Includes biographical information on Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington as well as an analysis of three published reviews Needs better transitions
Glory captures the heroism of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and
the first black regiment in the Civil War, the Massachusetts
'Fighting' Fifty-fourth. An extremely talented cast and crew
earned three Academy Awards (cinematography, sound and supporting
actor) and five nominations for their work in Glory. The
outstanding cinematography, sound, score and acting recreate the
events leading up to the Union attack on Fort Wagner on July 18th
1863.
Matthew Broderick portrays the young Bostonian abolitionist
Col. Robert G. Shaw who takes command of the Fifty-fourth,
following the Emancipation Proclamation. Shaw along with Cabot
Forbes (Cary Elwes) leads a band of ex slaves, servants and other
black volunteers including a rebellious runaway slave Trip
(Denzel Washington), Shaw's educated childhood friend Thomas
Searles (Andre Braugher), and a former grave digger Rawlins
(Morgan Freeman).
English: Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Mas...
D. Washington, Berlinale 2000
Denzel Washington in the lobby of the Dorothy Chan...Together these men face the adversity of a
racist Union Army, struggling to prove themselves worthy of their
government issued blue uniforms.
After months of training and exploitation for physical
labor, the Fifty-fourth gains the opportunity to fight in an
attack on Fort Wagner on the beaches of South Carolina. Poised
to dispel the belief that blacks would not be disciplined under
fire, the Fifty-fourth leads the almost suicidal attack on Ft.
Wagner. There Col. Shaw valiantly falls and the Fifty-fourth,
suffering great losses, displayed the courage that persuaded the
Union to enlist many more black soldiers.
Matthew Broderick delivers a noteworthy performance in the
role of Col. Shaw, which Leonard Maltin calls his most ambitious
part. In an interview for the New York Times, Broderick spoke of
his method acting,
'The first step [in preparing for the role of Robert Gould
Shaw in Glory] was to try...