23-year-old Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is the son of wealthy Boston abolitionist family, who enlisted in the Union Army in the War between the States. He is bright-eyed and excited to fight on the side of justice, though not sure if he’ll ever actually be sent into combat. But that changes when he is sent to fight at the Battle of Antietam, and the horrors he witnesses there leave him a bit shell-shocked. However, when he is offered a promotion to Colonel and an appointment to be put in charge of the nation’s first colored regiment of soldiers, he jumps at the chance to command the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts.
This ragtag group of volunteer soldiers is the first of its kind, and is made of up Negroes eager to fight for their freedom and their country, despite threats made by the Confederate side. The first to volunteer for this new regiment is second-generation freed man Thomas Searles (Andre Braugher in his first film role), a well-spoken and well-educated young man who has been a longtime friend Shaw family. He’s more of the intellectual type rather than a fighter, which causes him to not really fit in with the other recruits. This is especially true of runaway slave Trip (Denzel Washington), who is filled with a lot of hate and resentment, and often refers to Thomas as “snowflake”. But helping to quell some of the disagreements among these new recruits is the wise, inspirational and more levelheaded John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman). Also part of this new regiment is sharpshooter Jupiter Sharts (Jihmi Kennedy).
Shaw is an idealist and believes he can turn these men into valuable soldiers. His methods may be a bit harsh, but he believes in treating the new recruits like he would any other soldier. Thomas initially has trouble with the new boundaries between solider and leader—he has always been more of friend and equal to Shaw and his family, and is not used to following a chain of command. Some of the others see these kind of orders to be all too reminiscent of a master/slave relationship. Shaw enlists the help of longtime friend Maj. Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes) to help lead the regiment, and tough Irish drill instructor Sgt. Maj. Mulcahy (John Finn) to help whip the soldiers into shape.
Even though it was the government’s idea to create this new colored regiment of soldiers, it often seems like it was done as more of a PR stunt that looks good on paper, rather than actually wanting to follow through wholeheartedly. The soldiers are not just facing prejudices from the Confederates, but from within their own Union Army. Not only are these men offered less pay than their white counterparts, but it also proves to be a struggle for Shaw to even get them basic equipment such as shoes and uniforms. And even after the soldiers are well-trained, ready and eager to go into battle, they are often just assigned manual labor jobs. It seems that the higher-ups have no intention of actually sending them into battle. These soldiers just want a chance to prove themselves and fight for their country and the freedoms they deserve, and Shaw is fully dedicated to his leadership, and is determined to make that happen.
Somehow I had never seen Glory before now, despite its stellar, recognizable cast. The film, which is directed by Edward Zwick (Thirtysomething, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai), is an interesting and exciting look into this part of our country’s history. It does an excellent job of transporting the viewer back to the American Civil War, and looking at this aspect of the battle and the challenges faced by these volunteer soldiers, and their dedicated leader. Here are people willing to put their lives on the line for a country that had largely forsaken them, hoping to obtain the same freedoms that everyone else has, and still find themselves treated unfairly. The film explores these themes of oppression and prejudice in a way that never feels preachy or heavy-handed. Rather, we see this story through the eyes of these various characters, each with a different perspective and motive. The film does a nice job of fleshing out these characters, and allowing each of them to grow and change over the course of the film. We see the idealistic leader Shaw who often sees his unwavering support of these soldiers questioned, even by his peers who still harbor their own prejudices. We see the more scholarly Black man struggling to fit in with his peers because he’s “too white”, while other soldiers like Trip are so filled with animosity and anger that they take it out not only on the folks trying to support them, but also on their fellow soldiers, often picking on them and belittling their own efforts. But trying to help find and maintain a balance is this wise older man, Hawkins.
Throughout the film there is this exploration of the unwavering bravery and spirit of these soldiers, despite how they are being treated, and how their efforts likely inspired others and helped to turn the tide of the war. The film finds this nice blend between the character drama and the ongoing battle action. It ultimately builds to the massive and exciting attack on Ft. Wagner that is not only a visual spectacle, but also serves an the emotional culmination for many of the characters.
Sony had previously released Glory on 4K disc in 2019, but for the film’s 35th anniversary, there is a new SteelBook re-release. The contents of the discs are the same as the 2019 30th Anniversary 4K release with one exception—the film is now offered with Dolby Vision color-grading in addition to the previous HDR10. The film can be quite hazy and grainy at times, particularly during some of the early battle sequences. However, much of the film looks fantastic, with a very clean and detailed picture, with just a natural level of film grain. The final battle scene of the movie looks gorgeous, with the orange glow of the cannon fire lighting up the soldiers’ bright blue uniforms, and the white clouds of smoke in the sky. Here is likely were that new Dolby Vision really shines. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is also quite impressive during the film’s battle sequences, putting the viewer right in the middle of the chaotic action, immersed in the sounds of cannons and rifles firing in every direction, and the screams of the soldiers. At the same time, the dialogue remains clear and easy to follow throughout.
This 35th Anniversary 4K release resides in beautiful new SteelBook packaging, which is wrapped with a J-card providing details about the film and the disc contents. The 4K and Blu-ray discs are placed on the right side of the case, while an insert provides instructions for redeeming a 4K Movies Anywhere digital copy of the film. All of the bonus material from Sony’s previous 4K release has been carried over. The 4K disc contains a picture-in-picture commentary and trailer, while the Blu-ray disc contains a director’s audio commentary, an interactive map, two deleted scenes with optional commentary, and over an hour of behind-the-scenes/documentary featurettes.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:02:14)
- 2160p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, Czech 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, German 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Hungarian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Polish 5.1 Dolby Digital VO, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Castilian) 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish (Latin American) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Arabic, Chinese Traditional, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American), Swedish, Thai, Turkish
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Spanish (Commentary), Portuguese, Portuguese (Commentary)
- 4K Digital Copy, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu
- Picture-in-Picture Video Commentary (2:02:14)
Director Edward Zwick, and stars Matthew Broderick & Morgan Freeman provide an interesting and informative commentary throughout the film. The commentary appears in a small boxes in either corner of the screen while the film plays full screen in HD. It constantly switches between videos of the various participants. Zwick’s portion of the commentary matches up with the feature-length audio commentary that appeared on the previous Blu-ray releases, but Broderick and Freeman can be seen/heard for the first time on the video commentary releases. The participants talk about the historical events and characters being portrayed in the film, and share interesting behind-the scenes stories about the production. Some of Zwick’s legacy audio commentary has been cut in order to make room for the actors’ comments, but that full commentary can still be found in audio form on the Blu-ray. - Glory Theatrical Trailer (1:29)
- Audio Commentary (2:02:14)
Director Edward Zwick’s full feature-length commentary track in audio-only format. - Virtual Civil War Battlefield
Interactive map that highlights some of the key engagements that marked turning points in the war. Read text descriptions of the events, check out photos, and watch interviews with historians. - The Voices of Glory (11:18)
Narrated 2000 documentary piece from about the Glory Regiment, their attack on Ft. Wagner, and their fight for equality and equal pay that followed. Includes dramatic readings of letters from the soldiers, and interviews with historian James O. Horton. Presented in 4:3 full frame format. - The True Story Continues (45:18)
Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this 1991 documentary piece looks into the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer regiment, what was going on at the time, and how these soldiers are still being honored today. Makes use of illustrations, photos, clips/deleted scenes from the film, reenactor footage, and more to complement the narration. Presented in 4:3 full frame format. - Original Theatrical Making-Of Featurette (7:36)
Vintage narrated EPK featurette from 1989 that includes clips, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director Edward Zwick, producer Freddie Fields, associate producer Ray Hrebeck, Jr., stunt coordinator Bob Minor, and stars Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman & Cary Elwes. Presented in 4:3 full frame format. - Deleted Scenes (5:39)
Collection of two deleted scenes with optional commentary from director Edward Zwick. Presented in 4:3 full frame format. Play All, or select from:- The Apple Picker (3:03)
Trip, anxious to get into battle, kills an enemy picket. - Crisis of Conscience (2:35)
Forbes breaks down while talking to Shaw.
- The Apple Picker (3:03)
- Previews
Trailers for The Da Vinci Code: Extended Cut, The Patriot/i>, Black Hawk Down, Air Force One, and The Legend of Zorro.
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4K UHD:
Blu-ray:
Digital (Limited time offer):
Extras:
There is no new bonus material produced for this release—the contents are identical to the previous 30th Anniversary 4K release.
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4K Disc:
Blu-ray Disc:
Final Thoughts:
Glory is a well-acted and often visually stunning film that transports the viewer back to the Civil War to explore the fascinating and inspirational story of what the soldiers of the first colored regiment of the Union Army, the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts, endured while fighting for their freedom and country. It features an amazing recognizable cast, excellent audio and video presentation, and a solid selection of bonus material. Besides the fancy SteelBook packaging, the only difference between this release and the previous 30th Anniversary 4K release is the addition of Dolby Vision color-grading. While this is certainly the version of the film to pick up if you don’t already own it, those who already purchased the 30th Anniversary 4K disc will need to decide if it’s worth the double-dip. Either way, the film is definitely recommended.
