Plot: What’s it about?
The story of the Civil War has many interwoven tales. While we can definatively say that the cause of the Civil War was, in fact, slavery, it goes much deeper than that. War has been a popular subject for movies ever since they began, more than one hundred years ago, and the United States’ Civil War has been right in the middle of the celluloid. From movies like “Dances With Wolves” to “Gettysburg”, the Civil War’s grittiness has been th sight of a country divided and a part of our history that literally pitted brother against brother in the war over slaves. Glory is Director Edward Zwick’s stab at telling about the first all black regiment in the Civil war. This was very controversial, as you can imagine, having “slaves” fight as soldiers in a war. This is the true story of the Massachusetts 54th, who were the first black soldiers to enlist and fight in the Civil War. Overall, 180,000 “men of color” ended up enlisting and President Lincoln credited these men with helping turn the tide of the war.
As Glory opens, we see that the battle of Antietam is being fought. In hindsight, it’s one of the worse defeats that the Union forces have suffered, and it’s also the first time that we see Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick). At the time this movie came out, which was just three years after Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, I did have somewhat of a time accepting Broderick in this role. He was still in his twenties! But then it hit me that the soldiers who fought in this (and many other wars) war were men of his age. It wasn’t uncommon for officers to be still in their twenties, leading men into certain death. So with that being said, I have to say this this is one of his better roles. The story of Glory is based upon his letters and that of history books as well. Having been brought up in a wealthy Boston society, Shaw has never really known true work or labor. His parents are on a first name basis with the Governor of Massachusetts, they have maids and butlers and he hasn’t really ever had to work for something a day in his life, though he is very intellegent. His parent’s, at a social function, have just learned that a regiment of all black soldiers are to enter the Civil War and it’s Shaw (a Major at the time) has been chosen to take command of the troops and become their General. Not knowing what to think, Shaw at first reluctantly accepts, as he wants to make a difference in the war effort. His best friend and fellow officer, Cabot Forbes (Carey Elwes) is chosen as the second in command.
Their job is hard. Not only must they take a group of soldiers that have had no formal training, but most of which can’t even read and write. The Union forces, who are fighting for the rights of the slaves, can’t seem to accept the fact that there is a regiment of black soldiers, and it’s not long that the realize that battle is something that they may never see. It’s then that we meet the supporting cast of the movie, and at that time that the movie really comes alive. Of the ensemble cast, Denzel Washington (who won an Oscar for his role in this movie), Morgan Freeman and Andre Braugher really stand out as the supporting players. Thomas (Braugher) is an educated man who grew up with Forbes and Shaw in Boston. He can read, write and has a degree. This is the exact opposite of the entire makeup of the rest of the enlistees. Freeman’s character is older, wiser and more of a father figure to some of the younger, hot-headed members of the army. Some are so full of hate and anger (and rightfully so) that this is the only reason they enlisted, just to kill Confederate soldiers. Others, though, do want to make a difference.
As the movie progresses, we see that the soldiers are nothing more than window dressing. They are being used for manual labor and not battle as promised. They are looked down upon and sneered at by their fellow Northern armymen and they are even paid less than the average white soldier. A very riveting scene occurs in which the entire army tears up their pay vouchers under the guise that a colored man can stop a bullet the same as a white soldier. True. Under the leadership of Shaw, the men start to come together as a unit. They manage to acquire shoes that fit (one of the things that we take for granted), uniforms and most importantly…rifles. The story of Glory is based on true events, and it’s very historically accurate. While Glory may not exemplify the typical “Hollywood Ending” that so many other movies do, it’s cuts right to the heart of what war is. Quite possibly Director Ed Zwick’s finest movie to date, Glory has a superb cast and now a very generous treatment on DVD. Highly recommended.
Video: How does it look?
The original release of “Glory” was one of Columbia/Tristar’s early titles. Being so, it was (and still is) enhanced for 16:9 TV’s. The 1.85:1 image is very clear when it comes to the actual picture, though the film is shot in a way that might make you think otherwise. There seems to be grain, but after listening to the commentaries, I made the assumption that the film was supposed to appear the way it does. It has a lot of gray, bleak colors that in turn saturate the picture even more. The film has several shots that are filled with rain, which only adds to the “gloominess” of the picture. Flesh tones appear to be on target, but as I noted, the colors are very saturated. Black levels are right on track as well, and there is only the slightest hint of digital artifacting. I can only say that I wish more movies of this age looked as good as Glory.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio for Glory, again as in the previous version, is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The movie won an Oscar for Best Sound in 1990, so it’s reasonable to expect that any movie that wins an award for Best Sound will have a substantially active and dynamic mix. And it does. The 5.1 soundtrack sounds very full and rich throughout. If any movie out there will make you appreciate having a subwoofer, this would be one of them. The dialogue is clean and clear throughout and the surround effects (which come in the form of guns and explosions throughout). As I mentioned earlier, the LFE will take over this movie. From the opening scene at Antietam to the ending scene along the shores of Carolina, the sound never lets up and it’s a tribute to how good a older movies can sound. I simply can’t say much more about this sound than to have you listen to it yourself and be amazed!
Supplements: What are the extras?
In my original review of this movie, I believe that I said “…but a SE of this would make my day…”, and about a year and a half later, my wishes have finally come true. Glory is one of the first two-disc sets from Columbia Tristar. Numerous features have been added and some pretty snazzy ones at that. In addition to a 16:9 transfer of the movie, which looks great, we are also treated to a full screen version that resides on the second disc. While I only watch the widescreen side when given a choice, this new version cleary has something for everyone. The most noteable new features are a director’s commentary and a picture in picture video commentary with Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick and Director Edward Zwick. The commentaries are different and the video commentary was filmed in late 1999, which shows how much effort and planning that has gone into the making of this new DVD Special Edition. The commentaries are informative and very insightful, and it doesn’t sound like making this movie was too much fun. The production was plagued with rain, as evidenced by the shots in the movie, and it sounds like there were a few ill feelings between the crew (Zwick comments that he didn’t think Carey Elwes and Matthew Broderick didn’t get along too well during the shooting). The video commentaries appear in the lower left and right hands of the screen, but appear to have no order (i.e. Broderick will appear in the right side during one scene, then in the left hand side. No big deal, but I look for things like that).
The second disc is the one with all the real extras. The full frame version of the movie can be found here with the commentary, but it’s lacking the video commentary that the widescreen version had. So if you want to watch the video commentary, you’ll be watching the widescreen side (which you should be watching anyway). A documentary entitled “The True Story of Glory Continues” is narrated by Morgan Freeman and is full of interesting information. I found it a bit weird as parts of this seem to be re-enacted but not using any of the cast members from the actual movie. Strange, but very interesting…two featurettes are also included, one an “Original Featurette” is more of a behind the scenes look at the making of Glory and was shot at the same time that the movie was made, it’s a tribute to see how much more work and effort has gone into making featurettes than previously. A “Exclusive featurette” entitled “Voices of Glory” is more of a historical look at the letters that were written to papers, and read by young African-American people of today. Many of their letters recount the actual battle at the end of Glory, and as I mentioned above, it’s a very historically accurate film. Some deleted scenes are also included, but I personally didn’t care for them too much and it’s clear to see why they were deleted from the final cut of the movie. Finally some talent files (cast bios) and production notes are included as well as the original theatrical trailer. I really can’t say enough about this movie and this DVD in particular. Consider my day made.
