Most Dramatic Sequences In The Film example essay topic

Glory: A Look From Within It is the evening before a powerful and epic battle with more than victory at stake. Tomorrow, the 54th regiment will forever stamp themselves as a symbol of hope and freedom in a new world during an attack on Fort Wagner as soldiers for the North. Dozens of men with young children, wives, and an idealistic dream of a free world will die in a matter of hours. As the Northern soldiers gather on this night before war, there are no tears of fear to be shed.

The din in the air is that of song and the feeling is that of an inspirational victory. On this night before their death, slaves turned soldiers have put aside their personal differences and become one; a metaphoric battle has been won. This is one of the final scenes from the movie Glory, a power depiction of the heroic efforts of the first African American regiment during the Civil War. The deep, multiple plot layers, and moving acting performances in Glory create a captivating viewing experience. The story leads up to the summer of 1863, during which the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment led an unsuccessful attack on the Confederate's Fort Wagner in South Carolina.

The 54th regiment was the Nation's first black regiment and because of their skill, courage, and determination, they were credited with paving the way for the successful entry of other black soldiers into the ranks of the Union. In addition, these brave men demonstrated that black men were willing to fight and die both for their country and for their freedom. The setting was primarily outdoors and on the battleground. There was some rain during training, but mostly the weather was mild in climate.

The setting also alluded to the camaraderie of the regiment, and what was most memorable was the manner in which the men, who were once divided, came together for the common goal and good of all men regardless of the color of their skin. Glory did not use make-up for the purpose of beautifying or improving the looks of the actors. Make-up was used to intensify the conditions and the severity of the wounds of soldiers who fought in the "Battle of the States". The make-up helped to illuminate the emotional intensity of the soldiers and their roles in the war. The composition of the wounds brought reality to the movie and the human aspects of the soldiers.

The make-up had a tremendous impact on how the viewer experience the conditions of the soldiers and what they went through to be a part to the war fighting effort. The film stopped short of depicting extreme, graphic violence and gore often see in war movies. This may served the Director's motivation to keep the focus on the human themes and not on the violence itself. The aspects of the make-up that are most visual and memorable are the wounds on the soldiers in the 54th. Some of the soldiers were seen with minor flesh wounds and others suffered from more life threatening wounds such as; loss of an arm or leg and even decapitation. There is also effective use of make-up prior to the battlefield scenes.

One of the most dramatic sequences in the film involves one of the soldiers deserting the regiment in what turned out to be a search for new shoes (which were not given to African American soldiers.) Before the soldier is very badly beaten by a belt upon capture, his shirt is lifted and the remnant of past beatings is revealed. This dramatic use of make-up creates an emotional reaction for the viewer. The overall visual impression of the lighting created a sense of reality and truth to the whole plot. The lighting came primarily from natural resources such as sunlight and campfires. The lighting gave true color to the actors's kin, make-up and costumes. The effective use of light made a historical event vibrant and realistic in the present time period for the viewer.

Most of the film was shot during gloomy, cloud-filled periods of time making it a cinematic challenge that was successfully met. With the exception of an early scene, in which a man gets his head blown off, the film stopped short of showing too much gore and only showed what was needed to convey the message. In every scene the uniforms were effectively displayed in terms of fit and color, and the historical details of the uniforms and equipment were almost exactly as they were in period of question a swell. Although costumes in the film were historically accurate, the battle scenes and treatment of African American soldiers and citizens were not fully exposed. Glory was light on violence and language to appear to a broader audience, retaining a rating to allow children to view the film. While it may not have depicted the Civil War to be as graphically accurate as history might reflect, Glory retains its power and significance.

While there is a heavy emphasis on plot and character development, Glory's thematic focus is on ideas. This is a film that uncovers various aspects of human nature, specifically, the struggle for human dignity and the intricacy of human, interpersonal relationships. In The Art of Watching Films, Joseph Boggs explains why the struggle for human dignity is a way of categorizing a film's central idea. "Many serious films portray a basic conflict or tension between two opposing sides of human nature. One is to wallow in the slime of human weakness, cowardice, brutality, and stupidity. The other is the struggle to stand erect, to display courage, intelligence, a spiritual and moral sense, and strong individualism".

Glory's writer is effective at building this external conflict by depicting the 54th regiment as disadvantaged, underdogs. There are two scenes in which Colonel Shaw pleads the high-ranking General Strong for food, shoes, and salary for his army unit, which helps to draw the audience into the moral conflict. Glory also tells the story of a man in a struggle against his own demons. Denzel Washington won an Oscar for his role as Private Trip, who is an angry, resentful young soldier who seems to be a bully among subtle men for most of the film.

Trip is cleverly paired in the same tent with three other soldiers: a stuttering, nervous sharp-shooter; an articulate soft-spoken man and friend of Colonel Shaw; and a runaway slave / preacher played by Morgan Freeman. Trip's quick fuse is lit throughout the film, persistent with his insults to the other men in the tent in hopes that he might draw their fists. As the Private Trips character develops throughout the film, it becomes clear that his aggressiveness is masking his own fear and insecurity. Trips struggle against personality flaws create an internal conflict key to the movies theme. Glory brings viewers into the emotion and intelligence of the Nation during the Civil War. Power acting performances by Denzel Washington, Matthew Broderick and Morgan Freeman help to fully expose the emotional and historical significance of this film.

When the film was made, it might have been considered a risk to cast Matthew Broderick as a valiant civil war leader. His past performances included childhood roles in movies such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, War Games, and Project X. In his first feature role as a serious actor, Broderick is believable and has just the right amount of emotion and dramatic resonance. Morgan Freeman is also well-cast as the patriarch of the group soldiers. His calm, yet powerful soliloquies of life as a hopeful slave painted many of the films non-battle scenes. Glory had all the elements of a great motion picture. There were moving performances by both lead and supporting actors.

There was great historical significance. The casting, setting, and writing were as close to perfection as I have seen in years. Most importantly, the depth of layers in Glory's plot left many layers of theme for the viewer to absorb. The conflict associated with the basic human struggles of the characters defined this movie for me. Private Trip said it best on the night before the final epic battle: "Ain't much matter what happens tomorrow, cause we men, ain't we? We men, ain't we?".