Rhodes 1996 : A Misunderstood Classic



The 1996 BBC miniseries Rhodes is a masterclass in biographical storytelling that remains one of the most underrated historical dramas ever produced. While it is a sweeping epic that captures the complexity of Cecil Rhodes with unmatched intensity, it was famously buried by poor timing and critical backlash.

The "Colossal Flop" That Wasn't
Despite being the most expensive British television drama made at the time, Rhodes was branded a failure almost immediately:
  • Ratings Slump: The series premiered to a strong 7.6 million viewers, but audience numbers plummeted to 4.8 million by the second episode.
  • A "High-Budget Turkey": Critics of the time were scathing. It was panned for assuming viewers already knew the complex history of Southern Africa, and it famously lost its audience to the populist ITV drama London’s Burning.
  • Marketing Mishap: The BBC even tried to sell a 32-page background booklet to help confused viewers understand the plot, but it didn't become available until the series was nearly over.
Why It’s Actually a Masterpiece
The very things that made it "flop" in 1996—its uncompromising look at a controversial man and its refusal to simplify history—are what make it essential viewing today.
  • A Haunting Performance: Martin Shaw delivers a definitive performance as the older Rhodes, capturing the man’s terrifying ambition alongside his genuine, almost mystical personal charm. Joe Shaw, his real-life son, plays the younger Rhodes, adding a layer of physical authenticity rarely seen in biopics.
  • Unflinching History: Unlike sanitized versions of history, the series portrays the exploitation of native peoples and the ruthless political maneuvering of the diamond fields with grim, accurate detail. It treats Rhodes not as a "hero" or a simple "villain," but as a complex, "monster-like" megalomaniac who shaped an entire continent.
  • Cinematic Grandeur: The series is visually stunning, featuring a sweeping score reminiscent of John Barry and ravishing South African landscapes.
Watch It for Free
Because this series has never received a proper modern DVD or streaming release in many regions, it has lived on primarily through dedicated fans. You can currently find episodes of Rhodes on YouTube for free, where viewers are finally discovering what 1990s audiences missed: a brilliant, high-stakes character study that delivers a "whale of a story".
If you want to understand the man who founded Rhodesia, built De Beers, and changed the course of history, this series captures him like nothing else.
Since you're interested in historical figures, would yo

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review : The International Jew by Henry Ford

Image
I just finished the infamous International Jew by Henry Ford. It was an interesting read. Ford writes about the history of Jews in the USA. He discusses Jewish power and influence in politics, the media, press, business and how Jews spread degeneracy in the arts via cinema and music. So the International Jew is no different from Mein Kampf or any other Anti-Semitic literature. It unfortunately ends without a solution.  What I found interesting is that when Henry Ford wrote The International Jew in the early 1920s Jews were not at the zenith of their power in America. Though Jews controlled the Federal Reserve and many of the newspapers they did not control the levers of power in Washington. The American Senate and House of Representatives was not full of Jews. During the early 20th century television was not widespread and I believe it was TV that allowed Jews to reprogram the minds of White Americans. In the 1910s and 1920s America was still a white majority country and it was ...
Read more

Tovera the ancestor of the Shona people

Image
Tovera is the ancestor of the Shona people. He is like the Abraham to Shonas. My grandfather used to tell me about this Tovera. He came from the north, somewhere in the land of Tanzania and settled in present day Zimbabwe. He is known for three things: Totems It is he who had many children and gave them the totem names such as Shumba lion, Nzou elephant and Shava Eland. Perhaps Tovera understood evolution, and the idea that men evolved from animals and that is why he called his children after animals. Maybe, he understood that man is one with nature and the animals world and wanted his descendants to appreciate the natural world and have reverence and respect for animals. It is also possible Tovera understood the stars, the zodiac and gave out the animal names as a form of cosmology. Whatever the reason, the totem system is still alive and well amongst the Shonas. They use it know who their relatives are and to know where they came from.  Tsumo proverbs My grandfather told me Tover...
Read more

They Live

Image
  I recently watched the cult classic film from 1988 They Live. It is a deep movie that is still entertaining more than 30 years later. It is similar to Fight Club and The Matrix and is a criticism of the western world that is consumed by greed and materialism. After watching it again I started wondering about what the movie was really trying to say.  If They Live movie is an indictment of capitalism and consumerism then what is the solution? The main characters use guns to kill the aliens so is the movie advocating killing the rich capitalists. Is it a movie that supports communism? As history shows us, killing the elite only works in the short term. Soon enough the new elite will just become as corrupt and as cruel as the old elite. It happened after the Russian revolution and it happened in post colonial Africa. The book Animal Farm comes to mind. The problem of western society is not capitalism, consumerism or which ever political and economic system is in place. Perhap...
Read more