Movie Review--Glory

"We will offer pride and dignity to those who have known only degradation."
--Frederick Douglas, Glory


Despite its deep impact on American history, the Civil War is overlooked in mainstream cinema in favor of World War II, the conflict that has eclipsed practically all other wars in entertainment.  The small number of Civil War movies helps the high quality of its best examples stand out all the more.  Among these is Glory, centering on the 54th Massachusetts, the first black regiment to fight for the Union.  The challenges, triumphs, and nuances of forming the first black regiment that fought for the Union Army in the Civil War are the heart of the film.  In fact, the first large action sequence comes almost 80 minutes in precisely because the characters and themes come first.  Lincoln's own racist ideas and the casual sexism against both genders that marked the day are left in the background of the film, secondary to the immediate racism that plagues even some whites and blacks in the Union army.


Production Values

Thanks to the subject matter and time at which it was made, Glory requires little more than practical effects and strong performances.  The movie delivers on both fronts.  The practical effects reflect the status of cinema at the time while also allowing characterization and a stark look into significant themes to take the lead.  Glory is acted very well, with even the supporting cast giving excellent performances.  Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, Cary Elwes, and Denzel Washington have the primary roles, each one contributing to the tangle of personalities that forms the 54th Massachusetts.  Without sincere acting, the movie would have very little to keep it afloat, but there is not even a weak link to be found.


Story

Some spoilers are below.

Union colonel Robert Gould Shaw is given the chance to lead the first African American regiment in Lincoln's army, the 54th Massachusetts.  Even though liberating the slaves is an objective of the Union, even some Northern soldiers harbor attitudes towards blacks that resemble those of the Confederacy, forcing the 54th to deal with racism against them from inside their own army.  Colonel Shaw proves to be committed to racial egalitarianism despite the cultural forces around him, and the regiment slowly develops to a state of combat readiness.


Intellectual Content

While even Lincoln himself serves as an example of how someone can do what is just without consistently caring about truth and justice (with his racism against blacks), the 54th Massachusetts finds an ally in its colonel in a sea of prejudice within the Union Army, of all places.  The mistreatment the regiment experiences within the army supposedly trying to end the slavery of their fellow African Americans holds the complexities of racial justice to light in ways that modern films almost always tend to avoid or mishandled.  Glory never flinches from showing that a faction fighting to end one type of racial injustice can help perpetuate others and that a person of any skin color can be racist towards other people of any skin color--even their own.

One black recruit talks mockingly to another African American who, according to him, talks like white people--as if anyone's speech patterns and word choices are determined by their race, as opposed to individualistic and cultural factors!  A fellow member of the regiment later chastises him for his own racism against whites, while Robert refuses his own pay when it is revealed that his black regiment will be paid $10 a month instead of the $13 promised to them and paid to white Union soldiers.  It is through deeds like this that Robert shows his resolve to treat blacks and whites equally when even the army fighting for the end of Confederate racial slavery is guilty of racism.

Sometimes Robert's equal treatment of whites and blacks means putting some of his soldiers in situations that might be emotionally traumatic, such as when he has a black deserter flogged with a whip despite the objections of a white soldier--racial equality does mean the death of double standards for any race, of course, even when empathy or affection is the motivator.  However, he stands out as a white who is consistent in his racial egalitarianism to the point of winning over what seems to be his entire regiment, a group of soldiers that collectively demonstrates how blacks are no less capable of discipline and military competence than whites.  So integral and well handled is the issue of racism that the film as a whole is one of the best movies about the matter in all of cinema.


Conclusion

Glory, with its unique approach to exploring the social and philosophical conflicts that split a nation in two, shows how there is far more to cinematically depict from the Civil War than battles like Gettysburg.  Racism and its role in sparking the war provides enough material for stories to focus on it even though it is often pushed to the side in other films that also tackle the same period of time.  Indeed, there is far more to the Civil War than even its most decisive and renowned battles.  The primary reasons why the war began in the first place are worth emphasizing just as much, if not more than the events themselves.


Content:
 1.  Violence:  Several scenes show soldiers shooting and stabbing each other without using graphic imagery of dismemberment.
 2.  Profanity:  "Bastard" is heard multiple times.  "Shit" is also used.