This review refers to the Columbia Tristar 1/98 release of the DVD edition of "Glory"....There are many glowing reviews of "Glory" to be found here. I feel the same way about this wonderful film, and after touching on the story I would like to talk about this DVD release(see above) which is an outstanding quality and excellent value.
"Glory" is an exceptional film. A true story of the Civil War that is both touching and inspirational. It depicts the story of the first black unit from the North to be trained and actually go into battle. Led by their very empathetic but very young Colonel(played brillantly by Matthew Broderick), the 54th Regiment endures many hardships felt not only by being soldiers of this devastating war but as African Americans as well.Their spirit, pride and tears along the way, is projected in this film by these wonderful actors in a way that will make you feel all the anguish and pride that they felt.
The cast includes Morgan Freeman as the Sergeant who is the motivating force behind the soldiers. His performance is stirring. Denzel Washington, awarded Best Supporting Actor by Oscar for his role as the runaway slave looking for a home will move you to tears(or at least put a lump in your throat, which remains throughout), and Andre Braugher's smile and tenacity will grab you and keep you.The cinematography and sound(both also honored by Oscar) are exquisite.Beautifully directed by Edward Zwick it is a war story that is more than action, it is one you won't soon forget.
Often, the different DVD editions wind up on the same product page. You may have found yourself on the page of the "Special Edition" of Glory. That is the 2 disc edition with lots of special features. If these are important to you in a DVD than that is the one you should probably go with. However, if you really love this film, but don't want to spend as much for all the extras, this edition is identified by ASIN:0800177967. It is half the price of the "Special Edition",and is a beautiful transfer as well.You have the choice of viewing it in the original widescreen(1.85:1) or a full screen version. The picture is beautiful, sharp, crisp and clean. Colors spectacular. Depending on your set up the sound options are 5.1(Digital Dolby) or 2-channel surround.I watched it in the 5.1 and was very impressed. All the sounds of the Civil War were clear and distinct. The music wonderful. It may be viewed in Spanish or French and has subtitles in English, Spanish and French also.
Whatever edition you choose, this a a film that is a beautiful addition to your DVD collection.It is one that will be watched again and again. Thank you and enjoy.....Laurie
The result of this research has been that now I wish that the film had been truer to the actual story of what really happened. There are some obviously glaring historical inaccuracies in the film, but if you don't know the actual story as intimately as I do, it does little to detract from the fact that this is a superb film that brought to light one of the less known and more obscure aspects of Civil War history, that blacks fought in rather large numbers for the Union Army and were instrumental in turning the tide in favour of the Union in the war. In the end, nearly 200,000 blacks would fight in blue under the auspices of the United States Bureau of Coloured Troops. The 54th would keep its state regimental designation, but all the rest of the black troops were part of the USCT, the United States Coloured Troops.
Had the filmmakers stuck more rigourously to the actual history of the 54th Massachusetts, it would have been far more dramatic than what the film suggests. The 54th did not spend Christmas 1862 in camp; in point of fact, that regiment hadn't even been raised by that point. Robert Gould Shaw was still very much with the 2nd Massachusetts at that point, the regiment that he belonged to at the time that he was offered command of the 54th, by his father, in proxy for Governor Andrew, who came to visit him in winter camp in Virginia. Shaw at first refused, because he'd fought and bled beside his brethren of the 2nd and felt a strong bond with these men after what they had been through Antietam, Cedar Mountain, Winchester. Shaw had been twice wounded in these engagements, though not badly. He did not wish to leave this regiment and command a coloured troop. He also fought his own personal prejudices over the idea of the Union raising black troops. After some deep thought for a few days, he changed his mind, however, and decided to take this enormous risk of his military career.
The 54th was not made up of escaped slaves as was portrayed in the film. The character of Corporal Thomas Searles (Andre Braugher) is closer to the kind of man who would have fought in the 54th educated, free, literate. Men in this regiment came from as far away as Canada to enlist in the 54th. In fact, the town that sent the single largest number of men to the 54th was not one in Massachusetts, but then considered radical Oberlin, Ohio. John Mercer Langston, whose famous descendent would be the black poet Langston Hughes, recruited for the 54th Massachusetts in Ohio and was responsible for Oberlin sending so many free black men to fight in that regiment. It might have been interesting to show the variety of free black men who volunteered to fight in this regiment and the kinds of professions that they left behind, from farmer to cabinet maker to sailor to teamster and beyond. However, I suppose having characters who were escaped slaves such as Jupiter Sharts (Jihmi Kennedy), Trip (Denzel Washington) and John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and contrasting them with Searles made for an interesting story.
The real Robert Gould Shaw was a far more complicated character than the one that Matthew Broderick brought to the screen. I must commend his portrayal, though. He has generally made a reputation for playing either light comic or wise-ass characters, and he showed remarkable depth and pathos in playing this vaguely tragic character. His soulful eyes regularly reflected the horrors of war and he seemed to have that same haunted, far away look that photographs of the real Robert Gould Shaw seem to have, as if all along he knew that he would not survive the war to come home to his loved ones. His uncanny resemblance to the real Shaw also helped and I have to wonder if he was drafted to play the part after the director saw the pictures of the real Shaw or whether he decided to play that part himself as a break from his usual comic work. Either way, I commend his performance and wonder why he hasn't done other dramatic work in the same vein as this film.
This film is a fitting tribute to both the reluctant hero Robert Gould Shaw and to the brave black men who fought under him, fighting prejudice and skepticism with bravery and honour. It is a good thing that this film was made and that this story was resurrected from certain obscurity. It is my hope that history classes in schools are now showing this lesser known side of Civil War history and that not all blacks were slaves awaiting liberation by the Union with 40 acres and a mule. This film, as I mentioned at the beginning of the review, changed my life, and it is my hope that it will change others as well. It is a powerful story well acted by the entire cast with a five hankie ending that will leave a real lump in your throat. If you aren't crying by the time the film closes, you are far harder hearted than I am. I highly recommend seeing this film. It is one I never tire of seeing over and over again.
And just to end this review, I will add some recommended reading if you are interested in following up on this film once you've seen it and want to know more. "Blue Eyed Child of Fortune", ed. by Russell Duncan, is a collection of Colonel Shaw's letters home to loved ones. A fascinating read, to hear Shaw speak with his own voice on his Civil War experiences with both the 2nd Massachusetts and the 54th Massachusetts regiments. Follow that up with Duncan's biography of Shaw, "Where Death and Glory Meet". You might also want to read the book that partly inspired the film, Peter Burchard's "One Gallant Rush". If you want to hear the voices of Shaw's soldiers, read Capt. Luis F. Emilio's regimental memoir of the 54th, "A Brave Black Regiment". A young seaman from New Bedford, Massachusetts, Cpl. James Henry Gooding wrote letters that became the book, "On the Altar of Freedom". He fought in Company C of the 54th, was gravely wounded at the Battle of Olustee, Florida, was captured by the Confederacy, sent to Andersonville, where he died of his wounds. Sgt. George E. Stephens of Company B wrote letters that became the book, "A Voice of Thunder". Stephens would end his war as a 1st Lieutenant, an officer in the 54th. "A Grand Army of Black Men" contains some letters from members of the 54th as well. All of these books are highly recommended reading if you want to get to know the members of this historic regiment through hearing their own voices speak of their experiences.Here's one of those rare movies that succeeds as both a sweeping, visually sumptuous historical epic AND an intimate, character-driven personal drama. This fact-based account of the first black regiment to fight for the Union in the Civil War is filled with scenes of grand pageantry: the bloody battle at Antietam Creek; the first assembly of the 54th Regiment; the proud parade of the finally-trained and uniformed soldiers; the climactic attack on Fort Wagner. And yet despite these heart-pounding, majestic sequences, the film at no time loses its focus on the individual characters whose stories provide an emotional connection to the action. The performances of the once-in-a-lifetime cast are uniformly superb: Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, and Andre Braugher are all at the top of their game, and Denzel Washington (who deservedly won the Supporting Actor Oscar) is amazing, especially in the scene in which he undergoes a bitterly harsh punishment. The dozens of emotions that flicker across Washington's face in that sequence, wordlessly conveying his character's essence, represent a powerful economy of acting that is rarely achieved in any medium.
Happily, the DVD transfer of this cinematic masterpiece is exceptional. The Oscar-winning Cinematography and Sound are beautifully showcased, putting the viewer right in the middle of the story. (You'll understand Francis Scott Key's line about "the rockets' red glare" on a level you never before imagined!) And James Horner's soaring, elegant musical score is a revelation. This absorbing film makes for a phenomenal DVD experience!
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BLU-RAY UPDATE: My original review was based on the first, single-disc DVD edition of "Glory". At the time, I lamented the lack of special bonus features that I felt would have enhanced viewers' understanding and enjoyment of the film. A few years later, a 2 Disc DVD of the film was released, which contained a wealth of bonus materials. I upgraded, and was very happy with the 2 disc edition.
I recently upgraded again, to the 2009 Sony Blu-Ray release, and am happy to report that the film looks and sounds better than ever. Comparing it to the previous Laser-Disc and DVD editions, I can honestly say that the Blu-Ray package is worth the additional expense, if you're as big a fan of the movie as I am. Several of the bonus features from the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD have been retained, and there's also an impressive Virtual Civil War Interactive Battlefield Map exclusive to the Blu-Ray. Very highly recommended!
Read Best Reviews of Glory (1989) Here
That line, uttered by an obscure character, a white Union soldier watching the Massachusetts 54th Infantry prepare to assault a heavily-fortified Confederate fort, signifies the acceptance of the Union Army's first all-black regiment. GLORY, director Edward Zwick's Civil War masterpiece, shows us the evolution of the 54th, from a ragtag group of former slaves and freemen--a group under supplied, underpaid, and initially used for manual labor and looting--to an efficient fighting machine.Like many other reviewers, I was pleasantly surprised by Matthew Broderick's portrayal as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the young, idealistic leader of the 54th. Broderick gives this character depth, compassion, credibility, and yes, maturity. And what else can be said about the supporting cast, including Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Cary Elwes, other than "exceptional?"
GLORY is profound entertainment: gripping, violent, raw, and emotional as the fragile subject of race--of racism--is brought to the forefront. It is a story that is as timeless as it is transcendent.In 1989, "GLORY" would become an important movie that introduced many Americans unfamiliar to Civil War history but most of all, to show viewers the impact African Americans had in the role of fighting for the Union.
The film would focus on Col. Robert Gould Shaw, the letters he sent to his family and him leading a group of African American men who volunteered to fight against the Confederate Army. This group is known as the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The film is also adapted from Lincoln Kirstein's book "Lay this Laurel" and Peter Burchard's book "One Gallant Rush".
"GLORY" was directed by Edward Zwick ("DEFIANCE", "Blood Diamond", "The Last Samurai" and "The Siege"), screenplay by Kevin Jarre ("The Mummy"and "Rambo: First Blood Part II"), music by James Horner "Enemy at the Gates", "A Beautiful Mind" and "Troy") and cinematography by Freddie Francis ("Dune", "Clara's Heart" and "Cape Fear").
The film would star major talents Matthew Broderick ("WarGames", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Godzilla" and "Inspector Gadget"), Denzel Washington ("American Gangster", "Training Day", "Man on Fire" and "Remember the Titans"), Morgan Freeman ("The Dark Knight", "Wanted", "Million Dollar Baby" and "Deep Impact"), Cary Elwes ("The Princess Bride", "Twister", "Liar Liar" and "Days of Thunder") and Andre Braugher ("Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer", "Poseidon", "Frequency" and "Primal Fear").
The film would receive five Academy Award nominations and win three for "Best Actor in a Supporting Role Denzel Washington", "Best Cinematography Freddie Francis" and "Best Sound Mixing".
"GLORY" is powerful!
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"GLORY" is presented on 1080p High Definition (aspect ratio of 1:85:1). The film manages to capture the haziness of war due to the smoke in the battlefield and the colors are not featured as vibrant as most of the settings are in blues and browns but you will see reds on the flag and the flares, amber colors from the gunfire and the greens of the grass and tress, but I believe that the limit of color was the Director Edward Zwick's purpose. Zwick is director that has made several films to capture the dreariness of war as he did nearly a decade later with "ENEMY AT THE GATES", he manages to capture the look of the battlefield in 1989 with "GLORY".
The film does have quite a bit of grain that comes clear due to its High Definition transfer but I would rather have grain than overly used digital noise reduction that would make the characters look waxy and the picture quality as soft. In fact, one thing you will notice with "GLORY" is you see quite a bit of detail of the actors, their surroundings but also objects such as shovels, rifles, clothing, etc. But overall, the picture quality is solid.
As for the audio, the film is featured in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (also in French, Portuguese in Dolby True HD 5.1 and Spanish 5.1) and the lossless soundtrack manages to capture the many explosions on the battlefield. But what captures your attention when it comes to sound is James Horner's musical score. The music sets the tone of the film especially during the final battle. Dialogue is clear and very clean and many of the scenes during the battles where artillery, gun fire and people yelling (even those yelling from a far distance) can be heard. There were scenes that do utilize the rear channels effectively and I believe there were some scenes where explosions took advantage of some low frequency booms on the subwoofer. Overall, "GLORY" receives its best audio presentation compared to its original DVD counterpart.
As for subtitles, the film is presented in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"GLORY" comes with the following special features:
* Audio Commentary by Director Edward Zwick Edward Zwick is known for his war films from "GLORY", "Enemy at the Gates" and "The Last Samurai" and one thing that I enjoy about his commentaries is that he really gets into the technical goals and explain the difficult scenes. "GLORY" features just that as he really goes into detail of the filming techniques used on the film. Such as trying to drown out the blue skies with smoke, working with the talent, the staff, James Horner for the music and tidbits such as not having enough money to hire more stuntmen, so the stuntmen trained the extras on several scenes. Also, how challenging it was for Morgan Freeman to have to run countless times especially uphill to having horses that were trained to fall. A very informative commentary.
* Virtual Battlefield Civil War Guide Map This was actually pretty good. By using your remote, you can learn about certain battles from the Civil War with photography and text information. But some have video commentary by Civil War historians which was quite informative.
* The Voices of Glory (11:16) This features letters from the Civil War written by actual soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and giving a voice to the men who fought in the various battles including the battle at Fort Wagner. Featured in Standard Definition.
* Documentary: The True Story of Glory Continues Narrated by Morgan Freeman (45:18) A documentary featuring the factual information of the soldiers that fought during the war and were members of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry with additional detail on Col. Robert Gould Shaw. Also, the coverage on the Civil War re-enactments that are ongoing today and an actual re-burial of soldiers. A documentary that is very informative and you learn about other names that were instrumental during the battle against the Confederate Army at Fort Wagner. Featured in Standard Definition.
* Original Theatrical Making-of Featurette (7:35) Featured in Standard Definition, this is the original featurette with interviews with the talent and Director Edward Zwick. The featurette has a few behind-the-scenes footage from the film.
* Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary There is commentary by Director Edward Zwick on two scenes. For The Applepicker (3:03), a scene which revolves around Pvt. Trip making his first kill. The second and final deleted scene is one that Zwick calls one of his worst and glad it was cut from the film. The scene is titled "Crisis of Conscience" (2:35) which is a scene involving both Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) and Major Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes).
For those who owned the two-disc special edition DVD release of "GLORY", you may not want to ditch your DVD just yet as the "Picture-in-Picture Video Commentary featuring Ed Zwick, Morgan Freeman & Matthew Broderick" is not included on this Blu-ray disc. Nor are the scene selections on the Blu-ray sporting any motion.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"GLORY" is a powerful war film that shows an epic depiction of the battles that have taken place at that time. Powerful performances from Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington and Andre Braugher, I was in awe of how epicly enormous this film was from start to finish.
I really enjoyed "GLORY" for its storyline but also being educated about a part of Civil War that many people are probably not familiar with.
In fact, Director Edward Zwick talked about in the commentary of going to Harvard University and living in Boston and never knowing the significance of the Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment on the Boston Common. And how he felt that this film not only was a positive for the people who worked on the film, great for his career but mostly for how significant the film is used by teachers using "Glory" as a tool to teach about the Civil War.
The film definitely made me interested in learning more about the war but also key figures which include Colonel Shaw and American abolitionist Frederick Douglass. But the film also opened my eyes at the time of how soldier placement truly was. This is very interesting because these people stood probably less than a hundred yards from each other before they shot at each other. Where forts had the use of cannonballs and artillery for long distance destruction, foot soldiers were just really close to each other and had to constantly reload their rifles. And watching the final battle and in a way, oncoming military groups were like sitting ducks. The military tactics of the time made me realize why the Civil War had the most number of deaths compared to Americans killed in World War I, II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined.
Of course, the film and the actual history have some differences and its important to note that the only major character from the film's regiment that truly existed was Col. Robert Gould Shaw but the challenges that the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry faced during that time was quite real. The combat role that African-Americans played in Civil War very much real. The factual events, especially details that have come out right after the film was released is documented on "The True Story Continues" documentary which is included on the Blu-ray.
Again, for those who own the 2-disc DVD Special Edition released back in 2007 and wonder if its worth the double dip. For picture and audio quality, my answer is yes but I highly recommend not to get rid of the DVD as the "Picture-in-Picture Video Commentary featuring Ed Zwick, Morgan Freeman & Matthew Broderick" is not included on this Blu-ray release. Personally, I think people would have loved to hear insight from both Freeman and Broderick about working on this film. So, I'm a bit surprised it was not included on this Blu-ray release.
But nevertheless, "GLORY" is still a solid Blu-ray release. The HD transfer definitely gives the viewer more detail and makes the battlefield come alive. It's a powerful film and definitely worth owning and having in your Blu-ray collection.
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