Glory (1989)

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.

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers:

Kevin Jarre (screenplay), Lincoln Kirstein (book),

Stars:

Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes

Won 3 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Shaw was an officer in the Federal Army during the American Civil War who volunteered to lead the first company of black soldiers. Shaw was forced to deal with the prejudices of both the enemy (who had orders to kill commanding officers of blacks), and of his own fellow officers.

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Plot Keywords:

prejudice | army | fighting | american civil war | soldier | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tiempos de gloria

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$26,830,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Freddie Fields Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While Jane Alexander has a brief cameo, her part was probably meant to be larger, as evidenced by early poster and trailer credits highlighting her name.

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Goofs

When Trip is scuffling with the white soldier on the road. Sgt Major Rawlins walks up to break it up, his coat is unbuttoned with his undershirt clearly visible. When the scene cuts to his dialogue, his coat is buttoned all the way up.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: Robert Gould Shaw, the son of wealthy Boston abolitionists, was 23 years old when he enlisted to fight in the War Between the States. He wrote home regularly, telling his parents of life in the gathering Army of the Potomac. / These letters are collected in the Houghton Library of Harvard University.
Colonel Robert G. Shaw: Dear Mother, I hope you are keeping well and not worrying much about me. You mustn't think that any of us are going to be killed. They are collecting such a force here, that an attack ...

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Connections

References Napoleon (1927)

User Reviews

Stunning, the best war movie ever.

My favorite movies to watch are probably war movies. I've seen many great films. From the Vietnam war (Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, The Deer Hunter) to World War II (Saving Private Ryan, When Trumpets Fade, The Thin Red Line). But the best war film comes from the Civil War. Glory is an incredible film. It's about the 54th regiment for the Union, the first all black regiment. Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Godzilla) stars as Robert Shaw, a white man in command of the regiment. Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Kiss the Girls) is his second in command. Denzel Washington (The Siege, Courage Under Fire) is magnificent as a runaway slave in the 54th. The always-great Morgan Freeman (Seven, Deep Impact) is superb as a spiritual leader of the soldiers. In my mind, the film has no faults. Broderick has been the main criticism by some people. I have to disagree. Broderick (though a bit young-looking) gives a wonderful performance. Cary Elwes has been an underrated actor his whole career. The same goes for Glory because his great supporting performance was widely ignored. James Horner delivers a haunting score which adds so much to the movie. A must see.