Product Description

Stirring Civil War drama recounts the inspiring true story of the Union's 54th Regiment, comprised of black soldiers who had to fight prejudice and neglect to win the chance to prove themselves in battle. Matthew Broderick, as the 54th's white commander, stars along with Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington, who earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. 122 min. Standard and Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital stereo Surround, French Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital stereo, Spanish Dolby Digital stereo, Portuguese Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English, Chinese, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai; audio commentary; theatrical trailers; featurettes; "making of" documentary. Two-disc set.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13348 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2001-01-30
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Georgian, Chinese, Thai
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .40 pounds
• Running time: 122 minutes

Amazon.com
One of the finest films ever made about the American Civil War, Glory also has the honor of being the first major Hollywood film to acknowledge the vital contribution of African American soldiers to the country's historic struggle. Based on the books Lay This Laurel, by Lincoln Kirstein, and One Gallant Rush, by Peter Burchard, and the wartime letters of Robert Gould Shaw, the film tells the story of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, an all-black unit comprising Northern freemen and escaped slaves. Under the command of Shaw (played by Matthew Broderick), the 54th served admirably in battle until they made their ultimate demonstration of bravery during the almost suicidal assault on the Confederate Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863. Glory achieves its powerful impact by meticulously setting up the terrible conditions under which these neglected soldiers fought, and by illuminating the tenacity of the human spirit from the oppression of slavery to the hard-won recognition of battlefield heroism. Although Denzel Washington deservedly won an Oscar for his supporting role as a runaway-slave-turned-soldier, Glory faced some tough competition at the 1989 Academy Awards (against popular hits like Driving Miss Daisy and Dead Poets Society) and was shut out of nearly all the major categories. Since then, it's been duly recognized by historians and critics as a classic film of its genre. --Jeff Shannon

Additional Features
Director Edward Zwick's commentary is informative and intelligent; and separate picture-in-picture commentaries by costars Matthew Broderick and Morgan Freeman are worthwhile, but segments of Zwick's commentary are needlessly repeated. The 12-minute "Voices of Glory" gives historical context to readings of actual letters from soldiers in the historic 54th Massachusetts Regiment, and a shorter promotional featurette offers behind-the-scenes clips and interviews. "The True Story of Glory Continues"--narrated by Morgan Freeman and directed by legendary Star Wars sound-effects wizard Ben Burtt--is an excellent 45-minute historical overview of the 54th Regiment's illustrious service before, during, and after the events depicted in Glory.--Jeff Shannon