Search - Glory on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Watch With Your Teen, War Violence Movie Release: 1989 DVD Release: 01/30/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Korean, Spanish, Thai SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 2 hrs 2 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Historical Film, Historical Epic See Also: Glory, Glory [Special Edition], Glory [Blu-ray], Glory [UMD for PSP]

Glory is a celebration of a little-known act of mass courage during the Civil War. Simply put, the heroes involved have been ignored by history due to racism. Those heroes were the all-black members of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, headed by Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), the son of an influential abolitionist (played by an uncredited Jane Alexander). Despite the fact that the Civil War is ostensibly being fought on their behalf, the black soldiers are denied virtually every privilege and amenity that is matter of course for their white counterparts; as in armies past and future, they are given the most menial and demeaning of tasks. Still, none of the soldiers quit the regiment when given the chance. The unofficial leaders of the group are gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and fugitive slave Trip (Denzel Washington), respectively representing the brains and heart of the organization. The 54th acquit themselves valiantly at Fort Wagner, SC, charging a fortification manned by some 1,000 Confederates. Glory was based on Lincoln Kirstein's -Lay This Laurel and Peter Burchard's -One Gallant Rush; the latter book was founded on the letters of Col. Robert Gould Shaw, the real-life character played by Matthew Broderick. The film won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for co-star Denzel Washington, and additional statuettes for Best Cinematography (Freddie Francis) and Sound Recording. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Matthew Broderick - Col. Robert Gould Shaw
Denzel Washington - Trip
Morgan Freeman - John Rawlins
Cary Elwes - Cabot Forbes
Cliff De Young - Col. Montgomery
Andre Braugher - Searles

Long before there was Saving Private Ryan, Edward Zwick's Civil War-era drama brought the brutal reality of combat to the movie screen. Long a favorite of movie and history buffs alike, Glory has now been given a class-A update on DVD from Columbia TriStar. Unlike their 1997 DVD edition, this two-disc set is packed with extra footage and information. The DVD is technically solid as well. Disc one features a widescreen 1.85:1 presentation that is as sharp a picture as viewers are going to get. Unfortunately, it isn't crystal clear -- the smoke that fills the screen during many of the battle scenes makes things hazy at times; however, the other scenes are pleasant to look at, with greens and blues standing out strikingly. The sound is letter-perfect; presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, it brings everything from the roar of battle to James Horner's lilting score vibrantly to life. The many extra features are also excellent. The first disc offers an informative commentary track from Zwick. Also featured is a picture-in-picture commentary: during certain scenes, a video box pops up with either Zwick or stars Matthew Broderick and Morgan Freeman giving their takes on what is happening onscreen. If the reflection in Broderick's glasses is any indication, he and his colleagues are also watching the scene as it plays. Disc two is loaded with bonuses, including the full-screen version of the film, three featurettes, and a pair of deleted scenes with optional commentary by Zwick. In addition, there are the usual talent files and theatrical trailers. This DVD edition of Glory is one that can truly call itself definitive. ~ Jeremy Brown, All Movie Guide