Glory **** (1989, Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, Andre Braugher, John Finn, Jihmi Kennedy, Donovan Leitch Jr) – Classic Movie Review 3192

Director Edward Zwick’s distinguished, potent and highly emotional 1989 war movie about America’s first all-black volunteer company at the time of the American Civil War is, as it must be, a visceral experience as a violent and graphic real-life historical drama. A fervently anti-war and anti-prejudice film, it is a wonderfully honourable, revelatory enterprise.

It triumphed on Academy Awards night in 1990 by marching to glory with three Oscars – for Best Supporting Actor for Denzel Washington as the runaway slave Private Trip, Best Cinematography for Freddie Francis and Best Sound (Donald O Mitchell, Gregg Rudloff, Elliot Tyson, Russell Williams II). Washington repeated his victory at the Golden Globes, though that was its only one. You’d have thought the Baftas would have honoured veteran British cinematographer Freddie Francis, but, no, there were no awards.

Perhaps Matthew Broderick slightly lacks the full necessary weight as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the Federal Army regiment’s privileged 25-year-old white officer who volunteers to lead the first company of black soldiers and has to deal with the prejudices of the Confederate enemy and his fellow Union army officers.

And the narrative and dialogue in Kevin Jarre’s screenplay, based on the letters of Broderick’s character, Robert Gould Shaw, as well as Lincoln Kirstein’s book Lay This Laurel and Peter Burchard’s book One Gallant Rush, have their hesitancies. But they have their strengths as well and Jarre certainly shows that it is an explosive story that needed telling.

Also the other performances are impeccable and the late James Horner provides a notable score. But, above all, the movie looks wonderful, thanks to Francis’s glorious images and Norman Garwood’s production designs.

It also stars Morgan Freeman as Sergeant Major John Rawlins, Cary Elwes as Major Cabot Forbes, Andre Braugher as Corporal Thomas Searles, John Finn as Sergeant Major Mulcahy, Jihmi Kennedy as Private Jupiter Sharts, Donovan Leitch Jr as Captain Charles Fessenden Morse, Cliff De Young as Colonel James M Montgomery and Bob Gunton as General Charles Garrison Harker.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3192

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