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329:question:329--week_7_questions_comments-2024 [2024/10/10 04:33] – [How does this movie work as a secondary source? What does the movie get right about history?] 76.78.172.46 | 329:question:329--week_7_questions_comments-2024 [2024/10/10 16:42] (current) – 199.111.65.11 | ||
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With regards to historical accuracy, the film Glory is unusual in some of the decisions that were made. It seems that quite a few of the more extremely historically accurate bits and pieces are not of particularly excessive importance to the plot at large. The example that came to mind was the hyper-specific fact that in the movie, the soldiers of the 54th are armed with 1853 Enfield Rifles instead of Springfield Model 1861 rifles. This, according to the writings of 54th soldier Cpl. James H. Gooding, is accurate. Whilst this detail might be of some interest to massive Civil War nerds, it doesn’t really do much for the plot at large. Of course, some of the historically accurate pieces of the movie are important for the message the film is trying to convey. For instance, it is true that Colored soldiers were paid $3 less than their white counterparts, | With regards to historical accuracy, the film Glory is unusual in some of the decisions that were made. It seems that quite a few of the more extremely historically accurate bits and pieces are not of particularly excessive importance to the plot at large. The example that came to mind was the hyper-specific fact that in the movie, the soldiers of the 54th are armed with 1853 Enfield Rifles instead of Springfield Model 1861 rifles. This, according to the writings of 54th soldier Cpl. James H. Gooding, is accurate. Whilst this detail might be of some interest to massive Civil War nerds, it doesn’t really do much for the plot at large. Of course, some of the historically accurate pieces of the movie are important for the message the film is trying to convey. For instance, it is true that Colored soldiers were paid $3 less than their white counterparts, | ||
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+ | The film accurately shows the regiment’s formation, the leadership of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, and key events. It shows the discrimination faced by Black soldiers in the Union Army, However, the movie simplifies some historical complexities and uses fictional characters like to represent broader experiences. the film also focuses heavily on Shaw’s perspective which can overshadow the voices of the Black soldiers. Despite that, i think this film makes a great secondary source. | ||
This film does a decent job overall when it comes to historical accuracy. Early on, details like the discussion of Antietam as a “great and terrible day” accurately represent how bloody the victory was. The pay differential for black soldiers was also accounted for. The patronizing, | This film does a decent job overall when it comes to historical accuracy. Early on, details like the discussion of Antietam as a “great and terrible day” accurately represent how bloody the victory was. The pay differential for black soldiers was also accounted for. The patronizing, | ||
There was a fairly good amount of historical accuracy in Glory. Firstly, | There was a fairly good amount of historical accuracy in Glory. Firstly, | ||
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+ | The movie got a few things historically correct. The 54th Regiment of black soldiers was a real regiment. The movie also showed the doubt and hesitance of white soldiers to let black soldiers fight. I feel a lot of the movies we have watched in this class sweep racist under the rug, whether it be for plot purposes or the time when the movie was made not really perceiving racism, but this movie was able to highlight the injustices black soldiers faced. They were seen more as objects, being called “contraband” and were paid significantly less than the white soldiers. I think the film also showed the atrocity and bloodiness of the war. -Leah B. | ||
This film seeks to create a more nuanced depiction of war compared to the other films we have seen which addressed the topic, such as The Patriot and Gone With the Wind. In depicting the terrible brutality, difficult choices, and pride which war can bring, the film strives to create an atmosphere of authenticity within the film. A significant piece of creating that authenticity comes from the efforts the film made towards historical accuracy. For the most part, those efforts are successful and the film portrays the broad strokes of the events featuring the 54th regiment. Notably, the violence and hardship faced by the African American regiments at the hands of the white regiments was heavily emphasized. This is likely due to the fact that this historical detail helps to strengthen the narrative the film is trying to share about the hardship these soldiers faced and overcame. - Rickie | This film seeks to create a more nuanced depiction of war compared to the other films we have seen which addressed the topic, such as The Patriot and Gone With the Wind. In depicting the terrible brutality, difficult choices, and pride which war can bring, the film strives to create an atmosphere of authenticity within the film. A significant piece of creating that authenticity comes from the efforts the film made towards historical accuracy. For the most part, those efforts are successful and the film portrays the broad strokes of the events featuring the 54th regiment. Notably, the violence and hardship faced by the African American regiments at the hands of the white regiments was heavily emphasized. This is likely due to the fact that this historical detail helps to strengthen the narrative the film is trying to share about the hardship these soldiers faced and overcame. - Rickie | ||
Glory effectively portrays several historical aspects of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the first African American units in the Civil War. The film shows the formation of these regiments and the challenges Black soldiers faced in their quest to serve, highlighting their bravery and contributions despite significant racial prejudice. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw's leadership illustrates the dynamics between white officers and their Black troops, emphasizing his commitment to their cause. The depiction of the Battle of Fort Wagner is particularly notable, showcasing the soldiers' | Glory effectively portrays several historical aspects of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the first African American units in the Civil War. The film shows the formation of these regiments and the challenges Black soldiers faced in their quest to serve, highlighting their bravery and contributions despite significant racial prejudice. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw's leadership illustrates the dynamics between white officers and their Black troops, emphasizing his commitment to their cause. The depiction of the Battle of Fort Wagner is particularly notable, showcasing the soldiers' | ||
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+ | Glory is one of the more accurate films we’ve seen so far this semester. You can tell the filmmakers spent time going through Shaw's letters of his time leading the regiment. They also did a good job at portraying the unequal treatment and inequality many black soldiers faced. While some of that was dramatized, such as Montgomery’s harsh and racist ideology that seemed over dramatic compared to his real life counterpart, | ||
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+ | As others have said, this film depicts the frequent poor treatment of Black soldiers, but specifically, | ||
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+ | Although this movie used fictional characters, it did so not to take away from the film, but to add to it's messages. It also had many historically accurate parts, and so I think this movie is a good secondary source. -Kazu Ferris | ||
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====== Problems with historical accuracy? Errors in fact? ====== | ====== Problems with historical accuracy? Errors in fact? ====== | ||
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One particular historical inaccuracy with which I took excessive issue was the portrayal of Col. James Montgomery, commander of the all-Black 2nd South Carolina Volunteers. In the film, Montgomery is portrayed as a racist who formerly owned slaves, sees his Black soldiers as inhuman (even going so far as to summarily execute one and use racial slurs against the others), and serves as a lapdog to the also poorly-portrayed General Harker. The only reason that this was added in seems to be Col. Shaw’s documented discomfort and disapproval with Montgomery’s burning of Darien, GA, and perhaps to make the film more appealing to Southern audiences who may have still disapproved of the actions of men like Col. Montgomery and General Sherman, who fought a total war against slave-owning populations in the South. In reality, the reason for Montgomery’s willingness to torch a town full of Southerners stemmed from the fact that he was an unbelievably fanatical abolitionist for the vast majority of his life, following in the footsteps of men like John Brown, and perhaps even out-doing Col. Shaw himself in his devotion to the cause. He never owned slaves, saw his men as equals and heroes who had a right to destroy those who had oppressed them, and even went so far as to state to Col. Shaw that “We (all-Black Union regiments) are outlawed (by the Confederacy), | One particular historical inaccuracy with which I took excessive issue was the portrayal of Col. James Montgomery, commander of the all-Black 2nd South Carolina Volunteers. In the film, Montgomery is portrayed as a racist who formerly owned slaves, sees his Black soldiers as inhuman (even going so far as to summarily execute one and use racial slurs against the others), and serves as a lapdog to the also poorly-portrayed General Harker. The only reason that this was added in seems to be Col. Shaw’s documented discomfort and disapproval with Montgomery’s burning of Darien, GA, and perhaps to make the film more appealing to Southern audiences who may have still disapproved of the actions of men like Col. Montgomery and General Sherman, who fought a total war against slave-owning populations in the South. In reality, the reason for Montgomery’s willingness to torch a town full of Southerners stemmed from the fact that he was an unbelievably fanatical abolitionist for the vast majority of his life, following in the footsteps of men like John Brown, and perhaps even out-doing Col. Shaw himself in his devotion to the cause. He never owned slaves, saw his men as equals and heroes who had a right to destroy those who had oppressed them, and even went so far as to state to Col. Shaw that “We (all-Black Union regiments) are outlawed (by the Confederacy), | ||
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Glory’s depiction of the makeup of the 54th Massachusetts regiment as a majority of former slaves is inaccurate to the real makeup of the regiment. Colonel Shaw sought for the regiment to be elite, and so the vast majority of the unit were educated free men from the North. This goes against the depiction of the 54th as shown in the film, which centers on the regiment being formerly enslaved people, outside of Charles. This in of itself is not overly problematic, | Glory’s depiction of the makeup of the 54th Massachusetts regiment as a majority of former slaves is inaccurate to the real makeup of the regiment. Colonel Shaw sought for the regiment to be elite, and so the vast majority of the unit were educated free men from the North. This goes against the depiction of the 54th as shown in the film, which centers on the regiment being formerly enslaved people, outside of Charles. This in of itself is not overly problematic, | ||
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The film depicts the 54th Massachusetts Regiment as being comprised of former slaves. In actuality, a good majority of the regiment were freedmen that had already been living in the North. Notably, the sons of Frederick Douglass were a part of this regiment; the film fails to mention this fact however, which is surprising considering how significant a figure Douglass is. Additionally, | The film depicts the 54th Massachusetts Regiment as being comprised of former slaves. In actuality, a good majority of the regiment were freedmen that had already been living in the North. Notably, the sons of Frederick Douglass were a part of this regiment; the film fails to mention this fact however, which is surprising considering how significant a figure Douglass is. Additionally, | ||
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+ | While Glory is historically accurate in many areas, it does contain several inaccuracies and dramatizations. The portrayal of Colonel Shaw tends to present him as more progressive and sympathetic than some historical accounts suggest, simplifying his complex views of race. Additionally, | ||
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+ | The depiction of the Black soldiers' | ||
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+ | Despite my enjoyment of this movie, it’s not without its flaws. For one, the makeup of the regiment being comprised of former slaves is not true to reality. The 54th Regiment was an “elite” regiment of Massachusetts society and was mainly freedmen. I’m sure the filmmakers did this to educate the American public about how all black regiments “generally” worked (and to highlight the tension between certain characters, namely Trip and Thomas). However, it changed many of the interactions with the 54th and I wonder how it would have played out if it were changed to a more accurate representation. -Allie | ||
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+ | Glory did an amazing job of cementing the 54th regiment’s bravery into history, but it still had its inaccuracies. One of them that I noticed was in the movie they flogged Private Trip (Denzel Washington) for the reason of them thinking he deserted. This apparently had never happened in the 54th, and was only tried once by another colonel in a different regiment, which caused his regiment to mutiny. It didn’t make much sense to me for them to add that when it never happened, especially knowing what it meant to be whipped to the black soldiers. Furthermore, | ||
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+ | I think that the fictional characters added were obviously inaccurate, but I do not think that they took away from the film as much as it could have. -Kazu Ferris | ||
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====== How does this movie work as a primary source about the time in which it was made? ====== | ====== How does this movie work as a primary source about the time in which it was made? ====== | ||
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+ | The 1980s were a period of reflection on american history which marked by a wave of historical films that explored the nation' | ||
As we have learned from many of the movies that we have seen so far, the 1980s and 90s loved their historical movies – this week was no different. But, one of the things I noticed about Glory compared to some of the others like The Patriot or The Last of the Mohicans was it was VERY accurate. There were a couple small mistakes, but those mistakes really aren’t that noticeable or important to the plot. So I think as a primary source, this movie shows that people are starting to look for more accurate historical representations of the past – even with some difficult subjects. Not only did the movie do well but even before it was released it showed signs of this shift towards the truth – the cast is STACKED. Even actors were wanting to get onboard with this trend. --Emma F. | As we have learned from many of the movies that we have seen so far, the 1980s and 90s loved their historical movies – this week was no different. But, one of the things I noticed about Glory compared to some of the others like The Patriot or The Last of the Mohicans was it was VERY accurate. There were a couple small mistakes, but those mistakes really aren’t that noticeable or important to the plot. So I think as a primary source, this movie shows that people are starting to look for more accurate historical representations of the past – even with some difficult subjects. Not only did the movie do well but even before it was released it showed signs of this shift towards the truth – the cast is STACKED. Even actors were wanting to get onboard with this trend. --Emma F. | ||
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This movie was made around the same time as Last of the Mohicans, and Pocahontas - both of which came later. What surprises me about this is how wrong those movies were in comparison to Glory. Additionally, | This movie was made around the same time as Last of the Mohicans, and Pocahontas - both of which came later. What surprises me about this is how wrong those movies were in comparison to Glory. Additionally, | ||
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+ | Glory, made in 1989, reflects the social issues of its time, such as racial inequality and the renewed interest in diverse historical narratives. By focusing on African American soldiers and the complexities of racism within the Union, the film mirrors the late '80s cultural conversations about race and history in America.-Ryan K | ||
====== The "So What" Question ====== | ====== The "So What" Question ====== | ||
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While the film has its historical inaccuracies, | While the film has its historical inaccuracies, | ||
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+ | I believe this movie did a better job than most movies during this time period of highlighting african american’s effort in the Civil War. I also think it did a good job at showing the racism that they had to endure, like having to prove their abilities, putting up with racist comments, and being underpaid. This movie did very well for the time, making millions of dollars and winning awards, while also spreading a fairly accurate story of the 54th Regiment that probably isn’t taught about in primary school (at least I didn’t learn about it in primary school). | ||
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+ | This movie had a profound impact on the audience when it came out, and still impacts many decades later. Before Glory was made, I would bet most people believed that the war was won completely by white soldiers. Portraying the 54th regiment’s bravery in battle, especially in their attempt to take over Fort Wagner, proved to the audience how important this regiment was for the war. Sure, there was still 2 years worth of bloodshed after them, but it showed the audience why so many more black soldiers decided to enlist because of them. Even if they exaggerated some parts of this film, they didn’t take lightly the discrimination that these black soldiers had to face (manual labor, verbal or physical abuse, and unequal pay). Adding a big emphasis on that made their story resonate with audiences more, showing how resilient and brave these people really were. -Matt S. | ||
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+ | I think this movie is extremely important as far as historically based films go. It is fairly accurate, and while there are dramatizations and exaggerations of some characters' | ||
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+ | Glory changes how we see the Civil War by showing the North' | ||
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+ | Why do we care? | ||
+ | Like all historical movies, they matter because they are hugely influential in shaping people’s perceptions of historical events. While it’s probably not ideal to picture a famous abolitionist-turned-colonel as Ferris Bueller, this film did a wonderful job of depicting the broad ideas of the 54th Regiment in an entertaining, | ||
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329/question/329--week_7_questions_comments-2024.1728534837.txt.gz · Last modified: 2024/10/10 04:33 by 76.78.172.46