The 1989 film “Glory” is an historical film based on the true events of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which took place on June 18, 1863 in Charleston, South Carolina. The 54th regiment was one of the first infantries to enlist Black soldiers in the war and was led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Despite their shortcomings and adversities as African American men in America, these men were tenacious and very determined to succeed the war at Fort Wagner. Although this film highlights these powerful and impactful scenes that occurred on that fateful night, a majority of these scenes were over exaggerated and sugarcoated for a much more cinematic effect. In other words, some of the scenes in the film did not portray the events of the 54th Massachusetts
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For example, the film displayed the unit full of fugitive slaves when in actuality, most of the unit was comprised of free men from Massachusetts. According to historians of the 54th Massachusetts History Channel documentary, “John A. Andrew only wanted to recruit free Black men because he felt that they wouldn’t be easily intimidated and will show initiative to their Confederate enemies.” (54th Massachusetts History Channel Documentary, 00:09:55-00:10:07). Furthermore, the film only portrayed one of the men as educated when a majority of the men of the unit were highly educated and actually much more literate than the Confederate men. Moreover, the dates in the film were not displayed as accurately as the actual events that took place in the 54th. For instance, the film displays the training of the regiment in 1863 rather than in …show more content…
The film depicts Colonel Robert Shaw as slowly overcoming his prejudices and fighting for the right cause of his unit. However, resources show that Robert Shaw possessed old letters where he referred to Blacks as “niggers” and “darkie.” Although his parents were wealthy abolitionists, Shaw did not fully agree with his parent’s beliefs (particularly his mother’s) and only accepted the offer to become Colonel because of the guilt he felt over his mother. According to journalist Edwin T. Arnold, “Shaw himself was less convinced than his parents that blacks could serve as effective soldiers. While he certainly came to respect his men and took pride in their accomplishments, he was never convinced of the equality of the races.” (The Civil War Letters Of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, 1993.) Yet, the film fails to incorporate these facts and tends to overshadow the exceptional acting of the Black actors by painting Shaw’s character as the “white savior.” Brian D. Johnson argues, “The director also underplays the asset that makes Glory distinctive: its black cast. Two remarkable actors lead an impressive ensemble--Denzel Washington as a firebrand runaway slave and Morgan Freeman as a gravedigger who rises to the rank of sergeant major. All perform brilliantly, but their dialogue seems to be grimly rationed while Broderick's
For example, the film displayed the unit full of fugitive slaves when in actuality, most of the unit was comprised of free men from Massachusetts. According to historians of the 54th Massachusetts History Channel documentary, “John A. Andrew only wanted to recruit free Black men because he felt that they wouldn’t be easily intimidated and will show initiative to their Confederate enemies.” (54th Massachusetts History Channel Documentary, 00:09:55-00:10:07). Furthermore, the film only portrayed one of the men as educated when a majority of the men of the unit were highly educated and actually much more literate than the Confederate men. Moreover, the dates in the film were not displayed as accurately as the actual events that took place in the 54th. For instance, the film displays the training of the regiment in 1863 rather than in …show more content…
The film depicts Colonel Robert Shaw as slowly overcoming his prejudices and fighting for the right cause of his unit. However, resources show that Robert Shaw possessed old letters where he referred to Blacks as “niggers” and “darkie.” Although his parents were wealthy abolitionists, Shaw did not fully agree with his parent’s beliefs (particularly his mother’s) and only accepted the offer to become Colonel because of the guilt he felt over his mother. According to journalist Edwin T. Arnold, “Shaw himself was less convinced than his parents that blacks could serve as effective soldiers. While he certainly came to respect his men and took pride in their accomplishments, he was never convinced of the equality of the races.” (The Civil War Letters Of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, 1993.) Yet, the film fails to incorporate these facts and tends to overshadow the exceptional acting of the Black actors by painting Shaw’s character as the “white savior.” Brian D. Johnson argues, “The director also underplays the asset that makes Glory distinctive: its black cast. Two remarkable actors lead an impressive ensemble--Denzel Washington as a firebrand runaway slave and Morgan Freeman as a gravedigger who rises to the rank of sergeant major. All perform brilliantly, but their dialogue seems to be grimly rationed while Broderick's