Average Rating: 
Rating: - A story of bravery and honor, beautifully told
A truly breathtaking historical drama. This film centers around the African-American Massachusetts regiment that became the first to fight in the Union army. These were men who were only too eager to fight against the hated Confederacy, but who also needed the education to become soldiers.Their leader is Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), who is chosen to manage this "project". Cary Elwes is his friend, a major who had a more difficult time adjusting to new troops. Morgan Freeman plays one soldier who possesses the maturity and leadership for this unit, Andre Braugher (the great Frank Pembleton from "Homicide: Life on the Street") is a free Massachusetts black man who volunteers for the regiment faces some uncomfortable changes both inside and outside himself. And then there is Denzel Washington's Oscar-winning performance as one stubborn soldier who is as difficult as can be, but becomes a soldier worthy of his unit. Directed by the brilliant Edward Zwick, Glory features a cast and crew that managed to excel at everything. James Horner's score mixed with the Harlem Boys Choir's voices, melt with the images on the screen of troops that were ready to sacrifice everything for their cause. Perhaps above all is Freddie Francis' cinematography. His photography, whether of battle, the troops themselves, or the overall atmosphere of war, brings the audience into this film with a spirit that is rare. There have always been some grumblings about Broderick as the choice to play an Army Colonel, but he plays Shaw with maturity and poise. The rest of the cast are all terrific, and all deliver excellent performances. This is truly a film to watch again and again, to see the horrors of the Civil War, and the heroism of African-Americans ready for battle, and the bravery of the white leaders that led them there. Vote: 10
Rating: - The Glory...and the Dream
"Glory" ranks on my list as one of the best Civil War films ever made! This cinematic masterpiece traces the founding and short-lived career of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first "all-black" volunteer regiment in the Union army. (By law, all officers had to be white.)Matthew Broderick stars as the 54th Regiment's commanding officer, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Already a grizzled veteran of a the battle of Antietam at the tender age of 24, Shaw is offered command of the new all-volunteer regiment of black soldiers. He accepts the risky officer, enlists the aid of his friend, Cabot Forbes, and begins to recruit runaway slaves and northern "freemen" to join the regiment. Much of the movie chronicles the 54th regiment's struggle to become a credible fighting force. It's a struggle made nearly impossible by the institutional ineptitude of the Union army and the racial bigotry of many of its officers. The newly recruited black soldiers want nothing more than to fight; the army brass sees them as nothing more than a political expedient and a laughable experiment, capable of nothing more than digging ditches and clearing forests. Against these odds, Shaw, with the help of Forbes and the irascible, bigoted Irishman, Sergeant Major Mulcahy, manages to turn his ragtag band of soldiers into a cohesive fighting unit. How the 54th Massachusettes Regiment fares in its first major engagement - the assault upon Battery Wagner in 1863 - forms the beautiful climactic event of this film. Matthew Broderick moves away from his usual fluffy, comedic roles (i.e., Ferris Bueller,) and successfully proves himself a serious actor capable of bringing maturity and depth to his role as Colonel Shaw. Denzel Washington's marvelous portrayal as the embittered, cynical runaway slave Trip earned him an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. Cary Elwes is less successful in his role as the irresponsible and sometimes insubordinate Major Cabot Forbes. His acting seemed a bit "over the top" at times. Excellent performances are also turned in by Morgan Freeman (Sergeant Major Rawlins), Andre Braugher (Thomas Searles), John Finn (Sergeant Major Mulcahy), and Jihmi Kennedy (Jupiter Sharts). "Glory's" cinematography is breathtaking throughout. The screenplay is powerfully lyrical in its beauty, and James Horner's beautifully haunting musical score adds a tremendous depth of emotion to an already powerfully evocative film. "Glory" is a sumptuously produced and well acted movie, a sure bet to please all fans of a good war movie. Highly recommended!!
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!
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