Shaka Zulu (1986): Season 1, Episode 4 - Episode #1.4 - full transcript

[theme song playing]

[vocalizing]

[singing in Zulu]

♪ We are growing higher ♪

♪ Growing higher ♪

[tribal music playing]

[Henry] The death of
Senzangakona's first son
placed Nandi

in a much stronger position,
a position which her kinsmen

were determined to pursue.

And so it was that an Elangeni
party set out to demand

the new Zulu king instate
Nandi as one of his wives



and accept the child
as his son and heir.

[tribe chanting]

[Mudli] Baba,
they will arrive tomorrow.

The messengers tell me
it's an important party.

King Makedama's most important
advisor will accompany them.

Much will be at stake
when they arrive.

What do you advise, Mudli?

When the child
is laid in front of us,

we must proclaim the guilt.

You must acknowledge
the child as your own.

Isono.

I thought the king
could do no wrong.

Yebo, Baba.

You were not yet king when
this wrong was committed.



[speaking Zulu]

So, we are to be dictated to
by this girl and her clan?

Uh...need I remind you, Baba,

we once warned you
of such a possibility.

Are you saying this is
your King's fault?

In cases like this... the fault
is seldom shared by many.

Mkabayi wishes to address
the King?

The way I see it...
the King's hands are tied.

He has only two choices,

accept the child and face
ridicule, or...

reject it and face war
with Elangeni.

I suggest you choose the path
that is best for your people,

Nkosi.

Ngiyabonga.

Thank you for the advice.

Ndabezitha... Ndabezitha.

Ndabezitha... Ndabezitha.

Sister... How is my wife?

Recovering.

[soft music playing]

[baby crying]

[announcing in Zulu]

Inform the King
that they have arrived.

[vocalizing]

They tell me there is a child.

Mother...

[baby crying]

A boy?

Yes... A boy.

[baby crying]

You realize there will be
no wedding feast.

Ten cattle.

That's an insult, Prince.

To negotiate lobala here
in front of these people,

is an insult
to my daughter and myself.

Since you have chosen
to turn this affair

into an open spectacle,
why not take it further?

Fifteen.

Fifty-five.

-Oh!
-Nandi!

-Twenty.
-Fifty-Five.

-Twenty-five!
-Fifty-Five.

What makes you think
you are worth that much?

I am... And So is he...

[baby crying]

So be it! Fifty-Five!

[chanting in Zulu]

Come, mother.

♪ All I want from life ♪

♪ Is more than just a life ♪

♪ For it was spoken
in the prophecy ♪

♪ My son will rule through me ♪

Sakubona, Mkabayi.

Welcome to the house
of Zulus, Nandi.

Thank you.

I congratulate you, Nandi.
You have left no stone unturned.

Your ruthlessness certainly
belies your womanhood.

Thank you for your
welcome, Mkabayi.

But then... what do you know
about being a woman?

Come, Nandi.

[men ululating]

[speaking Zulu]

[crowd responds]

Bayete!

[crowd chanting]
Bayete! Bayete! Wena wezulu.

[tribal singing]

[crowd chanting]

[commanding in Zulu]

[Henry] It was now
nine years later

and once again Senzangakona
was marrying.

But still, Nandi, although
having a daughter by the king,

remained with her son, Shaka,
outside of real recognition.

[crowd chanting in Zulu]

-[commanding in Zulu]
-[crowd agreeing]

[men ululating]

[chanting in Zulu continues]

[singing in Zulu]

The royal hens
do not look happy.

Well, nine wives in nine years.
The competition is growing!

Incredible... incredible
what a man will do out of spite.

-[men ululating]
-[singing in Zulu]

Receive me, you of the Zulu.

We receive you.

[men ululating]

[celebratory singing in Zulu]

[commanding in Zulu]

More beer! Tshwala la!

You have had
enough beer, Ndabezitha.

Tsha... I want her to get it.

Where is she... where is she?

[speaking Zulu]

-I think it's unwise, Nkosi.
-Akezela!

Woza!

[commanding in Zulu]

I am here, Baba,
what do you wish from me?

I'm thirsty. I wish to drink.

Woza.

Hail, Nandi! Queen of the Zulus!

The whore who trapped the mighty
leopard with a bastard son!

Bayete, Nandi!

Bayete Ndlovukazi!

The Queen of whores.

Bayete!

Baba, this is unworthy
of the King.

Hamba!

Myekeni.

If you hurt my mother again,
I will kill you!

[laughs mockingly]

He has the arrogance
of his mother!

Now where is that beer I wanted!

Bibi, hey! Bring my beer!

As your father,
the great Jama, suspected,

he is the child of the prophecy.

Do you realize what
you're saying,

Yebo Baba, your father felt
it the day of Shaka's birth.

That's why he wanted the woman
to die before childbirth.

Abulawe!

It was the last act
of his reign.

One which, unfortunately,
was of no consequence.

But why?

Fear... Fear, Baba,

of what the child
would do to the nation.

It was as
the Prophets predicted...

he was born in Untulikazi,
the month of the prophecy.

He was illegitimate...
the condition of the prophecy.

And then his moment of birth

coincided with the death
of your principal wife's son.

That, too, is the
curse of the prophecy.

[speaking in Zulu]
Witchdoctor's magic.

The King's power to rule over
others' lives

is, in itself, magical.

The witchdoctor's magic
is the king's magic.

If he loses it,
he is no longer king.

And, if what you say is true?

Then he must be killed. Now...

Killed? My only son?

Yes, before he's allowed
to start a new era

in which the word "amazulu"
will signify terror and death.

If he remains in your house,
your wives will be barren.

Is that not the case, Baba?
Since you met with that woman,

you have but only two children,
both hers.

Why do you hesitate, Mfowethu?
Is it out of love?

Is your concern more
for strangers

than for the uplift
of your own kingdom?

He is not a stranger!
He is my blood!

And today he was prepared
to shed yours

to protect his mother.

Is that going to go
unpunished, unnoticed?

Your reputation as king
is at stake... your pride.

We will call on Nonduma
of the Nzuza clan.

His power to these mysteries
far exceeds

those of the Isangoma's.

He will read the secrets
of the child

and provide you with
the proof you need.

And then, Baba... you shall
make your own decision.

[chanting in Zulu]

I smell evils.

I smell a child.

[crowd yammering]

[chanting in Zulu]

[speaking Zulu]

The blood will tell the truth.

[Nandi] Ah... Shaka... Shaka!

No...No! Leave him alone!

-No...no!
-[chanting in Zulu]

[Nandi crying]

Hawu... hawu... hawu...

[speaking Zulu]

[chanting in Zulu]

[thunder swells]

[thunder rolls]

-[woman screams]
-[men ululating]

[witchdoctor screaming]

[witchdoctor prophesying]
Daughter of Bhebhe.

From your womb shall come
the first born of a king,

giving birth to a mighty nation
of blood stained spears

and thundering shields.

[men ululating]

Shaka...

-Shaka.
-Hmm.

Shaka... we have to leave
at once!

You must hurry... He will be
looking for you at sunrise.

He?

He... will be looking for us?

I thought the idea was his.

I cannot tell you more now,
Ndlovwkazi. Come.

Why do you call me that?

Ndlavukazi 'is the title
reserved for the principal wife.

Not for an outcast.

It's because you are
the principal wife
of Zulu, Nandi.

You are the Queen...

I knew that years ago,
when I first met you.

And that, some day,
you will return
to claim that right

and he... will be your shield...

"Isihlangu sakho." Come!

Follow me.

[birds chirping]

Gazi!

-Why? Why?
-Mkabayi...

-Mkabayi?
-Mkabayi felt you were trapped.

I could overrule all of them.

You were never
very good at that.

And now... Gazi...
what do I tell the people?

That... I helped her to escape.

Bayete, Let them go.

[panting]

[indistinct chattering]

Come.

Was... was that...

[tribe chanting]

[woman crying]

Nandi...

[Mudli] May I suggest, Baba,

that you do not close your eyes
to solutions

that fate has offered.

And what might that be?

That they have been
coaxed into exile

-by the treachery
of your own induna.
-Hai Baba!

We couldn't have done it better.

Now you must ask that they be
returned to you.

The Elangeni are
proud people, Elder.

Like Nandi... They will refuse,
and it will mean war.

Exactly, Baba. And in that war,
there will be one casualty...

The boy. The condition of
the Prophecy will be fulfilled

by you not personally having
to soil your hands

with the blood of your son.
Your honor will remain intact.

It pleases me that my councilors

show such concern for my honor.

Yet, need I remind them
that for that honor.

I have my friend's blood
on my hands,

and it was the councilors who
wished me to accept I-Shaka

to avoid war.

Now you ask me to risk war
for his sake...

and that will seem strange
to my people.

That is my foremost concern,
Baba. Your people.

The fact remains
that you could not
have been abandoned by a woman.

So tell the people
it was my idea,

I chased her away
because of her arrogance.

Very well, Baba... and how do I
explain the death of Gazi?

You're trying
my patience, Elder.

That is my calling, Nkosi.

To make the king aware
of the possibilities

of a given situation...
at the risk of appearing
a nuisance.

Then, let me make it
simple for you.

If I risk war to get her back,

her people will think
I care for her.

If I forget her and call for
ngikhohlwe yindaba yakhe,

the punishment for her son
will be worse than death.

Not a Zulu,
no longer an Elangeni.

He will be a boy without a clan.

Go and tell the people!

Very well, Baba, that will
satisfy the people.

But the little the people know
about the prophecy

will in no way reflect
its true dangers,

If this boy is allowed to live,
he will bring about an upheaval

of life itself as we know it.

Baba... I sympathize
with the fact
that you are reluctant

in bringing about the death
of your own son.

But he is not your son.

Not in the true sense
of the word.

His conception was guided by
the hand of evil.

Do not be blind to it.

Put that out of your mind,
Elder. That is an order!

-Thank you for the advice.
-Baba I--

Thank you for the advice.

-Bayette.
-Bayette.

Bayete... Bayete

Did it have to be Gazi?

-I am proud to see that my
brother is finally beginning--
-Answer me!

He was the only one
I could trust.
He loved you both.

And what if Mudli
is right about
the Prophecy?

Mudli is right about
only one thing

the boy's exile is
the work of fate.

Now he will have a chance
to prove his valor

far away from those who fear
the prophecy and this child.

Because he will bring
a new world!

A new order. A new society.

What our father
and his generation called evil,
is the Future!

And it is not evil,
of that I'm convinced.

[soft music playing]

Your father was loved
by everyone in the village.

His joy was their joy...

his pain, their pain.

They knew how much
he cared for you.

Ten boys couldn't have made
him more proud than

that one little girl... Nandi.

They are right. It is my fault.

I've always wanted what
I thought was best for me.

At the price of those
closest to me.

My son. My daughter.

And now my father. It must end!

-Sakubona, mama.
-Yes, what is it?

The king wishes to see... Nandi.

We have sent a messenger
to the Zulus
informing their king

that you and your children
are here

and requesting an explanation.

His answer is quite troubling.

I have been the cause
of enough scandal, Nkosi.

I will return to his village
tomorrow... without my children.

Nandi ... Senzangakona did not
ask for your return.

He remembers no one
by the name of Nandi,
daughter of Bhebhe.

And his son? His daughter?

He made no mention of Shaka
or Nomcoba.

We are told you escaped.
Is that true?

Then, our hands are tied.

We forced Senzangakona
to accept you once.

We cannot do it again.

Especially since, this time,
he is in the right.

He wanted to kill us!

Nandi...

if the man truly wanted
to kill you... he would have.

I came here looking for help
and all I get is... this!

Nandi, you are
in the presence of the King!

Ngazana, you are
in the presence of a queen!

Nandi, there is little or
nothing we can do to help you.

You are completely
on your own, now.

No man in this village
will support you.

If you stay, you must fend
for yourself, and be prepared

to be treated with
a certain amount of... hostility

you are strong enough to cope
with that, I'm sure.

But... what about your mother
and your children?

Where else can I go?

[flies buzzing]

[Henry] Life was not
easy for Nandi.
Surrounded by animosity,

she could find no man
willing to help her

fend for her family.

And frequently,
they were subject
to insults and abuse.

[cows mooing]

Hey look... the Zulu whore.

Just ignore them
and carry on working.

The Zulu whore... who has no man
to do her man's work.

[laughing mockingly]

[speaking Zulu]

♪ Here's a man for you
ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh! ♪

♪ Here's a man for you
Here's a man for you ♪

The whore who trapped
the mighty leopard!
[laughs boisterously]

I'm the son of the King...
and my mother is a queen

Remember that!

Go! Get away from here.
Go... go!

Go... Go!

Go!

Go!

[whistling]

[laughing]

[speaking Zulu]

Yo! Nandi,
they're burning our granary!

[women screaming]

[speaking Zulu]

[child screaming]

Ae Shaka!
Where's your spear now?

[somber music playing]

Shaka, come back, Shaka!
You must stop him!

It is time they learned, mother.

Sooner or later
we must fight back!

If you won't save him, I will!

Shaka!

Nzobo... Nzobo!

-Nzobo!
-[yelling]

-Yah!
-What is Shaka doing?

It's time we were rid
of the Zulu.

Shaka... Shaka!

Drop it... Drop it! Come here!

It looks as if I arrived
not a minute
too soon, Mphepha!

[yells] This is my home, Mfunda.
And I will do anything
to defend it.

Someone burnt our granary today

and yesterday your son
insulted my daughter!

Is that true, Nzabo?

-I was provoked, Father.
-Is that true?

-Yes, Father.
-And the fire?

Did you or did you not
start that fire?

-Why do you even talk to these--
-[yells in Zulu]

[Nzabo groans]

It seems you are right, Mfunda.

Shaka, take five of our cattle
as payment for your loss.

So be it.

[somber music playing]

[goats bleating]

[birds screeching]

-Go!
-[Nomcoba screams]

[chanting]

[laughing maliciously]

[yells in Zulu] He's had enough.

[Nomcoba screams]

[speaking Zulu]

Shaka... Shaka... Shaka...

[mournful music playing]

Goga... Gogo!

Mother! Mother!

Never again... will he...
leave an enemy behind!

[thunder rumbling]

[child crying]

So, when would you like us
to leave?

It is not my decision, Nandi.
I want you to know that.

But whatever I personally think,
I am a king

and I belong to my people.

Which is your excuse
for not doing
what your heart tells you!

Let me make your life easier,
Nkosi. We leave tomorrow.

Nandi... your mother can stay
if you'd like... in my kraal.

She may be too old to travel.

Thank you, Baba.

That's the first kind word
I've heard in a long time.

But I think she'll like
to stay near Shaka.

She is afraid without
the proper guidance,
he'll become like me.

A misfit.

[speaking Zulu]

[somber music playing],

[birds screeching]

Nandi... your mother can stay
if you'd like... in my kraal.

She may be too old to travel.

Thank you, Baba.

But I think she'll
want to stay near Shaka.

[Mfunda] Give him room
to breathe, Nandi.

If you truly love him,
let him believe

that tomorrow the light
will return.

Let there be love, not hate.

[Bhebhe] Nandi, Gendeyana is
a good, what more
can you ask for?

[Nandi] Much more father...
much more.

[Gendeyana] You'll be
an outcast forever.

[Nandi] I don't have
a choice now, do I?

[Gendeyana] Yes, you do.

We'll say it's my child...
and we'll marry properly.

But you don't understand.

I don't love you...
I could never love you.

My place is with Zenzangakona,
no matter what it may cost me.

[goat bleating]

Gendeyana... look!

Nandi!

And, the little girl?

It's mine... Nomcoba.

And that must be Shaka.

[Henry] And so it was
that after all those years,
Nandi found refuge

with the man she had so
determinedly refused to marry.

You're welcome here.

[Henry] Under his protection,
Shaka would grow

and develop into a strong
young warrior.

Thank you.

[vocalizing]

[singing in Zulu]

♪ Be a man of greatness now ♪

♪ A man so tall
A man so kind ♪

♪ Be a man of wisdom now ♪

♪ A man of mind
A man of light ♪

♪ Be a man of kindness now ♪

♪ A man so big
And strong in mind ♪

♪ Be a man so humble now ♪

♪ A man of men
Now let it shine ♪

♪ This is what you are ♪

♪ This is how
It was planned now ♪

♪ This is what to be
Every kind of man now ♪

♪ This is what to say
With the kind of meaning ♪

♪ This is what to feel
With the kind of feeling ♪

♪ We are growing
Growing higher and higher ♪

♪ We are growing
Growing higher and higher ♪

♪ We are growing
Growing higher and higher ♪

♪ We are growing
Growing higher and higher ♪

♪ Hear the children
Hear the children ♪

♪ They are talking to you ♪

♪ Hear the wind blow
Hear the wind blow ♪

♪ It is coming for you ♪

♪ See the grass grow
See the grass grow♪

♪ It whispers his name ♪

♪ See the fire blow
See the fire blow ♪

♪ His heart in the flame ♪

[singing in Zulu]

[vocalizing]

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