Glory Movie Essay

“Glory” is a 1989 war film based on the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry of the civil war (18861-1865). It stars Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Care Elwes, and Morgan Freeman. It was directed by Edward Zwick, and the screenplay was written by Kevin Jarre who was inspired by two books, One Gallant Rush: Robert Gould Shaw and His Brave Black Regiment (1989) and Lay This Laurel (1973). The story is told largely through Colonel Robert Gould Shaw’s perspective and what he experiences throughout the war.

The movie begins at the Battle of Antietam, which ended in a Union victory, but a very bloody encounter between the Union and Confederates. Captain Shaw, who was present in the early scene of the battle, was seen horrified and perplexed

Shaw refuses right away, but he obeys only under threat of being relived and having his men taken away. Shaw continues to fight for the men’s right to fight in an actual battle rather than just doing manual labor. He finally gets them into combat after he confronts Harker and threatens to report the smuggling, looting, and graft he has uncovered, unless Harker orders the 54th into combat. In their first battle on James Island, South Carolina, success is followed by a bloody confrontation with many casualties. However, they are able to make the Confederates retreat, leading to their victory.

The next battle that the 54th fight is at Fort Wagner, a foothold in Charleston Harbor on Morris Island. General George strong informs the Colonels that the forts only landward approach is a small strip of the beach with little cover, and the first regiment to take charge is sure to suffer extreme and heavy casualties. Shaw volunteered to have his troops lead the attack on Fort Wagner. The night before the battle, the colored soldiers perform a religious service where Jupiter, Rawlins, and Trip make emotional speeches to inspire the troops and ask God for

Although this is true, I believe that there are many underlying themes in the movie. This movie shows that just by giving someone a chance to prove themselves can pay off in the end. It’s the whole “don’t judge a book by its cover” kind of deal. One of my favorite scenes from the movie that depicts the “brotherhood” theme, is when the night before the battle at Fort Wagner all of the soldiers sing and each one of them give an individual speech to motivate and encourage themselves as well as each other. Honor and bravery played a role in the theme because the men knew all of the racism and discrimination that surrounded them, but they never failed to push themselves forward. They all fought with bravery and demonstrated courage until their last breath, encouraging the Union to accept colored soldiers into