| | | Winner of Three 1989 Academy Awards - Best Supporting Actor - Best Cinematography - Best Sound.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, English, Subtitled, Spanish, French Dubbed & Subtitled
The heart-stopping story of the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War, Glory stars Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman. Broderick and Elwes are the idealistic young Bostonians who lead the regiment; Freeman is the inspirational sergeant who unites the troops; and Washington, in an Oscar-winning performance (1989, Best Supporting Actor), is the runaway slave who embodies the indomitable spirit of the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts.
"...a thoroughly pleasant experience..." Desson Howe, Washington Post
"...strong and valuable film..." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"One of the greatest films ever made." Andrew Howe, eFilmCritic.com
"...one of the best war epics ever made, with all around fantastic performances..." Felix Vasquez, Jr., Film Threat
"Exceptional story...faultlessly performed. One of the finest historical dramas ever made." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"...an eloquent, heart-tugging Civil War epic...Remarkable as a period piece and for Freddie Francis's vivid cinematography..." Los Angeles Times
"The lasting power of the [film]...rests in the emotional connection to the characters." Michael Dequina, Mr. Brown's Movies
Editor's Note
GLORY recounts the bravery of a group of Civil War soldiers often overlooked by history--the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts, a troop of free black men who fought to help win liberty for their enslaved brothers. Based on the historical novels ONE GALLANT RUSH by Peter Burchand and LAY THIS LAUREL by Lincoln Kirstein and the letters of Robert Gould Shaw, the film follows the youthful Colonel Shaw (Matthew Broderick) as he takes responsibility for readying these soldiers for battle. Shaw, a privileged young Boston Brahman, finds the job harder than expected because many of the men balk at taking orders from him. Private Trip (Denzel Washington) is especially resistant to Shaw's leadership, but over time the two come to an understanding as they endure the hardships of the war. On July 18, 1863, Shaw volunteers the 54th for the honor of leading the charge against Ft. Wagner, a mission that means almost certain death, with Trip carrying the regiment's colors into battle. This gritty and realistic vision of the horrors of war is a moving and critical examination of a lost piece of history. Beautifully shot and triumphantly acted (by a cast that also includes Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, and Andre Braugher), director Edward Zwick's film serves as a tribute to the courage and selfless bravery of the black soldiers of the Civil War.
Plot Summary
Director Edward Zwick's GLORY follows the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts, a troop of free black men who fought for freedom during the Civil War. When a wealthy white Bostonian takes charge of the unit, he faces the challenge of earning their respect and support as he prepares the soldiers for battle.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Widescreen Presentation |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Glory - DVD Review By: James Brundage - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 5/22/2009 5:40 PM | |
I'll admit that the Civil War just isn't my choice of an afternoon. Between TNT's affinity of putting Gettysburg on every 4th of July and the love that multiple friends of mine seem to harbor for drawn out epics concerning the Civil War (either on film or in book), I just have gotten fairly sick and tired of seeing the Civil War on celluloid again and again. You pile on the fact that I had to change my phrasing to "the war of Northern aggression" whilst I was living in Raleigh, North Carolina and I just don't want to hear another thing for it. This said, you can see why Glory is a very special exception to my rule of antipathy towards war films with muskets in them....read the full review |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 2/1/2005 |
| Running Time: 117 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1989 | | Catalog ID: 70289 | | UPC: 00043396702899 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1990) |  | Freddie Francis, Winner, Best Cinematography | | Donald O. Mitchell, et. al., Winner, Best Sound | | Denzel Washington, Winner, Best Supporting Actor | |
Golden Globe (1990) | | Denzel Washington, Winner, Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture | |
Oscar (1990) | | | Norman Garwood, Nominee, Best Art Direction-Set Direction | | | Steven Rosenblum, Nominee, Best Film Editing | |
Image Award (1992) | | Denzel Washington, Winner, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | | Glory, Winner, Outstanding Motion Picture | |
British Academy Awards (1991) | | | Freddie Francis, Nominee, Best Cinematography | |
Grammy (1991) | | James Horner, Winner, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television | |
Oscar (1990) | | Denzel Washington, Winner, Best Actor in a Supporting Role | |
Golden Globe (1990) | | | Edward Zwick, Nominee, Best Director - Motion Picture | | | Glory, Nominee, Best Motion Picture - Drama | |
Oscar (1990) | | | Norman Garwood, Garrett Lewis, Nominee, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...Spectacular choreography..." 03/01/1990 p.135New York Times
"...Beautifully acted, pageantlike....[The] cast is superior....This is a good, moving, complicated film..." 12/14/1989 p.C15 Los Angeles Times
"...GLORY is an eloquent, heart-tugging Civil War epic....Remarkable as a period piece and for Freddie Francis's vivid cinematography....Splendid..." 01/11/1990 p.F1 Total Film
"...A clutch of undeniably moving performance..." 07/01/2000 p.114 Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 9 of 10
Exceptional story of America's first unit of black soldiers during the Civil War and the young, inex
The Washington Post 8 of 10
"Glory," a historical drama about a black regiment that proves its mettle during the Civil War, may not hold up to intense scrutiny but it marches to the glorious beat that fired up the Massachusetts 54th...And it's hard not to get carried along...The flaws are many, should you look for them. Scriptwriter Jarre (whose previous credit is, uh, "Rambo: First Blood Part II") provides only a superficial sense of his characters' dreams (his script is made better by the performers); that liberal-hearted, misty-eyed giddiness (thanks chiefly to the gushy, rhapsodizing score by James Horner) frequently gets way out of hand; and Broderick, as the Boston Brahmin who leads the 54th to timeless glory, provides a certain, gee-willikers empathy, but he should probably give Neil Simon a call and see what's shaking...In this movie, he's an amiable non-presence, creating unintentionally the notion that the 54th earned their stripes despite wimpy leadership...For the regiment in "Glory," earning those military stripes also means proving its manhood to the nation. If that seems outdated and racially insulting today, it was no such thing in an age when Americans (on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line) considered blacks childlike, immoral and militarily incapable (an attitude that, of course, no longer exists...). Washington, Freeman and company give that goal, and this movie, an updated vitality. - Desson Howe
ReelViews 10 of 10
Glory is, without question, one of the best movies ever made about the American Civil War (a.k.a. "The War Between the States"). The reason isn't just the way in which Kevin Jarre's script illuminates a frequent oversight of history books, nor is it the fine acting or epic feel that director Edward Zwick achieves on a modest budget -- although those elements are part of Glory's effectiveness. Rather, it is the way in which the filmmakers weave an impressively large historical tapestry without ever losing sight of the characters that make up the individual threads. Glory has important things to say, yet it does so without becoming pedantic...Glory is constructed as an inspirational tale, but the inspiration is not forced or false. It is rooted in the characters and the manner in which they overcome obstacles, including, most prominently, their own personal demons...Glory has become one of the most frequently shown motion pictures in high schools. In large part because of the film, there has been a greater awareness of the importance of African American soldiers in the Civil War. Even if it were not for that development, Glory would still be a memorable motion picture. It has all the elements of a great film, and it remains as stirring and forceful today as it was during its initial release. - James Berardinelli
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