Shaka Zulu
1986 (mini)
Dr Henry Fynn: It would appear that Sommerset was right, wouldn't it? It all comes down to blowing their heads off.
Somerset: Since he ascended the throne of the Zulus in 1816, Shaka has forged one of the mightiest empires the African continent has ever known... In less than 6 years, his small, insignificant tribe has risen from obscurity and given its name to an all-powerful nation organized into a fearsome military machine. Shaka is known as a mass murderer - a depraved ogre whose thirst for conquest knows no limits. He has deluged his country with innocent blood, disregarding the most sacred ties of affection, turning father against son, son against brother, in a bloodbath that defies description.
Shaka: A man chosen to wield life and death on the battlefield must be an artist, if he isn't, he is simply a murderer.
Shaka: Never leave an enemy behind or it will rise again to fly at your throat.
Dr Henry Fynn: (to Shaka) A man with Christ in his heart is stronger than all the regiments on earth.
Shaka: (their final meeting before Shaka's return to his capital, where Shaka will be assassinated by his own queen) ... Tell me - How do you catch a monkey? Lt Francis Farewell: Well, a gourd is used... with a narrow neck. Bait is dropped into the gourd: a piece of fruit, or - or something shiny. The monkey puts his hand into the gourd to get the bait, and then he's trapped... because he can't get his fist out. Shaka: Once he realizes he's trapped, why doesn't the monkey let go of the bait? Lt Francis Farewell: Because his greed makes him blind. Shaka: And what is he greedy for? Lt Francis Farewell: What he thinks he cannot have. Shaka: And now - What new bait have you brought for this monkey? Something shiny? Like the freshness of youth? Or lost love? Lt Francis Farewell: ... Hating my people is not the answer. Together, we can find another way. Shaka: No. You have already proven that you were never with me. You are a shadow, a man without a nation. Go. I have no need for you anymore. Lt Francis Farewell: GO? Go where? WHERE can I go? Shaka: Where *I* have been.
Shaka: (last words, as he is slain by his own bodyguards) ... THE SWALLOWS HAVE WON! ("Swallows" is the Zulus' term for the British... since they, like their bird-namesakes, first came to Africa from across the sea)