The First All-Black Union Army Regiment
As fact-based Civil War stories go, the one behind “Glory” is particularly unique and beyond inspirational. It tells the story—start to finish—of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first such Union corps populated (mostly) by free black men, runaway slaves, or any other man of color willing to join the fight. The “mostly” is key here, as the 54th’s commander was Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), the son of wealthy white Boston abolitionists.Shaw was only considered after many others who were far more qualified than him turned it down (something barely addressed in the movie). The filmmakers take one of their boldest and daring chances in the opening scene set during the Battle of Antietam where a barely wounded Shaw appears to pretend his injury was mortal and “played dead.”
“Waking” the next morning after being discovered by gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman), Shaw returns to Boston and it’s clear the guilt of his cowardice is eating away at him. It is worth noting, there is no reputable available source chronicling Shaw’s actions at Antietam, only what is suggested in this film.
When Shaw’s (fictional) friends Forbes (Cary Elwes) and Searles (Andre Braugher) catch wind of their friends’ new assignment, they join him, neither knowing the differing types of displeasure shortly ahead of them. In an attempt to perhaps overcompensate for his Antietam misstep, Shaw becomes an exacting taskmaster—a stickler for protocol, wishing to make a distinctive mark.
In hindsight, the first act portrayal of Shaw as a coward and then an autocrat leading into lionizing him in the second and third acts was a huge gamble and it might have fully worked had Zwick cast an actor with the proper range to pull it off. Aside from bearing an uncanny resemblance to Shaw, Broderick lacks the requisite chops and was the wrong choice for the lead role but, to his credit, he certainly gave it his all.
Freeman, Washington, and Braugher Own the Film
Although each portrays stock fictional characters, Freeman, Denzel Washington (as Trip), and Braugher do so with unerring accuracy and deep commitment. The most established of the three was Freeman, who, at about the same time, was providing multiple voice performances for Ken Burns’s watershed documentary, “The Civil War.” Braugher’s portrayal of the erudite, highly-educated, somewhat timid free man provided superb contrast to Searles’ principal nemesis, the arrogant and headstrong Trip.
Just a year after the end of his role as a doctor on the TV series “St. Elsewhere,” Washington’s rendering of Trip was to become that of legend. Despite an acclaimed performance as South African freedom fighter Steven Biko in “Biko,” Washington remained largely unknown to movie audiences. “Glory” forever changed that.
Receiving a multitude of accolades—including an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor—Washington had cemented his legacy. The scene in the film where Trip is flogged for desertion while looking for shoes is one of the most throttling and visceral in all of movie history.
A Real Medal of Honor Winner Is M.I.A.
Among those under Shaw’s command were Lewis and Charles Douglass, sons of former slave Frederick Douglass. Also in the regiment was flag-bearer William Harvey Carney who became the first of 37 Black Civil War recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, although his medal wasn’t actually given to him until 1900. It’s baffling as to why these three non-fictional characters weren’t worked into the narrative, even if only in a fleeting mention.As cinematic battle sequences go, few are executed with greater historical accuracy and cinematic passion than what Zwick recreated for the closing scene in “Glory” (which was shot in Savannah, Georgia). Despite Wagner being a Confederate victory, the unflinching bravery and dedication of Shaw’s men went far in dispelling the myth that Black soldiers would falter and flee in battle, which led to a heavy uptick in Black volunteers. President Lincoln later credited this one event to be a factor in leading to the end of the war.
In 1996, Zwick reteamed with Washington for “Courage Under Fire,” this time a fictional story set during the Gulf War, co-starring Meg Ryan playing the first woman to ever be considered for the Medal of Honor. Containing many of the same themes as “Glory,” it is also a modern day take on “Rashomon” and on the whole it is actually better than “Glory.” Zwick would never again achieve such greatness as a filmmaker.
