British South Africa Company and to the British Army in colonial Africa, and for teach ...

. Also includes the song "Shangani Patrol" by Nick Taylor (1966 recording). Under the command of Major Wilson, the patrol tracks the fleeing

Ndebele Ndebele may refer to: *Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa *Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe and Botswana Languages * Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele *Northern Ndebele language Northern ...

King Lobengula across the Shangani River. Cut off from the main force, they are ambushed by the Ndebele

impi is a Zulu word meaning war or combat and by association any body of men gathered for war, for example is a term denoting an army. were formed from regiments () from (large militarised homesteads). In English is often used to refer to a ...

and, except for the few men sent as reinforcements, all are killed. Such was the bravery of the Shangani Patrol that the victorious Ndebele said, "They were men of men and their fathers were men before them." Depending on one's viewpoint, this event was one of the great mistakes and military blunders of this time in history, or the last heroic stand of a gallant few. The incident had lasting significance in England, South Africa, and Rhodesia as the equivalent of '

Custer's Last Stand The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Nor ...

'. This is their story, told in a 1970 film shot on location in Matabeleland, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

Plot

Locale, Mashonaland,

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kno ...

, 1893. The British South Africa Company (BSAC) (later to become the British South African Police - BSAP) is based in the encampment of Fort Victoria (now known as Masvingo). The film starts with a sepia toned trial of two AWOL volunteers and later deserters who were eventually court martialed by the army for stealing gold which was given to them by Matabele warriors on behalf of King Lobengula as a peace offering to end the war. In this trial (which is solely represented by archive drawings and voice-overs) the voice of TV anchor man/journalist Adrian Steed is heard as the judge (later to be seen as Major Forbes) and that of Stuart Brown playing Dr

Leander Starr Jameson Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, (9 February 1853 – 26 November 1917), was a British colonial politician, who was best known for his involvement in the ill-fated Jameson Raid. Early life and family He was born on 9 February 1853, o ...

. The film then cuts to a glorious sunset shot of Southern Rhodesia where the camp is situated. After a sentimental encounter between the leader Allan Wilson and his wife May, in which Wilson professes the fervent wish to procreate with his wife in order to produce pioneer Rhodesians, it cuts to the titles of the film, all based on scenes from the film. The horrific and ultimately unavoidable slaughter of the Patrol is included. Fort Victoria has a serious problem; it is surrounded by hordes of menacing Matabele warriors, one of whom demands the release of the

Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people * Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today Shona may also refer to: * ''Shona'' (album), 1994 album by New Zealand singer Shona Laing * Shona (given name) * S ...

people under the protection of the BSAC and promises that his warriors will kill them in the bush and not in the

Shangani River The Shangani is a river in Zimbabwe that starts near Gweru, Gweru River being one of its main tributaries' and goes through Midlands and Matabeleland North provinces. It empties into the Gwayi River. The Shangani River was the site of the 4 D ...

so as not to dirty the water. The BSAC re-group and under orders from Dr. Jameson, are to pursue King Lobengula’s troops all the way down from Fort Salisbury to the south of Rhodesia, at that time the kingdom of Lobengula, to capture King Lobengula and hold him to ransom. Wilson leads his troops on what has become a heroic but ultimately futile quest to capture the King in the hope that his troops will surrender. One by one, the volunteers begin showing signs of their inexperience and sometimes lack of courage. One even loses his nerve, runs away and is shot while fleeing. Eventually, with ammunition and morale running low, Wilson dispatches Burnham back to the fort to alert Major Forbes that reinforcements are required. After much argument, Burnham complies and the Shangani Patrol is minus another volunteer. Burnham alerts Major Forbes to the peril that the Patrol is in. Forbes refuses to back his troops up. The Patrol is eliminated by the Ndebele after Wilson fires his remaining bullet. He and the party are killed by the Matabele, who then praise the 34 men of the Shangani Patrol as being "men of men". The final slaughter of the vanquished is shown in quick fire frame flashes (almost like still pictures) and with no sound, right up until the moment when the Matabele induna screams "Touch not their bodies! They were men of men and their fathers were men before them!" The last scene is of Burnham visiting the burial and monument to the Shangani Patrol at Matopo Hills.

Primary cast

Production

''Shangani Patrol'' was the third film made by South African producers David Millin and Roscoe Behrmann under the newly formed RPM Film Studios. The film was shot entirely on location in Rhodesia, in the Marula district, about sixty miles from

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...

and not far from the historical battles of the

First Matabele War The First Matabele War was fought between 1893 and 1894 in modern-day Zimbabwe. It pitted the British South Africa Company against the Ndebele (Matabele) Kingdom. Lobengula, king of the Ndebele, had tried to avoid outright war with the compa ...

. Shooting was completed in the scheduled six weeks.Shangani Patrol soundtrack album cover, RPM 1053-S, RPM Film Studios, South Africa, 1970.

References

External links

*
''Shangani Patrol''
at Letterbox DVD
''Shangani Patrol''
at Bad Movies {{Authority control 1970 films 1970s war adventure films British Empire war films Films set in Rhodesia Films set in 1893 Films shot in Zimbabwe 1970s English-language films

Plot

Primary cast

Production

See also

References

External links