Glory

I have always loved the movie Glory but seeing it again yesterday as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series reminded me of why!  It is incredibly powerful and moving!  Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is the son of wealthy abolitionists in Boston serving in the Union army when he is wounded during the Battle of Antietam.  While recuperating at home he is offered a colonelcy to lead the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment made up of black freemen and runaway slaves, including John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman), Thomas Searles (Andre Braugher), and Silas Trip (Denzel Washington).  At first he is skeptical about their ability to fight and trains them relentlessly.  Eventually, Shaw comes to respect his soldiers and they him, especially when he and his second-in-command, Major Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes), refuse their pay until the black soldiers receive the same amount as their white counterparts  After their training, the 54th is used mainly for foraging and for manual labor until Shaw advocates for them to be allowed to fight.  They acquit themselves with honor in their first battle and then Shaw volunteers the regiment to lead the charge on Ft. Wagner in an important campaign to secure Charleston Harbor in South Carolina.  They know that they will suffer serious casualties but Shaw leads them himself and their bravery inspires many other black men to enlist, turning the tide of the war.  I think Denzel Washington is a tremendous actor and he is absolutely brilliant in the role of an embittered former slave who doesn't know what he is fighting for.  I found myself with tears in my eyes several times, especially during the scene where he is being flogged for deserting and a single tear rolls down his cheek and the scene where he picks up the flag from a fallen soldier to continue taking it up the ramparts of the fort.  He is definitely deserving of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, in my opinion.  I was also very impressed by Broderick's performance.  I tend to think of him more as a comedic actor but he conveys so much emotion in his eyes as Colonel Shaw!  The battle sequences are intense, especially the Battle of Antietam, and the attention to period detail is impressive.  Finally, I was incredibly moved by James Horner's stirring score, particularly the haunting voices of the Harlem Boys Choir.  It was an emotional experience watching this movie again and I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen!  You have one more opportunity on Wednesday (go here for tickets).