GLORY 135
a fort considered impregnable. The only landward approach between salt marsh
and sea is a narrow defile provided by beach; any regiment spearheading the attack
is sure to suffer extreme casualties. Shaw volunteers to the 54th for that grim role.
En route to the battlefield, the 54th is encouraged and cheered on by their fellow
Union soldiers. The 54th forges ahead and suffers major casualties from enemy fire.
As night falls, ele ments of the 54th cross the fort’s water- filled moat under heavy
fire. Col. Shaw is then shot and killed as he leads an assault on the fort’s parapets.
Trip carries the flag himself and encourages his unit to press on. Despite several
bullet wounds, Trip raises the flag, struggling to hold it up until his last breath.
Forbes leads the unit and successfully breaches the fort’s defenses, but the men
are quickly outnumbered and overwhelmed. Charlie Morse is killed, and Thomas
is wounded. As the battle ends Forbes, Rawlins, Thomas, Jupiter, and the two color
sergeants are killed. The next morning, the beach is seen riddled with the bodies
of slain Union troops. The corpses are buried in a mass grave. The closing on-
screen text reads: “The 54th Mas sa chu setts lost over half its number in the assault
on Ft. Wagner. The supporting white brigades also suffered heavi ly before with-
drawing. The fort was never taken. As word of their bravery spread, Congress at
last authorized the raising of black troops throughout the union. Over 180,000
volunteered. President Lincoln credited these men with helping to turn the tide of
t he war.”
Reception
Released on 15 December 1989, Glory ran until 8 April 1990 (widest release 811
theaters). During its 17- week run, Glory managed to earn $26.8 million against a
production bud get of $18 million: a healthy profit. The movie also won numerous
honors, including three Acad emy Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Denzel
Washington, who was also awarded a Golden Globe); Best Cinematography (Fred-
die Francis), and Best Sound. Reviews were, likewise, mostly positive— though
there were exceptions. For example Desson Howe noted that the film’s “flaws are
many, should you look for them. Scriptwriter Jarre (whose previous credit is, uh,
Rambo: First Blood Part II) provides only a superficial sense of his characters’ dreams
(his script is made better by the performers); that liberal- hearted, misty- eyed gid-
diness (thanks chiefly to the gushy, rhapsodizing score by James Horner) frequently
gets way out of hand; and Broderick, as the Boston Brahmin who leads the 54th to
timeless glory, provides a certain, gee- willikers empathy, but he should prob ably
give Neil Simon a call and see what’s shaking. In this movie, he’s an amiable non-
presence, creating unintentionally the notion that the 54th earned their stripes
despite wimpy leadership” (Howe, 1990).
Reel History Versus Real History
While Glory was still in theaters, Pulitzer Prize– winning Civil War historian
James M. McPherson ( Battle Cry of Freedom) addressed questions concerning its his-
torical veracity (McPherson, 1990, pp. 22–27). McPherson noted that the movie
got “most of the details right” and when it did not, there was sometimes a valid
explanation. Other inaccuracies he deems “inexplicable”: