Glory (1989)

Robert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from 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 11 wins & 18 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 Jr.	...	Capt. Charles Fessenden Morse (as Donovan Leitch)
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:

19th century | american civil war | black soldier | military uniform | 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:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film opens with a voice-over by Shaw writing a letter to his mother with martial music playing and the Army of the Potomac enjoying their day before preparing for battle. The letter ends with "You mustn't think that any of us are going to be killed. They are collecting such a force here that an attack would be insane." A short while later, the title card appears, "Antietam Creek, Maryland". Shaw just marched into the bloodiest single day in American history.

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Goofs

During the singing of the Negro spiritual on the eve of the assault on Ft. Wagner, the key and tempo noticeably change when the soundtrack switches from playback to production sound (recorded on location).

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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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Alternate Versions

The newly released Region 2 edition dvd contains two deleted scenes.

• While on guard duty, Trip (Denzel Washington) shoots dead what he believes to be a confederate soldier, only to discover he has killed a 15 year old "apple-picker".
• On the morning of the final battle, (the storming of Ft. Wagner) Major Forbes (Cary Elwes) is visited in his tent by Colonel Shaw. Major Forbes beleives he is going to die and does not want to take part in the assault.

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Connections

Referenced in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.21 (2011)

User Reviews

Memorable and moving - truly glorious

Easily the best Civil War movie ever produced, and among the front rank of all war movies. Filled with memorable and moving scenes - the look of sheer defiance on Trip's (Denzel Washington) face as his already scarred back is whipped, the men of the 54th telling their stories around the campfire on the eve of battle, Shaw (Matthew Broderick) turning loose his horse on the beach before Ft. Wagner. History is brought to life more vividly in this film than in any big-budget all-star cast epic I can recall. Most often , those films only succeed in collapsing under their own weight and leaving audiences more turned off about history. Glory brings the issues of the time - slavery, freedom and sacrifice - down to human scale. We can understand why the men of the 54th were willing to take up arms, and how tragic it was that they had to sacrifice their lives in order to be considered men.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Glory

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$63,661, 17 December 1989

Gross USA:

$26,979,166

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$26,979,166

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Freddie Fields Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints) Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1