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With any Hollywood movie based on historical events there always exists an attempt to balance historical accuracy with artistic license. Remaining accurate enough to appeal to those with backgrounds in the field of history while still being entertaining enough for the masses is a difficult task. One that can often lead to disaster. The film Glory is no exception to this attempt at maintaining an equilibrium of fact and fiction. There are numerous mistakes in the film, and graded on this fact alone the film deserves at best a “C.”
Directed by Edward Zwick and starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, and Morgan Freeman, Glory was released to theaters in 1989. It received wide critical acclaim and garnered various award nominations, including several Academy Award nominations and wins.
The film recounts the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, one of the first officially sanctioned African American units of the Union Army during the Civil War. It tells this story through the eyes of the regiment’s commander, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, as well as other members of the 54th. It begins with the unit’s inception and follows them up through their participation in the battle at Fort Wagner, all the while exploring themes of discrimination, justice, determination, and brotherhood.
Many consider Glory to be one of the most accurate historical films ever made. In my limited research I find the overall story of the film to be fairly accurate, but there are still many mistakes in the film. This essay is far from a comprehensive list of these inaccuracies, but it will attempt to point out some of the more interesting ones.
Perhaps the most striking difference between history and Glory are the men ...
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Glory (Special Edition). Dir. Edward Zwick. Perf. Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, and Morgan Freeman. 2001. TriStar Pictures, 1989. DVD.
"Massachusetts Historical Society: 54th Regiment." Massachusetts Historical Society: Welcome! N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2013.
McPherson, James M. The Negro's Civil War: How American Negroes Felt and Acted During the War for the Union. New York, New York: Pantheon Books, 1965. Print.
"National Park Civil War Series: The Civil War's Black Soldiers." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 July 2013.
Perry, Michelle P. "An Interview with Edward Zwick." The Tech [Cambridge Massachusetts] 24 Jan. 1990: 11. Print.
Shaw, Robert G, and Russell Duncan. Blue-eyed Child of Fortune: The Civil War Letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1992. Print.
The 1989 film Glory is a classic Civil War film based on the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment. The film focuses on the courage displayed by the first black regiment in the Civil War, also known as the “Fighting Fifty-fourth.” The regiment headed by the admirable Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, Matthew Broderick, must overcome an enormous amount of adversity during the war. The film was daring for filmmakers Zwick and Fields because it was a film not only with, “vivid and frightening battle scenes and finely etched dramatic characters, but a film that shattered the great Civil War taboo-it told a story of African Americans(Chadwick). Many articles and texts leading up to the film failed to mention the participation of African Americans in the Civil War. In fact, the participation of African Americans helped turn the course of the war and nearly 300,000 fought for the North.
Heidler, David Stephen, and Jeanne T. Heidler, eds. Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: a
McPherson, James M.; The Atlas of the Civil War. Macmillan: 15 Columbus Circle New York, NY. 1994.
In James McPherson’s novel, What They Fought For, a variety of Civil War soldier documents are examined to show the diverse personal beliefs and motives for being involved in the war. McPherson’s sample, “is biased toward genuine fighting soldiers” (McPherson, 17) meaning he discusses what the ordinary soldier fought for. The Confederacy was often viewed as the favorable side because their life style relied on the war; Confederates surrounded their lives with practices like slavery and agriculture, and these practices were at stake during the war. On the other hand, Northerners fought to keep the country together. Although the Civil War was brutal, McPherson presents his research to show the dedication and patriotism of the soldiers that fought and died for a cause.
David W. Blight's book Beyond the Battlefield: Race, Memory and the American Civil War, is an intriguing look back into the Civil War era which is very heavily studied but misunderstood according to Blight. Blight focuses on how memory shapes history Blight feels, while the Civil War accomplished it goal of abolishing slavery, it fell short of its ultimate potential to pave the way for equality. Blight attempts to prove that the Civil War does little to bring equality to blacks. This book is a composite of twelve essays which are spilt into three parts. The Preludes describe blacks during the era before the Civil War and their struggle to over come slavery and describes the causes, course and consequences of the war. Problems in Civil War memory describes black history and deals with how during and after the war Americans seemed to forget the true meaning of the war which was race. And the postludes describes some for the leaders of black society and how they are attempting to keep the memory and the real meaning of the Civil War alive and explains the purpose of studying historical memory.
Black soldiers were among the bravest of those fighting in the Civil War. Both free Blacks in the Union army and escaped slaves from the South rushed to fight for their freedom and they fought with distinction in many major Civil War battles. Many whites thought Blacks could not be soldiers. They were slaves. They were inferior. Many thought that if Blacks could fight in the war it would make them equal to whites and prove the theory of slavery was wrong. Even though Black soldiers had to face much discrimination during the Civil War, they were willing to fight to the death for their freedom. In the movie “Glory“ the director focused on the African Americans in the north that fought in the 54th regiment led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. During the time of the Civil War, the African Americans that fought in the 54th regiment were often treated unfairly but there were always nice people that backed them up.
2004. Secrets of the Civil War: Antietam. Directed by James Millar. Performed by Gavin MacFadyen.
The truth to any war does not lie in the depths of storytelling but rather it’s embedded in every person involved. According to O’Brien, “A true war story does not depend on that kind of truth. Absolute occurrence is irrelevant. A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth” (pg. 80). Truths of any war story in my own opinion cannot be fully conveyed or explained through the use of words. Any and all war stories provide specific or certain facts about war but each of them do not and cannot allow the audience to fully grasp the tru...
The Civil War, a period of four years in the United States filled with bloody combat, thousands of casualties, and the destruction of much of Southern infrastructure. Although the Civil War had various causes (economy, politics, etc.), it mainly originated from the pressing issue of slavery at the time, mainly its expansion into the Western territories. As we all know, slavery was one of the most horrific times in our nation’s history, yet it was a typical and normal thing for the people of the 19th century. The film, Glory (1989), directed by Edward Zwick, doesn’t necessarily depict the horrors of slavery, however it does show 19th century America’s attitude toward African Americans, as well as the average African American’s hunger for freedom. The film begins with its protagonist, Colonel Shaw, being found by gravedigger John Rawlins (who later becomes a soldier in the Civil War). He is sent to a field hospital, and after he’s clear to leave, he visits his family at their plantation, where he meets Frederick Douglass, and is offered the position of Colonel for the 54th Massachusetts Regiment. He accepts the promotion, and invites his old friend, Major Forbes, to be his right hand man in leading the infantry. He accepts as well, and soon after, black soldiers quickly volunteer, of these including Rawlins, Searles, Trip, etc., which will become important factors in the plot of the movie. Throughout the film, it is clear how each character is very different from each other, for example, Private Trip, is very stubborn and rude, while Private Searles is much more calm, peaceful, and weakish. Yet as the plot progresses, the characters slowly and gradually mold into different personalities, some going through more changes than others. ...
Rebel Without a Cause. Dir. Nicholas Ray. Perf. James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, and Jim
Book Title: The American Civil War: A Handbook of Literature and Research. Contributors: Robin Higham - editor, Steven E. Woodworth - editor. Publisher: Greenwood Press. Place of Publication: Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1996
Preisser, Thomas M. “The Virginia Decision to Use Negro Soldiers in the Civil War, 1864-1865.” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 83, no. 1 (January 1975): 98-113. Accessed April 14, 2014. http://jstor.org/stable/4247927.
...al events. Some events that happened in the film, didn't actually happen in history. Especially the whole romantic theme, though the scenes with romance helped develop the plot of the film, and to elaborate on the film's themes and message. Although the film seems to be mostly inaccurate, it still held some historical accuracy.
The movie “Glory” tells the history and the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. It became the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War. The Regiment was made up of black soldiers – some were Northern freemen, some were escaped slaves. The leader was General Robert Gould Shaw, the son of Boston abolitionists. The men of the 54th Regiment proved themselves worthy of the freedom for which they fighting, and the respect of their fellow white soldiers.
Menace II Society. Dir. Albert Hughes. Perf. Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu. New Line Home Video, 1993. DVD.