America 250th - A Look Back at “Glory”

Following the Battle of Antietam, Col. Robert Gould Shaw, is offered command of the United States’ first all African-American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. With junior officer Cabot Forbes, Shaw puts together a strong and proud unit, including the escaped slave Trip and the wise gravedigger John Rawlins.

At first limited to menial manual tasks, the regiment fights to be placed in the heat of battle.

The 1989 film “Glory” has been a film that I’ve always wanted to check out for quite a few years. Before seeing the film, I’ve heard nothing but great things about “Glory.” Now that I’ve finally had the chance to watch the film, I can easily say that “Glory” is a tremendous film and shouldn’t be missed!

The film delivers quite an emotional punch, incredible cinematography and an authentic portrayal of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The stirring musical score by renowned composer James Horner and amazing performances from Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington also helps make this film a moving and landmark drama. “Glory” also brings the heavy themes of slavery, sacrifice, and human dignity down to a deeply personal and inspiring level.

While the entire cast is phenomenal, Denzel Washington’s portrayal of Private Silas Trip - a defiant, deeply traumatized escaped slave - is easily the emotional anchor of the film. Viewers will easily be captivated by his raw intensity, most famously during the teardrop moment while being whipped. That moment humanized the immense, bitter pain of the era and even earned Washington his first Oscar.

“Glory” also serves as a profound history lesson in a way. General movie-goers loved the film for bringing the vital, heroic contributions of African American soldiers out of the footnotes of history textbooks and onto the screens. It also challenged the traditional, monolithic, cinematic narratives of the Civil War by centering this story with patriotism and sacrifice.

This Civil War film also delivers quite a few moments that are extremely moving. There’s the infamous scene when Trip is caught “deserting” and is ordered to be flogged. As the whip strikes, Trip refuses to cry out, instead locking eyes with Shaw as a single, silent tear streams down his face - a devastating, unforgettable moment of raw acting brilliance.

Another amazing moment, set to James Horner’s incredible score, the 54th leads the twilight charge across the open beach toward the heavily fortified walls of Fort Wagner. The sequence is a masterclass in visceral filmmaking - cannon fire ripping through the ranks, the chaotic clash of bayonets and the desperate scramble upon the sandy berms under an unrelenting storm of bullets. During this incredible sequence, there’s another powerful moment where Trip drops his weapon, seizes the American flag and defiantly waves it forward to rally the men.

The 1989 film “Glory” received widespread critical acclaim and audiences praise for its poignant storytelling and historical significance. It was also lauded for highlighting the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the Union Army’s first all-black volunteer regiments.

“Glory” is a masterful watch for the 250th anniversary because it captures the fundamental, ongoing American struggle to achieve true equality. The film also reminds viewers that marginalized Americans fought and died to help build the nation’s promise of freedom.

MPA: Rated R   (runtime 122 minutes)

Initial release date: December 15, 1989

Streaming: Hulu-Disney Plus/Paramount Plus/Tubi/various PVOD platforms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OS-OE1EcHI

• Morgan Freeman used his experience in the Air Force to inform how relationships would be formed in the unit. Freeman claimed that no one becomes fast friends during training, but partnerships are made according to strengths.

• The Civil War reenactors who took part in the film did so voluntarily and without pay.

• Edward Zwick claimed that, for the flogging scene, Denzel Washington was lashed at full contact with a special whip that would not cut his back, but still stung. For the final take of the scene, Zwick hesitated to call "Cut!" to signal the flogging to stop, and the result was Washington's spontaneous tear down his cheek.

• 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. For 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.

• Very early in the movie, Union soldiers play baseball. Considerable dispute remains about exactly when, where, and how the sport was invented, but the Civil War itself had a significant role in the sport's rapid growth. It became a popular pastime for soldiers on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, who spread it around the country.

• Edward Zwick was initially apprehensive about how the predominantly black cast would feel about a young, white, Jewish director telling a crucial part of their history. He found the cast to be very affable and good-humored towards him. Some were grateful that he was brave enough to tackle the subject.

• The inaugural battle for the real 54th Massachusetts was at James Island, South Carolina, on July 16, 1863. The scene depicting the battle was filmed during late February 1989, at the Girl Scout Camp on Rose Dhu Island, near Savannah, Georgia. It snowed during filming, and heaters had to be brought in to melt the snow. Later, in the "Christmas at Camp Readville" scene, filmed in March 1989 at the old Train Roundhouse in Savannah, Georgia, snow blowers were brought in to blow chipped ice onto the ground, to give the appearance of winter snow.

• Andre Braugher's feature film debut.

• Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the 400 movies nominated for the Top 100 Greatest American Movies.

• While this is the first major motion picture to acknowledge that black people had their own unit in the American Civil War, the subject had been referred to in other films, such as Shenandoah (1965).

• Included among the American Film Institute's 2005 list of 250 movies nominated for AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores.

• James Horner's end title music is also in the theatrical trailer for Backdraft (1991).

• In 2025, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."