One of the finest films ever made about the American Civil War, Glory tells the story of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, an all-black unit comprising Northern freemen and escaped slaves. Under the command of Robert Gould Shaw, who fought the prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates, the 54th served admirably in battle until they made their ultimate demonstration of bravery during the assault on the Confederate Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863.

Glory achieves its powerful impact by meticulously setting up the terrible conditions under which these neglected soldiers fought, and by illuminating the tenacity of the human spirit from the oppression of slavery to the hard-won recognition of battlefield heroism.