A True Classic

Rating: 10/10 (9 February 2004)

When I filled out my personal profile after registering for IMDb, there was a question that asked me for my favorite movie. I thought for a minute or two, and decided that it was indeed Glory. As I sit and wonder why I consider it my favorite, I realize a number of things that draws me to the movie. There's the actors-- Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, and Andre Braugher. All of their characters begin the movie with serious flaws, then evolve into admirable, if not exceptional human beings. Then there's the action, which is delicately balanced so that it neither inundates and desensitizes, nor comes across too weakly or diluted. In my opinion, few scenes in the myriad of war movies throughout time capture the power, brutality, and yes, the true glory of the assault on Fort Wagner. The closest comparison I can think of is the Normandy landing in Saving Private Ryan. Finally, there's an awful lot in the movie about tolerance, respect, and love for your fellow man, that should serve to show us Americans the way life is supposed to be. If certain movies, like classic books, were to be mandatory to the curriculum of high school students in the United States, this would certainly be one that I'd require.