At the Movies in the Age of Coronavirus: Glory (1989)
Have some exctra time for classic movies? Here is one with a bit of Civil War history (to think of another time in which the nation was, so to say, “divided”).
Glory is a 1989 film starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, and Morgan Freeman. The screenplay was based on the personal letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. The film is about the first African American unit of the Union Army. The story is told from the point of view of Colonel Shaw, its white commanding officer. Shaw leads the first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.
Unlike some of the other films in the “At the Movies in the Age of Coronavirus” series, this is not a goofball comedy. But it is uplifting and inspirational. Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman are memorable as soldiers in Shaw’s company.
KJ