De Voortrekkers

This 1916 epic film was one of the first South African dramatic film productions, and tells the story of the Boers’ Great Trek, concluding with a reconstruction of the 1838 Battle of Blood River, where a few hundred Afrikaners defeated several thousand Zulus. Commemorating as it did their view of a highly contentious period of history, the film came to be revered by Afrikaners. It enjoyed a long after-life in South African classrooms and was shown annually on the date of the Battle of Blood River. The scenario was written by historian Gustav Preller, and its version of the Great Trek emphasised the common point of view between Britons and Afrikaners and the 'savagery’ of the native peoples. News reports at the time told of a filmed charge which was undertaken too enthusiastically, the ‘natives’ neglecting to fall dead and instead assaulting some of the Europeans!