Glory (Blu-ray)

Glory is one of those films that I consider a sentimental favourite. It doesn’t rank in the upper echelon of my all-time faves, but it’s a film that I like to revisit from time to time and enjoy thoroughly every time I watch it. Sure it treads perilously close to melodrama at times, aided and abetted by James Horner’s soaring score, but this is rare case where I allow myself to succumb to the emotional manipulations of the story, and it chokes me up every time. Highlighted by stellar performances from Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, exquisite cinematography, and the stirring story of the Civil War’s first all black regiment, Glory is essential viewing for any film lover.

I was really excited to discover that Glory was now available on Blu-ray and anxious about how great it might look and sound. Unfortunately, the news is not all good. The video transfer is generally quite good, but doesn’t come close to approaching the best the format has to offer. Bright scenes exhibit well saturated colour and fine detail. However, in many mid to lower lit sequences there is abundant grain, colours are sometimes washed out, and shadow detail is severely lacking. Fortunately, none of these issues infiltrate the climactic and spectacularly filmed assault on Ft. Wagner, much of which takes place at night, the action illuminated by flares and cannon fire.

The 5.1 HD Audio track is a similarly mixed bag. Glory is a surprisingly dialogue intensive war film, and the center channel track is much thinner and weaker than it should be. Things wake up a little as the mains and surrounds kick in, but the overall presentation lacks the clarity and separation that I’ve become accustomed to with BD’s. The three battle scenes are suitably cacophonic with immersive surround activity, though bass response is not nearly as solid or extended as I expected it to be, and that ranks as a real disappointment given all the cannon fire involved.

It’s easy to recommend Glory as a film, but much harder to recommend this Blu-ray release. It stands as a worthwhile upgrade for the dedicated fan, but not nearly as good as it could have been.