Although blood and gore are not my strong suit, Glory managed to hold my interest throughout its entirety. The main reason I was able to feel a connection was because of the character development. A feeling of attachment and investment started to come over me as I watched longer and longer. Not only hoping that the regiment would be successful for the sake of the film, but because I started to feel that they were worthy. The time period in America was not one which instill us with pride, however it happened regardless. And these people were forced to live in a such a backwards society. The most touching part of the film was the fact that these soldiers, and even the commander were willing to die for a country that hadn't treated them well. Simply for the hope of a better future. I think that this movie was designed to shed light on the importance of equality and freedom.
In my opinion, any person willing to lessen their lives for the bettering of another should be considered a hero. So, this includes all of the men and women who have sacrificed their safety since the dawn of time. However, I think the soldiers are more heroic than the commanders. Especially being the first African American regiment, they had to transgress the previous notion that we simply were not the same. They were the first to stand up to the harassment and ridicule, even from people on their own side. And stand face front of people with their barrels pointed forward who had a deep hatred just because of their skin color. Shaw gained my respect in the final scene when he steps from the safety of his horse and joins his men on the ground. I feel this was the last attempt of showing true equality and passion between people of two very different worlds.
The charge at Fort Wagner was my least favorite part of the movie. Not only because they people I had grown to love were defeated, but it signified the loss of the fighting cause. But, that point aside, I think the brave attack showed two things. One, the African American regiment had finally gained the respect of the fellow white Union soldiers. And two, they were more than capable of achieving greatness.
Goodday Adrian. Very interesting statement about character development. I never thought about it, but your absolutely right. I loved the character development with Denzel Washington's character. Also, very good point about someone being a hero. If they put others before themselves to this extend, they are definitely a hero. I have to disagree with you in your last paragraph however. I quite enjoyed the scene at Fort Wagner and showed all of their passion being put into a fight. Very nice analysis.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about watching the characters in the movie grow from untrained men into brave soldiers fighting for their country and their freedom. I also agree with what you said about the movie's purpose, because I don't think it was just meant to tell a story of the men in the 54th Massachusetts regiment, but one also to emphasize its overall themes, like what you said, equality and freedom. And I also wouldn't really consider Shaw a hero until the scene at Ft. Wagner in which he joined his men to fight, because that showed how truly dedicated he was to not only fighting the war but doing so beside the men he'd trained, and it showed how proud he was of them and how much he respected them.
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