Glory (movie)
|
|
Glory is a 1989 film which depicts the Union's attack on Fort Wagner during the American Civil War, which was spearheaded by Robert Gould Shaw's 54th Massachusetts Regiment.
The movie was adapted by Kevin Jarre from the books One Gallant Rush by Peter Burchard and Lay This Laurel by Lincoln Kirstein, and Colonel Shaw's own memoirs. It was directed by Edward Zwick, and starred Matthew Broderick (as Colonel Shaw), Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, Jihmi Kennedy and Andre Braugher.
The 54th was the first American battalion comprised entirely of Blacks (apart from officers). The film suggests that most of these blacks were escaped slaves from southern secessionist states who wished to fight for the abolitionist north, but this is historically inaccurate.
The film also depicts the struggle Colonel Shaw faced to get supplies for his troops, and also to get his regiment into battle to prove themselves as "true men, worthy of fighting among Whites".
Glory was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Norman Garwood and Garrett Lewis) and Best Film Editing (Steven Rosenblum). It won Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Denzel Washington), Best Cinematography (Freddie Francis) and Best Sound (Donald O. Mitchell, Gregg Rudloff, Elliot Tyson) and (Russell Williams).
Washington's Oscar was the first for an African-American actor since Sidney Poitier.