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)

An excellent film, a wonderful score.

Seeing Glory for the first time only a couple of years ago, and then only because I knew of James Horner's wonderful soundtrack to it, I was immediately impressed. The film itself shocked me (in a positive way), the cinematography is wonderful, and all the acting is top-notch, even if Matthew Broderick does seem a little too weak sometimes, and does not totally convince when his role asks for assertiveness. But apart from these little glitches, the whole film is a wonderful, poignant piece of work. The whole atmosphere one can breathe is wonderful,(and like in "Saving Private Ryan", one really does care for the soldiers portrayed). James Horner's wonderful score is a great asset to this film. If only more movies were like this!