Glory (1989) is an epic Civil War drama, which tells the story of the first black fighting regiment in U.S history. The 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry was lead by Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) who was forced to combat not only his Confederate enemies in typical warfare, but also the struggles against prejudice and racism in many forms, from many people. Although the idea of a black regiment was widely scoffed at, the troops proved their discipline and courage on July 18th, 1863, when the 54th fought in the deadly assault against a Confederate fort in Charleston, South Carolina.
Several characters in this film could potentially be identified as heroic. Robert Gould Shaw is an obvious choice in his portrayal of a shy, stubborn hero who struggles to mold his men into a competent fighting unit while overcoming racial prejudice. Denzel Washington’s portrayal of Trip is indeed award worthy and the character becomes an unlikely hero in the end. And Andrew Braugher is extremely convincing as Thomas Searles, an educated and affluent black man who is shocked at the harsh reality of the seemingly endless pain and indignities of his once enthusiastic quest to become a soldier.
A hero may be defined as someone who is moral, respectable, noble, and sacrifices himself for the greater good. While all of the aforementioned characters may fit into that mold, in my eyes, a hero is someone who is not perfect, but makes the most out of the cards he was dealt. A hero realizes his mistakes and misjudgments, and perhaps, even his shortcomings in character. (more…)