Glory

When I finished watching this film I honestly felt sick. It is one of the most patronising and formulaic films that I've seen in a long time that serves the viewer nothing but overblown sentimentality and self-righteousness. Race is an extremely important issue that deserves to be treated with respect. This film merely seeks to exploit the highly emotionally charged issues in a pathetic attempt to try and bring hollow tears to the faces of its viewers. Everything in this film is done by the book. All the stereotypical characters are there, lined up and ready to be used in the most cliché of fashion. The film doesn't even try and tell a story but instead stick a load of over the top scenes together, accompanied by an extremely annoying pretentious score, that try to create many climactic "moments" to try and move the viewer. Another thing that really annoyed me about this film is the title itself, "Glory". What is really glorious about a load of men getting killed, black or white? The film doesn't even try to portray the foolishness of war and instead resorts to partiotically flag-waving, proud that America was founded on such bloodshed. Mel Gibson in a kilt screaming "FREEDOM" at the top of his lungs would not seem out of place. However, when you spray as many emotional scenes about the place at least a couple are going to hit their targets. The scene where Matthew Broderick is shouting at the stuttering squirrel shooter and fireing his pistol did manage to get a response out of me. This is because it was one of the few scenes that decided to leave race alone and attempt to deal with the reality of war. Another couple of scenes were well done too, but these scenes' resonance was muted by the overall quality of the others. The battle scenes were well done, in a sense that they looked realistic. I thought that these might be able to help save the film but, to my dismay, as soon as I'm starting to believe in them another highly telegraphed clichéd plot point comes along that completely breaks up the intensity and disintegrates into farce. There isn't really a lot more than I can say about the film. I can't really comment on the quality of the acting because the actors were forced to play such one dimensional characters. I had been recommended this movie by a couple of people and had really high hopes for it, but instead of being a glorious experience it was condesending and repulsive.

Trailer—Glory

Glory

It's not like the real people that this movie is paying homage to, where thinking back then, that there was any Glory in what they did. Actually the movie makes it pretty clear that many did not even want to be there. It also makes it clear that while fighting side by side, in no way blacks and whites were equal. Not just payment wise, but in many other ways. Expendable you say? I hear you, they couldn't back then. Matthew is a laid back person as Zwick the director confirms. I think anyone can tell, so it is even more amazing how he transforms at certain moments and plays "hard" and mean in the movie. It is imperative, not just as character moments, but also the journey of the movie and himself. And then there is Denzel Washington. Do I have to say more? Mesmerizing as one can imagine and as one would think he is. Incredible performance by him - but also by all the other actors involved. A great movie about a certain, possibly, war defining moment ...

Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is the son of a wealthy Boston abolitionist family. He signs up for war at 23, and suffers through a harrowing battle at Antietam. After the "victory" at Antietam, the Union organizes the first company of black soldiers. Shaw would lead them into battle and history. The scale of the battles is impressive. It's a big production from director Edward Zwick. It is expertly put together. The acting is top rate from great actors. Broderick imparts a blend of hopefulness and pragmatism. He's a boy trying to live up to being a man with historic responsibilities. Morgan Freeman gives this movie weight, and Denzel Washington gives the big money shot. It's easy to nitpick this movie to death. By quoting directly from Shaw's letters, it lends itself to criticism of its factual reliability. But that would miss the point of the movie. It's not a documentary.

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.