Average Rating: 
Rating: - Their Glory Was Real!
This is a fine & true film, one of the best movies ever made about the Civil War and a timeless classic based on a true story. With much narration taken from the actual letters written by the 25 year old white Colonel in charge of this, the first, all-black Regiment recruited from run-away slaves and freedmen in Massachusetts, it is beautifully filmed (Oscar to Freddie Young) and told with great, direct, emotional-truth; a fine & astonishing first directorial effort from Ed Zwick.All the performances in this superb ensemble cast are excellent. Denzel Washington won the supporting Oscar, but it could just as easily have gone to Morgan Freeman (is that man capable of a bad performance?). All the rest (Jimhi Kennedy, Cary Elwes, Andre Braugher)are fine as well. The performance I think overlooked is Mathew Broderick as the young Robert Gould Shaw. A nuanced, sensitive and complex portrayal, Broderick captures the man's fluctuations between doubt and confidence, fear & courage. His Shaw believes in the rightness of his cause, has seen (and been frightened by) the horrors of battle, is unsure of himself as a commander and leader. We watch him grow & learn. We see him come to understand these strange men (to his experience)he's been chosen to lead and we see him learn to love them. One great scene of many is where he tears up the pay chit if his men won't be paid fully (the moment he becomes THEIR Colonel). Another, the guilty looking down and away at Washington's scars & subsequent flogging. But, the scene indelible in my memory is Shaw on horseback, looking out to sea before the last battle, and the play of emotions over Broderick's face. At that moment you know he is in love with life and you know that HE knows he is going to die in the battle. It is silent, bittersweet & utterly truthful about all young men facing death in battle. And finally, we see his acceptance & resolve to carry on, and the bond between him and his men is final. Courage. The story of the 54th Massachusetts is inspiring. There is no better moment in film than when Denzel Washington picks up the dropped colors (which he had previously refused the honor of carrying) and charges forward. At that moment, the black troops of the 54th claimed THEIR right to their part of the American dream... One last footnote, the famous sculpture shown at the end of the film of Shaw & the 54th was not, as I mistakenly surmised, commissioned by his wealthy family. It was commissioned and paid for by veterans of the 54th. There truly must have been a bond of respect and love between Shaw and his men.
Rating: - GLORY ... Hallelujah!
Here's one of those rare movies that succeeds as both a sweeping, visually sumptuous historical epic AND an intimate, character-driven personal drama. This fact-based account of the first black regiment to fight for the Union in the Civil War is filled with scenes of grand pageantry: the bloody battle at Antietam Creek; the first assembly of the 54th Regiment; the proud parade of the finally-trained and uniformed soldiers; the climactic attack on Fort Wagner. And yet despite these heart-pounding, majestic sequences, the film at no time loses its focus on the individual characters whose stories provide an emotional connection to the action. The performances of the once-in-a-lifetime cast are uniformly superb: Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, and Andre Braugher are all at the top of their game, and Denzel Washington (who won the Supporting Actor Oscar) is amazing, especially in the scene in which he undergoes a bitterly harsh punishment. The dozens of emotions that flicker across Washington's face in that sequence, wordlessly conveying his character's essence, represent a powerful economy of acting that is rarely achieved in any medium.Happily, the DVD transfer of this cinematic masterpiece is exceptional. The Oscar-winning Cinematography and Sound are beautifully showcased, putting the viewer right in the middle of the story. (You'll understand Francis Scott Key's line about "the rockets' red glare" on a level you never before imagined!) And James Horner's soaring, elegant musical score is a revelation. ... this phenomenal DVD experience!
Rating: - The best Civil War movie of all time.
Being a Civil War reenactor, as a group we tend to be very skeptical of the historical movies that hollywood provides.Glory is probably the only movie that almost every reenactor liked and sung the praises for. Glory stands out as a masterpiece of this terrible time in the nations history. The cast was outstanding. Broderick is entirely convincing in his role as the idealistic young Colonel Robert Gould Shaw who commanded ONE of the first all black units of the Civil war. Morgan freeman captures the persona of the "wise, veteran seargeant" that is a classic motif of the war movie genre. However to me the actor who steals the show is without a doubt Denzel Washington. Washington gave even us rebs someone to admire(even as he was taking down 2 and 3 rebs at a time) as he went from the angry, rebellious young private(and for good reason) to the fine soldier.The plot of the movie is consistent, and came across as a true STORY to the audience, and not just a lecture. The film captured the extremely racist attitudes of the time, and the utter hell that the characters went through to overcome it. Also the score was great, especially the final climatic scene for the attack on Battery Wagner. When Shaw is killed by Confederates, the score picks up with a perfect tune as the 54th makes their final assault. But most importantly the movie does not bore the average viewer like Gettysburg did with its hours of talk. The movie takes a very good story, throws in some great characters, and follows it to a T. There is no wasted scene in Glory(which is more then we can say for other Civil war attempted movies). This made it a joy for both Civil War buff and regular viewer alike. Now for the big sticking point. Historical accuracy. To this the movie scores a rather well score. Sure the final battle was not 100 percent accurate, and even the earliar skirmish in the woods(known in the war as the Battle for Sol Legare Island). But this movie was not a documentary. Its goal was not to give a blow by blow history of the 54th... just to tell their general "story". With that intent, the movie greatly lived up to its accolades for its accuracy. The battle scenes were outstanding and gave war its "hellish" view that was absent in Gettysburg to large degree. Only Private Ryan beats this movie in its effect at showing the viewer a taste of War. Glory has also been arguable the most influential Civil War movie of all time. Tens of Thousands of people who had never picked up a Civil war book in their life, became hooked on this time period from Glory. That will perhaps be one of its finer legacies. How many african Americans(and Americans in general) became aware for the first time of those Blacks who wore a uniform in the Civil War from this movie. Countless. How many people do not know that honored legacy now that Glory has come out. Very few. Move over Gettysburg, GWTW, and all the other "attempts" at a Civil war movie. Glory will probably never be topped in this genre. The best!!
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