Glory

everyone in this country needs to watch this amazing historical drama. It is a military drama, yes, but is also a clear-eyed depiction of events during a tumultuous time. Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington provide stellar performances. There are discrepancies between the movie and real events. If you haven't seen it, or haven't seen it recently, please do watch it again. It is so well performed and has a message that shouts out loud what many today are only whispering.

The first movie where I experienced Denzel Washington as an actor. He doesn't disappoint. The story is true and reflects so beautifully how people eventually see each other as individuals, not just a class or race. Everyone in the movie is brilliant. One of my favorite movies of all time.

Great movie recommend to anyone interested.

This is a fine & true film, one of the best movies ever made about the Civil War and a timeless classic based on a true story. With much narration taken from the actual letters written by the 25 year old white Colonel in charge of this, the first, all-black Regiment recruited from run-away slaves and freedmen in Massachusetts, it is beautifully filmed (Oscar to Freddie Young) and told with great, direct, emotional-truth; a fine & astonishing first directorial effort from Ed Zwick. All the performances in this superb ensemble cast are excellent. Denzel Washington won the supporting Oscar, but it could just as easily have gone to Morgan Freeman (is that man capable of a bad performance?). All the rest (Jimhi Kennedy, Cary Elwes, Andre Braugher)are fine as well. The performance I think overlooked is Mathew Broderick as the young Robert Gould Shaw. A nuanced, sensitive and complex portrayal, Broderick captures the man's fluctuations between doubt and confidence, fear & courage. His Shaw believes in the rightness of his cause, has seen (and been frightened by) the horrors of battle, is unsure of himself as a commander and leader. We watch him grow & learn. We see him come to understand these strange men (to his experience)he's been chosen to lead and we see him learn to love them. One great scene of many is where he tears up the pay chit if his men won't be paid fully (the moment he becomes THEIR Colonel). Another, the guilty looking down and away at Washington's scars & subsequent flogging. But, the scene indelible in my memory is Shaw on horseback, looking out to sea before the last battle, and the play of emotions over Broderick's face. At that moment you know he is in love with life and you know that HE knows he is going to die in the battle. It is silent, bittersweet & utterly truthful about all young men facing death in battle. And finally, we see his acceptance & resolve to carry on, and the bond between him and his men is final. Courage. The story of the 54th Massachusetts is inspiring. There is no better moment in film than when Denzel Washington picks up the dropped colors (which he had previously refused the honor of carrying) and charges forward. At that moment, the black troops of the 54th claimed THEIR right to their part of the American dream... One last footnote, the famous sculpture shown at the end of the film of Shaw & the 54th was not, as I mistakenly surmised, commissioned by his wealthy family. It was commissioned and paid for by veterans of the 54th. There truly must have been a bond of respect and love between Shaw and his men.

"Glory" is a glorious film, telling the little-known story of one of the first all-black regiments in the Civil War and the regiment's commanding officer, Col. Robert Gould Shaw. My husband went to high school with the film's director, Ed Zwieck, just to add a personal note. The film is powerful and moving, giving us glimpses of various aspects of the racial issues that were at the heart of the Civil War. Over 200,000 freed men fought on the Union side, and their sacrifices helped to win the war. The film is great simply because it brings this story to the screen in the first place and then does it so well. The performances are first rate as are the music score and screenplay. One complaint I have about the film is that it sanitizes the horrors of battle. I've done some reading about the Civil War and the battles were horrific and savage, men butchering other men in hand to hand combat. Photographs of the real battlefields are beyond description. In some ways, the film would have seemed truer to me if it had been shot in sepia tone. We also don't get a sense of the degree to which nature was as much a foe as the enemy fighters--the rain, cold, mud, disease-ridden forests and swamps, and the raging rivers. The film is just too "pretty" in a way for it's subject matter. The other problem is that the director chose to present an idealized version of Robert Gould Shaw. While his parents were ardent abolitionists and friends of Frederick Douglass, Shaw was not himself much of an abolitionist. Perhaps he was too young to have fully formed mature values. He was, after all, only 25 years old. I believe his mother convinced him to take the commission. One wonders if he did so only out of a sense of filial duty, to gain a higher rank or for more complex motives--and if his values changed as time with the men progressed. His unquestionable bravery and valor were admirable and meritorious whatever his values may have been, yet I think it would have been a more interesting film if Shaw's beliefs had been presented more honestly. Sadly, far too many Hollywoid films--which "Glory" is in the best sense--change true stories into feel-good narratives and turn human beings into flat, cardboard characters. Films at their best tell the truth about what it means to be human--and a human being. Denzel Washington gives the best performance in the film, and Cary Elwes is very good as well. His character is much more fully rounded than what Matthew Broderick is given to work with. I found his performance to be rather wooden and emotionless. Still, all in all, I give this film an A for effort. I am glad it was made and that it's story was told. It helps to redeem part of our history for black and white alike.

Ein wirklich toller Film,über die Erlebnisse eines Offiziers der Nordstaatenarmee,in Amerikanischen Bürgerkrieg,die auf aufzeichnungen aus seinen Tagebuch basieren. Besonders gut fand ich den großartigen Morgen Freeman,der hier einen Unteroffier der Nordstaatenarmee darstellt. In der Deutschen Synchronfassung,gesprochen von dem wunderbaren Helmut Krauss. (Nachbar Paschulke aus Löwenzahn) Sowie Cary Elwes, (Bekannt als Dr: Lawrance Gorden aus der Saw reihe ) als Major Forbes, der ein Enger Freund der Hauptfigur Colonel Shaw ist. Zu recht wurde der Film, mit 3 Oscars ausgezeichnet !

Malgré les années, reste un des meilleurs films de guerre. Pour moi la meilleure oeuvre d'Édouard Zwick. Un jeu d'acteur parfait, une photographie immersive et réaliste. La bande son utilise parfaitement toutes les possibilités du son surround 5.1, surtout lors des scènes de combat qui nous met au cœur de l'action. L' l'excellente bande originale du film créé par le regretté James Horner (Titanic, Légendes d'automne,...) est aussi très bien intégrée DES BONUS EXTRÊMEMENT INSTRUCTIFS, et une interactivité assez sympathique à utiliser pour découvrir les dessous de la guerre de sécession. En résumé, un film que tout cinéphile devrait posséder dans sa collection.

A must see true story.

Steeds goed kijken of er nederlandstalige ondertiteling is ,wat niet altijd het geval is

Glory is a movie that dates from 1990. It tells the true story of the 54th Massachusetts regiment. The first black troops to fight in offensive action for the North during the American civil war. It focuses as much on the men of the regiment as it does their leader. Robert Shaw. Played by Matthew Broderick, in far and away the best role he ever got, and which should have opened the door for more mature stuff. Shaw is a young man with well to do parents who believes in the cause. And wants to lead. He grows into the job of regimental commander, learning leadership along the way. Occasionally butting heads with his second in command {Cary Elwes]. The score and narration from Matthew Broderick, reading actual letters written by Shaw which still survive, are pretty emotional stuff at times. And do make you feel you're looking at history as it was. Of the black characters, principal ones are played by Denzel Washington. Morgan Freeman. And Andre Braugher. All make an impression in very solid roles with characters who grab. All three of whom are different people with their own attitude to what is going on. They all get solid character arcs. You get to watch their experience in their struggles to get what they want and need to be taken seriously as soldiers. This is all very engrossing stuff as it goes along. It also doesn't skimp on showing the confusion and the bloodshed and horror of conflict. The first moment of will stay with you for a while after being seen. But nothing will prepare you for the final act of the film. As the 54th get to go into combat. In a frontal assault on a fault. Emotion and music and realistically staged spectacle combine here for a stunning finish that you won't be able to take your eyes off for a second. The ending concludes the story. Of the characters you're gone on a movie journey with. And then a single on screen bit of writing rounds it off as it should. War. Character. Leadership. History. All combine to make a powerful movie experience. And a classic of it's field. Has to be seen. You won't forget it when you do. The dvd version is a pretty old release, so it doesn't even have subtitles. It does have some extras: The true story of Glory continues. A forty five min documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman. Giving a brief overview of the history the film covers. And what happened next. This is essential viewing. It's fascinating stuff. Glory the Making of History. Twenty mins of Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, and director Edward Zwick talking about key moments in the project and the movie itself. Very interesting to listen to. Essential viewing. Voice of Glory. Although from 1990 this is more like a modern dvd extra. An eight min overview of the film with sound bites from cast and crew. Not as essential as the above two features. Director's commentary on the movie. Deleted scenes. Two scenes. You can only watch one after the other. They run for six mins added together. Both are really good, although the sound is a bit weak at points and I did struggle to hear some of the dialogue in them. Isolated score. Watch it with the score alone. Theatrical trailers. Trailers for the totally unrelated movies Devil in a Blue Dress and the Bone Collector. Talent profiles: text biographies - which will now be well out of date - of Edward Zwick, Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Cary Elwes.