The Patriot (movie)

GLORY

Edward Zwick 's 1989 film Glory is a vivid and inspiring depiction of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry , the first all-black regiment formed in response to abolitionists ' demands that African Americans be allowed to fight for the Union cause . Though the film ends somewhat tragically with the deaths on commanding officer Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (played by Matthew Broderick ) and numerous principal characters , it demonstrates to modern audiences how they earned whites ' respect and played a pivotal role in the conflict

The film covers the regiment 's history from its formation

in early 1863 , in the wake of the Emancipation Proclamation , to the disastrous assault on Fortress Wagner , South Carolina , a Confederate stronghold that Union forces never successfully conquered . It actually opens by showing its future commander , Shaw , wounded in action at Antietam in 1862 the nightmarish experience haunts him throughout the film . The son of a prominent Boston family and a fervent abolitionist , Shaw volunteers to command the newly formed all-black regiment , composed mainly of escaped slaves but also a few freeborn blacks , like his friend Thomas Searles (Andre Braugher . Taken seriously by virtually no high-ranking commanders except Shaw himself , the regiment 's recruits are largely illiterate , undisciplined , and apparently untrainable . In addition , Shaw has little help from his fellow officers , including his best friend Forbes (Cary Elwes , an unprofessional officer who , like Shaw , attained his rank through his family connections and privileged background

After being properly , if brutally , trained by a tough Irish drill sergeant (John Finn , the regiment is assigned to perform manual labor as was common in the Union Army . Shaw demands that his regiment see combat . It proves its fighting ability by first prevailing in a skirmish against Confederates in South Carolina , then by leading the charge against Fortress Wagner . The viewer learns that half the regiment was lost in the charge , along with Shaw and other officers though it won a victory of sorts by proving black troops ' courage in battle and inspiring the creation of other black regiments , ultimately putting 180 ,000 African Americans in uniform and helping win the war

The film does not romanticize battle , which in the Civil War was particularly brutal due to the outdated massed-charge tactics and advanced weaponry , particularly the lethal rifles and field artillery The film 's battle scenes do not spare the viewer glimpses of the war 's sheer carnage for example , Shaw watches a cannonball decapitate a fellow officer at Antietam , and then hears a wounded soldier scream in agony as doctors saw off his mangled leg . In addition , the bloodshed throughout the film 's battle scenes is abundant , and the viewer gets the sense that battle was disorienting , ugly , and brutal , with a great deal of hand-to-hand fighting

In addition , it does not gloss over the subject of racism demonstrating that it was by no means unique to Confederate troops . The regiment 's drill sergeant , an Irish immigrant , subjects them to torrents of verbal abuse indeed , Shaw and Forbes comment on the fact...