wonderful film- a must-see

Rating: Null/10 (4 May 2001)

Let me start by saying the academy members should be ashamed of themselves. If you have read the other reviews of "Glory," you know there is a strong (and deserved) opinion that it got robbed at Oscar time for 1989, receiving (with the exception of Denzel's award) only various technical achievement nods. Director Ed Zwick, screenwriter Kevin Jarre, cinemetographer Freddie Francis, producer Freddie Fields, and the acting ensemble- Denzel, Matthew Broderick, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, and the underrated Andre Braugher and Jihmi Kennedy have created a spectacular film. To not consider it one of the best of that year (or the '80's in general) is sacrilege. This will continue to baffle me until the acadamy members decide to introduce a new award for "best overlooked film." This movie is absolutely stunning in every way, but what really did it for me was the personal involvement I felt with each (and I mean EACH) main character- a feat you cannot pull off unless certain aspects of the film (acting, screenwriting, cinematography, direction, musical score, etc) are exceptional. "Glory" deserved an award in each of these categories, and most important of all, the best picture category- which it was not even nominated for!! Considering the other nominees, it should have walked away with the statue. It was better than Dead Poet's Society, which received the best screenplay award for its poetic but pretentious script. Writing like that is entertaining to a fault- it just doesn't allow a realistic connection with the characters. It was WAY better than the overblown and confusing "Born on the Fourth of July," heartfelt as that film may have been. It was even better than that year's winner, "Driving Miss Daisy." Oh, well, at least Morgan Freeman got to play in that one too. If you are reading this, chances are you have already seen "Glory," but if not, it is well worth your time. Like other reviewers, I am swept away every single time I watch it. There are scenes in this film that are so gripping that you cannot help but cry (I love what a previous reviewer said about tearing up so much after showing it to his class that he had trouble reading the closing words.) I have shown it to at least three or four friends that did not think it would be worth viewing and ended up buying it afterward. Considering my friends' penchant for penny-pinching, that's saying a lot.
Some of the reviews I have read say that they had a problem with the story being shown more from the viewpoint of a white officer (Matthew Broderick in an underrated performance.) I never had any such complaint with the film, although I can see their point. But I would also like to suggest that this is justified by the fact that "Glory" would never have been made had it not been for the letters of that character, Colonel Shaw. In any event, I got the sense that his story served to help push the black soldiers' plight to the foreground more than it hindered it. It may have been the main story, but it wasn't the one I felt the most. Finally, on a side note, this is one of about four films that I have a special attraction to just because of James Horner's soundtrack- the others being "Searching for Bobby Fischer, "Apollo 13," and especially "Aliens." (And no, I did not leave "Titanic" out by accident- good music, but it just doesn't evoke the same feeling for me. Too commercialized, maybe?)