Telling the tale of the first formal unit to be entirely made up of African-American men during the Civil War, Edward Zwick’s 1989 war drama “Glory” was a modest commercial success, but a major critical one. It also won Denzel Washington an Academy Award for the best supporting role. The story is told from the perspective of Colonel Robert Shaw (Mathew Broderick), the white commander of the all-black unit that distinguished itself for their heroic efforts during the war. Captain Robert Shaw comes home to Boston after being wounded in the Civil War. There he is offered a promotion to the rank of colonel if he accepts to command the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer infantry, the first all-black regiment in the Union Army. Shaw accepts, and the volunteers are soon flooding in. They begin the arduous process of training, but Shaw quickly realizes that racism isn’t reserved for the Confederate troops, and that it is very much present in the union ranks as well. He stands up for his men, earning their respect in the process. Once their training is complete, Shaw hopes to lead his men into battle, but the only assignments they get consist of hard manual labor. Finally, when they get a chance to fight, Shaw’s troops pull off an impressive victory. Then they are ordered to take part in the siege of the seemingly impenetrable Morris Island fort, the toughest challenge Shaw and his men have to face.
Joan Rivers still in coma
