Glory (1989)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers (WGA):

Robert Gould Shaw (letters)
Lincoln Kirstein (book)

Release Date:

15 December 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Their innocence. Their heritage. Their lives. Nothing would be spared in the fight for their freedom.

Plot:

Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.

Plot Keywords:

Army | Prejudice | Colonel | American Civil War | Fighting

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Matthew Broderick	...	Col. Robert Gould Shaw
Denzel Washington	...	Pvt. Trip
Cary Elwes	...	Maj. Cabot Forbes
Morgan Freeman	...	Sgt. Maj. John Rawlins
Jihmi Kennedy	...	Pvt. Jupiter Sharts
Andre Braugher	...	Cpl. Thomas Searles
John Finn	...	Sgt. Maj. Mulcahy
Donovan Leitch	...	Capt. Charles Fessenden Morse
JD Cullum	...	Henry Sturgis Russell (as John David Cullum)
Alan North	...	Gov. John Albion Andrew
Bob Gunton	...	Gen. Charles Garrison Harker
Cliff De Young	...	Col. James M. Montgomery (as Cliff DeYoung)
Christian Baskous	...	Edward L. Pierce
RonReaco Lee	...	Mute drummer boy
Jay O. Sanders	...	Gen. George Crockett Strong

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 (2000) (DVD) | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (cable rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | USA:PG (edited version) | Norway:18 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

African-American National Historic Site - 14 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Many scenes/subplots were cut out from both the theatrical version and the DVD. These include Shaw (Matthew Broderick) and Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes) attending school together, fencing one another, etc. Nearly all of the scenes of Jane Alexander were cut.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At one point Shaw tells Sergeant Major Mulcahy "at ease." During the Civil War this command did not exist. The command would have been "rest" or "in place rest."

Quotes:

[Handing the journalist his letters home]
Colonel Robert G. Shaw: Got some letters here, personal things. Also, if I should fall, remember what you see here.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Glory (1989) (TV)

Memorable and moving - truly glorious

Easily the best Civil War movie ever produced, and among the front rank of all war movies. Filled with memorable and moving scenes - the look of sheer defiance on Trip's (Denzel Washington) face as his already scarred back is whipped, the men of the 54th telling their stories around the campfire on the eve of battle, Shaw (Matthew Broderick) turning loose his horse on the beach before Ft. Wagner. History is brought to life more vividly in this film than in any big-budget all-star cast epic I can recall. Most often , those films only succeed in collapsing under their own weight and leaving audiences more turned off about history. Glory brings the issues of the time - slavery, freedom and sacrifice - down to human scale. We can understand why the men of the 54th were willing to take up arms, and how tragic it was that they had to sacrifice their lives in order to be considered men.