806. GLORY (1989)

Running Time: 122 minutes
Directed By: Edward Zwick
Written By: Kevin Jarre, from the letters of Robert Gould Shaw, from the book Lay This Laurel by Lincoln Kirstein, and One Gallant Rush by Peter Burchard
Main Cast: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, Andre Braugher
Click here to view the trailer

BEST CIVIL WAR MOVIE, THUS FAR!

Well, I'm still on track to meeting my goal of finishing this season on Saturday night. Today, after writing my "Tootsie" review, I turned right back to the television and started up another DVD. This time, the movie of choice was entrant #806 in the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" book - "Glory".

"Glory" tells of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, composed entirely of African American men (mostly freed slaves) who were assembled to fight for the Union as part of the American Civil War. Chosen to be the Colonel for these men was Robert Gould Shaw (Broderick), a Bostonian who was previously involved in the Battle of Antietam, suffering minor injury. With his second-in-command chosen, Major Cabot Forbes (Elwes), Shaw takes his assignment, trying to turn a group of mostly uneducated black men into soldiers. From the very beginning, the soldiers are discriminated against, being kept from uniforms, rifles and even the proper footwear. However, Shaw uses the resources he has available to him to, at least, get the men into shape, teaching them how to march and act like a real regimen. After a while, Shaw becomes more attached to the men and truly believes in them, ready to stand up and fight for their rights. Meanwhile, decisions on whether or not the 54th will be permitted to see actual combat leans toward the negative side, as the African American men pray that they will be able to enter the battlefield and claim their glory.

I had only seen "Glory" once previously and could barely remember it, as I sat down to view it for a second time. I really liked this movie, plain and simple. Perhaps it was a little too over emotional, a little too blatant in it's efforts to force the viewer's feelings, but I was okay with that and agreed that almost everything about it is "must see". The cast is exceptional, with Matthew Broderick really surprising me with his talents. This won't be the last Broderick film I watch this season, as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is scheduled to be the cap of the sixth season. When I think of Matthew Broderick, I tend to think of a one hit wonder, who only really had success as Ferris Bueller, but "Glory" busts that myth. You've also got a crop of black actors really stepping into their own as Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Andre Braugher all step up to the plate and hit home runs. Freeman had already established himself at this point, but Washington was still fairly unknown and garnered his first Academy Award nomination with "Glory". The score, at times a little too much, is, for the most part, a success, evoking the right emotions at the right times, at least from this viewer.

This film actually made me cry a little bit and as I've previously mentioned on the blog, that's not something I do easily anymore. As I've aged, I find that I don't cry near as much over movies and television and so when I actually do, I know I've found something special. Key scenes to look out for include the whipping of Trip (Washington), the scene right before the taking of Fort Wagner and of course, the attempted taking of Fort Wagner itself.

RATING: 8.5/10  Good stuff all around and an easy thumbs up. Only ten movies to go now and then it's TOP 20 time!

MOVIES WATCHED: 591
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 410

November 27, 2012  3:59pm