Pete Munro Movies
Glory is a celebration of a little-known act of mass courage during the Civil War. Simply put, the heroes involved have been ignored by history due to racism. Those heroes were the all-black members of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, headed by Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), the son of an influential abolitionist (played by an uncredited Jane Alexander). Despite the fact that the Civil War is ostensibly being fought on their behalf, the black soldiers are denied virtually every privilege and amenity that is matter of course for their white counterparts; as in armies past and future, they are given the most menial and demeaning of tasks. Still, none of the soldiers quit the regiment when given the chance. The unofficial leaders of the group are gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and fugitive slave Trip (Denzel Washington), respectively representing the brains and heart of the organization. The 54th acquit themselves valiantly at Fort Wagner, SC, charging a fortification manned by some 1,000 Confederates. Glory was based on Lincoln Kirstein's Lay This Laurel and Peter Burchard's One Gallant Rush; the latter book was founded on the letters of Col. Robert Gould Shaw, the real-life character played by Matthew Broderick. The film won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for co-star Denzel Washington, and additional statuettes for Best Cinematography (Freddie Francis) and Sound Recording. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, (more)
- 1987
- PG
Alan Rudolph directed this offbeat, boy-meets-girl romance in which boy dies, dead boy meets dead girl, dead boy loses dead girl, and dead boy tries to find dead girl again. The tale begins is a small Pennsylvania town, where Mike Shea (Timothy Hutton) dreams of escaping small town life and moving to California with his girlfriend Brenda (Mare Winningham). But Brenda leaves him with his motor running and Mike takes off alone. On the way, he rescues a woman and her children from an icy river but perishes himself. He finds himself in Heaven, where he is greeted by Aunt Lisa (Maureen Stapleton), who explains the rules and regulations. Once in the ethereal realm, Mike falls in love with a heavenly lass with flaxen locks named Annie (Kelly McGillis). But their love is torn asunder because Annie has not yet earned her wings on Earth; she must leave on a tour of duty and put in time inhabiting a human body. Mike is beside himself in despair, but the heavenly powers, in the form of Emmett (Debra Winger), chain-smoking and sporting an orange crewcut like a ghostly Laurie Anderson, offer him a deal. Mike can return to Earth, but only on the stipulation that neither he nor Annie will remember each other. They then have thirty years in which to find one another again. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Hutton, Kelly McGillis, (more)
- 1975
- PG
Writer/director Gy Waldron makes his feature film debut with the 1975 action comedy Moonrunners. Cousins Grady (James Mitchum) and Bobby Lee (Kiel Martin) run moonshine for their wise old Uncle Jessie (Arthur Hunnicutt). Lately, though, his fine quality liquor hasn't been moving that much. That's because boorish businessman Jake Rainey (George Ellis) has been trying to take over all the moonshine running in the area. He'll stop at nothing to shut down Uncle Jessie's little operation, including paying off the local law enforcement officers and recruiting speed driver Zeebo (Pete Munro). When Jake tries to buy out Uncle Jessie's stock, Grady and Bobby Lee plan a little operation of their own. Meanwhile, Grady carries on an affair with Jake's wife Reba (Joan Blackman) and Bobby Lee falls in love with blonde runaway Beth (Chris Forbes). Outlaw country singer Waylon Jennings narrates and composes the musical score. If this whole premise sounds familiar, it's because director Waldron was also the creator of the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. Based on this film, the show debuted four years later on CBS. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Mitchum, Kiel Martin, (more)
