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The Glory Blu-ray brings home Edward Zwick’s Glory, the 1989 drama about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in the Civil War. Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman star, and Washington won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. In stock and dispatched within 2 business days. Add it to your cart today!
| Format | Blu-ray |
|---|---|
| Discs | 1 |
| Studio | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment |
| Released | June 2, 2009 |
| Run time | 2 hours and 2 minutes |
| Condition | Not specified |
| Availability | In stock |
The Glory Blu-ray presents Edward Zwick's 1989 Civil War drama about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the first Black regiments in the Union Army. Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman star, and the film won three Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Washington.
This is a Blu-ray disc, so you will need a Blu-ray player or a game console that plays Blu-ray discs. It will not play in a standard DVD-only player.
After being wounded at the Battle of Antietam, Robert Gould Shaw, played by Matthew Broderick, accepts command of the newly formed 54th Massachusetts. Cary Elwes plays his friend and second-in-command, Major Cabot Forbes.
The recruits include the defiant Private Trip, played by Denzel Washington, the steady John Rawlins, played by Morgan Freeman, who becomes sergeant major, and Thomas Searles, a bookish free man and friend of Shaw who is the regiment's first volunteer, played by Andre Braugher. The film follows the regiment from its formation through hard training and into combat. Along the way, the men learn they will be paid less than white soldiers, and Trip urges them to refuse their pay.
Kevin Jarre's screenplay draws on Shaw's personal letters, Lincoln Kirstein's book Lay This Laurel and Peter Burchard's One Gallant Rush.
At the Academy Awards, Glory won Best Supporting Actor for Denzel Washington, Best Cinematography for Freddie Francis and Best Sound. It was also nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing.
In 2025, the Library of Congress selected Glory for the National Film Registry as a culturally, historically or aesthetically significant film. The Glory movie made its Blu-ray debut on June 2, 2009, and high definition suits its battle scenes and James Horner's score, which features the Boys Choir of Harlem.
Pair the film with Ken Burns: The Civil War 25th Anniversary Edition, browse our full range of Blu-ray movies and TV, or explore more movies on disc. Choosing a format? Read our guide to DVD vs Blu-ray. For more history, see the Wikipedia article on Glory.
Glory Blu-ray: Questions Buyers Ask
Is Glory based on a true story?
Yes. It tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and its commander, Robert Gould Shaw.
Which Oscars did Glory win?
Best Supporting Actor for Denzel Washington, Best Cinematography and Best Sound.
Will it play in my DVD player?
No. It is a Blu-ray disc and needs a Blu-ray player or a console that plays Blu-ray.
The Glory Blu-ray is in stock and dispatched within 2 business days. Standard US shipping is $4.99, and orders over $50 ship free. Check our 30-day return policy, then add this Civil War classic to your cart today.
Standard shipping is $4.99. Orders over $50 ship free.
You can still order it. Delivery may take 2–4 weeks because the item needs to be sourced from the manufacturer.
This is the Blu-ray edition, 1 disc.
G.E.Goodwin, Jr. –
Originally posted on Amazon.com · not a MarioShroomed purchase
Their Glory Was Real!
This is a fine & true film, one of the best movies ever made about the Civil War and a timeless classic based on a true story. With much narration taken from the actual letters written by the 25 year old white Colonel in charge of this, the first, all-black Regiment recruited from run-away slaves and freedmen in Massachusetts, it is beautifully filmed (Oscar to Freddie Young) and told with great, direct, emotional-truth; a fine & astonishing first directorial effort from Ed Zwick.
All the performances in this superb ensemble cast are excellent. Denzel Washington won the supporting Oscar, but it could just as easily have gone to Morgan Freeman (is that man capable of a bad performance?). All the rest (Jimhi Kennedy, Cary Elwes, Andre Braugher)are fine as well.
The performance I think overlooked is Mathew Broderick as the young Robert Gould Shaw. A nuanced, sensitive and complex portrayal, Broderick captures the man’s fluctuations between doubt and confidence, fear & courage. His Shaw believes in the rightness of his cause, has seen (and been frightened by) the horrors of battle, is unsure of himself as a commander and leader. We watch him grow & learn. We see him come to understand these strange men (to his experience)he’s been chosen to lead and we see him learn to love them. One great scene of many is where he tears up the pay chit if his men won’t be paid fully (the moment he becomes THEIR Colonel). Another, the guilty looking down and away at Washington’s scars & subsequent flogging.
But, the scene indelible in my memory is Shaw on horseback, looking out to sea before the last battle, and the play of emotions over Broderick’s face. At that moment you know he is in love with life and you know that HE knows he is going to die in the battle. It is silent, bittersweet & utterly truthful about all young men facing death in battle. And finally, we see his acceptance & resolve to carry on, and the bond between him and his men is final. Courage.
The story of the 54th Massachusetts is inspiring. There is no better moment in film than when Denzel Washington picks up the dropped colors (which he had previously refused the honor of carrying) and charges forward. At that moment, the black troops of the 54th claimed THEIR right to their part of the American dream… One last footnote, the famous sculpture shown at the end of the film of Shaw & the 54th was not, as I mistakenly surmised, commissioned by his wealthy family. It was commissioned and paid for by veterans of the 54th. There truly must have been a bond of respect and love between Shaw and his men.
Mike Powers –
Originally posted on Amazon.com · not a MarioShroomed purchase
The Glory… and the Dream
“Glory” ranks on my list as one of the best Civil War films ever made! This cinematic masterpiece traces the founding and short-lived career of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first “all-black” volunteer regiment in the Union army. (By law, all officers had to be white.)
Matthew Broderick stars as the 54th Regiment’s commanding officer, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Already a grizzled veteran of the battle of Antietam at the tender age of 24, Shaw is offered command of the new all-volunteer regiment of black soldiers. He accepts the risky officer, enlists the aid of his friend, Cabot Forbes, and begins to recruit runaway slaves and northern “freemen” to join the regiment.
Much of the movie chronicles the 54th regiment’s struggle to become a credible fighting force. It’s a struggle made nearly impossible by the institutional ineptitude of the Union army and the racial bigotry of many of its officers. The newly recruited black soldiers want nothing more than to fight; the army brass sees them as nothing more than a political expedient and a laughable experiment, capable of nothing more than digging ditches and clearing forests. Against these odds, Shaw, with the help of Forbes and the irascible, bigoted Irishman, Sergeant Major Mulcahy, manages to turn his ragtag band of soldiers into a cohesive fighting unit. How the 54th Massachusettes Regiment fares in its first major engagement – the assault upon Battery Wagner in 1863 – forms the beautiful climactic event of this film.
Matthew Broderick moves away from his usual fluffy, comedic roles (i.e., Ferris Bueller,) and successfully proves himself a serious actor capable of bringing maturity and depth to his role as Colonel Shaw. Denzel Washington’s marvelous portrayal as the embittered, cynical runaway slave Trip earned him an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. Cary Elwes is less successful in his role as the irresponsible and sometimes insubordinate Major Cabot Forbes. His acting seemed a bit “over the top” at times. Excellent performances are also turned in by Morgan Freeman (Sergeant Major Rawlins), Andre Braugher (Thomas Searles), John Finn (Sergeant Major Mulcahy), and Jihmi Kennedy (Jupiter Sharts).
“Glory’s” cinematography is breathtaking throughout. The screenplay is powerfully lyrical in its beauty, and James Horner’s beautifully haunting musical score adds a tremendous depth of emotion to an already powerfully evocative film.
“Glory” is a sumptuously produced and well acted movie, a sure bet to please all fans of a good war movie. Highly recommended!!
Grafton Wisconsin reader –
Originally posted on Amazon.com · not a MarioShroomed purchase
“Glory” is a glorious film
“Glory” is a glorious film, telling the little-known story of one of the first all-black regiments in the Civil War and the regiment’s commanding officer, Col. Robert Gould Shaw. My husband went to high school with the film’s director, Ed Zwieck, just to add a personal note. The film is powerful and moving, giving us glimpses of various aspects of the racial issues that were at the heart of the Civil War. Over 200,000 freed men fought on the Union side, and their sacrifices helped to win the war. The film is great simply because it brings this story to the screen in the first place and then does it so well. The performances are first rate as are the music score and screenplay. One complaint I have about the film is that it sanitizes the horrors of battle. I’ve done some reading about the Civil War and the battles were horrific and savage, men butchering other men in hand to hand combat. Photographs of the real battlefields are beyond description. In some ways, the film would have seemed truer to me if it had been shot in sepia tone. We also don’t get a sense of the degree to which nature was as much a foe as the enemy fighters–the rain, cold, mud, disease-ridden forests and swamps, and the raging rivers. The film is just too “pretty” in a way for it’s subject matter. The other problem is that the director chose to present an idealized version of Robert Gould Shaw. While his parents were ardent abolitionists and friends of Frederick Douglass, Shaw was not himself much of an abolitionist. Perhaps he was too young to have fully formed mature values. He was, after all, only 25 years old. I believe his mother convinced him to take the commission. One wonders if he did so only out of a sense of filial duty, to gain a higher rank or for more complex motives–and if his values changed as time with the men progressed. His unquestionable bravery and valor were admirable and meritorious whatever his values may have been, yet I think it would have been a more interesting film if Shaw’s beliefs had been presented more honestly. Sadly, far too many Hollywoid films–which “Glory” is in the best sense–change true stories into feel-good narratives and turn human beings into flat, cardboard characters. Films at their best tell the truth about what it means to be human–and a human being.
Denzel Washington gives the best performance in the film, and Cary Elwes is very good as well. His character is much more fully rounded than what Matthew Broderick is given to work with. I found his performance to be rather wooden and emotionless.
Still, all in all, I give this film an A for effort. I am glad it was made and that it’s story was told. It helps to redeem part of our history for black and white alike.