Glory (1989)

 Glory (1989)

In my own humble opinion, Glory is one of the best (if not the best) films made about the American Civil War. There are some well-choreographed battle scenes, but this war movie is not about the actual battles. Rather it is about the human spirit. I only knew about Robert Gould Shaw and the 54^th Regiment due to my first viewing of the movie many years ago. It is not talked about often enough during history class the importance of this regiment. People thought black soldiers were not good enough to fight, but after the heroic charge of the regiment in Charleston, black people were recruited and that may have changed the tide of the war for the Union. The performances, in particular those from Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, transcends the film into mythic proportions. Add the haunting choral score from James Horner, it feels like you are watching something of a dream. In addition, the film was photographed by Freddie Francis. Francis’s camerawork and Edward Zwick’s direction pay lots of attention to close details. For example, look at the shoes given to the soldiers. They become worn out because of their usage and they are not even given to the men in proper sizes. So, yes Zwick is very accurate when it comes to period detail.

Kevin Jarre, the film’s credited screenwriter, famously came up with the idea for the movie when he saw the monument dedicated to Robert Gould Shaw in the Boston Common. He then used two books and the letters written by Shaw himself to write the screenplay, which is one of the film’s many strengths. It was very important for Zwick to get the story right. He did not want to turn the movie into a “black story with a more commercially appropriate white hero.” It would have been terribly easy to do so but Zwick did not. Shaw is an important part of the regiment, but it goes beyond his leadership to the actual men themselves. There is a powerful scene in the movie where the black soldiers are angry because they are getting paid remarkably less than their white counterparts. Once Shaw and his second-in-command Major Cabot Forbes understand the significance, they refuse their paychecks. That is the sequence that intertwined the regiment’s leaders and its men. I dare you not to become emotional at that scene.

The story is all about the 54^th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, composed entirely of black men in the ranks and white men as the leaders. Told mostly through the eyes of Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), we learn about the regiment through its initiation all the way to its heroic charge of Fort Wagner. Along the way, we see how these men turn into disciplined leaders for other black men to follow. Among these men, there is the fiercely proud runaway slave Private Trip (Denzel Washington) and the human core, Sgt. Major John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman). Gould and his second-in-command Forbes (Cary Elwes) must earn the respect of these proud men. Once they do, they create an inseparable force that will affect the outcome of the American Civil War.

Scanning through the reviews, Matthew Broderick received lots of negativity. Personally, he played the part of Shaw very well. Shaw was a young, inexperienced soldier given command of something that was not expected to work. Shaw was a frightened young man as evidenced when faking death on the battlefield. That is how Broderick played him. Denzel had some great performances leading up to this movie, but this is his Oscar-winning breakthrough performance. Every scene of his captivated me. You see why he is the man he is. If the North wins, what will Trip receive in return? In addition, Morgan Freeman is the heart and soul of the battalion. He is the glue that holds the troops together. Even people like Private Trip will not stand in his way as he possesses true leadership qualities.

Glory is one of the best films ever made about the Civil War. It was an important film because it showcased how black people changed the outcome of the war. After Fort Wagner, thousands of black people were recruited in the North. This film is about how all that came to be. Even though Shaw is the leader and an important member of the regiment, Zwick made it clear he is the not the white savior. By the end, he was one of the men. Zwick created a powerful movie with important human moments. Every time I watch the film, I tear up by the end knowing the sacrifice that these men made for the future. With such a legendary story, I was surprised to see it not be nominated for Best Picture. At least Denzel got the accolades he deserved. Yes, there are some excellent battle sequences, Glory is more than just battles which is why this movie stands the test of time.

My Grade: A+