Glory
by Edward Zwick
from Sony Pictures Home Ent
One of the very best films about the Civil War, this instant classic from 1989 is also one of the few films to depict the participation of African American soldiers in Civil War combat. Based in part on the books Lay This Laurel by Lincoln Kirstein and One Gallant Rush by Peter Burchard, the film also draws from the letters of Robert Gould Shaw (played by Matthew Broderick), the 25-year-old son of Boston abolitionists who volunteered to command the all-black 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Their training and battle experience leads them to their final assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina, where their heroic bravery turned bitter defeat into a symbolic victory that brought recognition to black soldiers and turned the tide of the war. With painstaking attention to historical detail and richness of character, the film boasts superior performances by Denzel Washington (who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, and Andre Braugher. Directed by Edward Zwick (co-creator of the TV series thirtysomething), this unforgettable drama is as important as Schindler's List in its treatment of a noble yet little-known episode of history. --Jeff Shannon
Story of the first Black regiment to fight in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 1-FEB-2005
Media Type: DVD
Forever Young
by Steve Miner
from Warner Home Video
A surprise sleeper hit when released in 1992, this romantic fantasy works as a comedic adventure and a gentle tearjerker thanks to Mel Gibson's appealing performance. He plays Daniel, a daring test pilot who is deeply distraught by the apparent death of his girlfriend, Helen, in 1939. Feeling little reason to live, he volunteers for a pioneering cryogenics experiment and is thawed out 50 years later by two young boys. They bring the confused pilot home to Nat's single mom, Claire (Jamie Lee Curtis). There's a hint of romance, but Daniel desperately needs to know if Helen really died in 1939, and he discovers that love has a way of surviving a half-century leap in time. The premise is hokey and certain plot details are conveniently ignored, but Gibson, Curtis, and Elijah Wood (as Nat) hold it together with irresistible charm and just the right balance of fantasy and drama. --Jeff Shannon
Just prior to World War II, a man believes his sweethear to have died in a car accident and so consents to be a human subject in a cryogenics experiment. He wakes up in the 90s baffled by the world as it has become, but finds that true love waits forever. Includes the original theatrical trailer.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG
Release Date: 14-SEP-2004
Media Type: DVD
Glory (Special Edition, Repackaged)
by Edward Zwick
from Sony Pictures
One of the very best films about the Civil War, this instant classic from 1989 is also one of the few films to depict the participation of African American soldiers in Civil War combat. Based in part on the books Lay This Laurel by Lincoln Kirstein and One Gallant Rush by Peter Burchard, the film also draws from the letters of Robert Gould Shaw (played by Matthew Broderick), the 25-year-old son of Boston abolitionists who volunteered to command the all-black 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Their training and battle experience leads them to their final assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina, where their heroic bravery turned bitter defeat into a symbolic victory that brought recognition to black soldiers and turned the tide of the war. With painstaking attention to historical detail and richness of character, the film boasts superior performances by Denzel Washington (who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, and Andre Braugher. Directed by Edward Zwick (cocreator of the TV series thirtysomething), this unforgettable drama is as important as Schindler's List in its treatment of a noble yet little-known episode of history. --Jeff Shannon
One of the very best films about the Civil War, this instant classic from 1989 is also one of the few films to depict the participation of African American soldiers in Civil War combat. Based in part on the books Lay This Laurel by Lincoln Kirstein and One Gallant Rush by Peter Burchard, the film also draws from the letters of Robert Gould Shaw (played by Matthew Broderick), the 25-year-old son of Boston abolitionists who volunteered to command the all-black 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Their training and battle experience leads them to their final assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina, where their heroic bravery turned bitter defeat into a symbolic victory that brought recognition to black soldiers and turned the tide of the war. With painstaking attention to historical detail and richness of character, the film boasts superior performances by Denzel Washington (who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, and Andre Braugher. Directed by Edward Zwick (co-creator of the TV series thirtysomething), this unforgettable drama is as important as Schindler's List in its treatment of a noble yet little-known episode of history. --Jeff Shannon
This powerful Civil War drama is the startlingly good impressive and long-overdue story about a little-known chapter in American history: the first black combat unit. Broderick heads a first-rate cast as the white commander of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment an all-black fighting unit comprised of enlisted men who were initially denied the basic rights of other soldiers; they were then forced to prove themselves in order to be treated equally. Freeman offers solid support as the company's wise sergeant and Oscar winner Washington is outstanding as a former slave. Based on the letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw whom Broderick portrays.Features:Audio commentary (Director Edward Zwick; Optional Commentary by Zwick on Deleted Scenes)Other (Additional Picture-in-Picture Commentary by Zwick; Production Notes; Talent Files)Documentaries ("Voices of Glory" Making of; "The TrueSystem Requirements:Run Time: 122 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 043396165731 Manufacturer No: 16573

