In 1989, Edward Zwick’s Glory revisited an often-forgotten notion of the American Civil War: the participation of thousands of black Americans in the army against the South.
Often forgotten in favor of the greatest world conflicts of the following century, the American Civil War is nevertheless one of the greatest American casualties of any war. In American popular culture, the Civil War represents that distant national myth, which still leaves its mark today, but whose history and accuracy are fading with time. While everyone knows what was at stake between the Northern and Southern armies, the involvement of African-Americans on the side of the Northern army is often forgotten or even omitted.
With the aim of shedding light on these men, Edward Zwick explores the fate of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment in Glory. With Matthew Broderick as Colonel Robert Shaw at the regiment’s head, Zwick incorporates a succession of talents in his battle-ready soldiers Trip (Denzel Washington), Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and Private Searles (Andre Braugher).
Choosing this angle to explore the Civil War is particularly interesting, as it represents the moment when a regiment composed of black Americans was still out of the question, while the political focus of the war was still Unification and not the fight against slavery. This places Zwick’s characters in a gray area, eager to fight against those who oppressed them, but forbidden to do so by the North’s position. It’s a frustration perfectly played by Denzel Washington, as the soldier Trip exudes a rage and bitterness that has been internalised over years of captivity, and which finds itself rejected towards the world around him. And it positions these men as being well aware that they are not the main issue for their “liberator”.
More broadly, Glory finds its strength in its cast and performances, which constantly fuel our interest in this regiment and what it goes through. Released in 1989, the film makes its allegiance to this decade felt with a highly visible narrative and rhythmic structure. Even to the point of leaning towards sentimentalism in certain scenes. But where Zwick comes into his own is in his battle sequences. The ’80s formula of narrative structure and characters like Robert Shaw’s screaming alongside the soldiers is an oft-used trait, but it still proves its effectiveness in 2024.
The director doesn’t fall so easily into the era’s staging conventions, opting for a fairly realistic approach to the battle scenes, which, because of their rarity throughout the film, are all the more impactful. We spend so much time with these soldiers, getting to know them and empathize with their cause, that seeing them fall in an assault raises the stakes to the highest level. Without going overboard with the exuberance, Zwick’s direction is well executed, and his editing is equally well-paced.
Historically speaking, Glory is obviously not without fault, and Zwick strays a little from reality for the melodramatic needs of his plot, such as the soldiers’ urgent need for shoes, Trip’s whipping in front of the regiment and Frederic Douglass’s far too aged portrayal[1]. But fundamentally, Glory is right in its choice of subject and the nuanced dialogue it establishes not only about black American soldiers, but also about the white generals who commanded them.
Although the film went on to win three Oscars for its cinematography by Freddie Francis, its music, as well as the first opportunity to reward Denzel Washington with an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Glory remains a success largely tinged with failure, grossing $27M against a hard-earned budget of $18M. But the film still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve to seduce 2024 audiences once again: its direction is as effective as ever, its actors as captivating from start to finish. But more than that, the film also bears witness to the fact that, compared with other conflicts, few filmmakers have dwelt on the Civil War, which makes Zwick’s film and its main theme all the more valuable and exciting to revisit.
[1] BRODE Douglas, The American Civil War on Film and TV: Blue and Gray in Black and White and Color, Lexington Books, 2017, pp. 10-11.
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