I was working in a movie theater when I first saw Glory. It’s one of the first films I can think of where because of work, I would watch it in parts, and it would be a number of weeks before I caught the entire film. By that time, I had favorite scenes and moments, mostly from the middle hour. I agreed with the problem of Matthew Broderick being too soft a center for every Oscar Worthy performances surrounding him. We’re not just talking about Washington, Freeman and Braugher, but the dozens of smaller roles that make just as much of an impact. Also, the white actors like Cary Elwes, Bob Gunton and Jay O. Sanders. Broderick was working hard just to keep up.
The standout scene that would be burned into me if I got to work on the film is the Campfire group prayer/song before the battle. Speeches were written and the night photography by Freddie Francis is beautiful, but there’s a documentary feel to the way everything flows naturally while the spiritual hymn play under everything. Emotions run high and you can understand how the spirit can move a group. The peak moment for me is when Morgan Freeman claps out his own harmony rhythm.
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