Cold Mountain

A strongly acted and always interesting portrait of the hardships that came with the American Civil War, not only for soldiers but for those who did not fight too. The times are portrayed well, with sets and costumes that cannot be faulted. What can be flawed in the film however is the central romance, which is without much spark or realism. But all the action surrounding the romance is great, with some good-natured humorous touches, wonderful supporting characters and the perfect picture overall of life during the American Civil War. The cast is superb, with Zellweger in particular undergoing a superb transformation from her typical roles. The film is generally well written and well directed by Minghella, so that in spite of a lackluster romance, the film is still a captivating and entertaining watch.

Cold Mountain is directed by Anthony Minghella who also adapts to screenplay from Charles Frazier's novel of the same name. It stars Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Eileen Atkins, Kathy Baker, Brendan Gleeson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ray Winstone and Natalie Portman.Music is scored by Gabriel Yared and cinematography by John Seale. Plot finds Law as W.P. Inman, a wounded deserter from the Confederate army who is trying to make his way back to North Carolina to rekindle a fledgling romance with Ada Monroe (Kidman).

This is Minghella's world and the American Civil War movie gets a double shot in the arm as Cold Mountain not only deals in the home front, but also in the perilous life of the soldier. Add into the mix a fire cracker of an opening, a central romance and an array of expertly drawn characters, and it's safe to say that Minghella's film is not only epic in production, but also in story telling. In essence the film is about love, friendships and learning to cope under the most trying of circumstances, but the director doesn't paint it with a sentimental brush. As the three strands of the narrative play out, tone is often gritty, intense, sorrowful even, with Minghella cribbing from the Anthony Mann Western book by having the stunning landscapes form part of the characters emotional world.

Come back to me, come back to me…

Story is strong, even if the key romance is soft; since it's told mostly in flash backs, but those flash backs are threaded into the main seam of Ada's life on the home front and Inman's perilous odyssey. She, befriended by hard working, dirty handed, Ruby Thewes (Zellewegger excellent); who also provides the only moments of levity within, he, meeting up with a number of interesting characters, both good and bad. This of course makes the film episodic, but in this instance it's a good thing, mainly because characters are so utterly compelling. Hoffman as a less than honourable priest and Portman as a young woman out in a wood cabin, alone with her sick baby, they stand out. But there's also the Home Guard attached enforcers led by blood thirsty Teague (Winstone) and a potent thread involving Ruby's fiddle playing father, Stobrod (Gleeson as usual a considerable screen presence).

On the technical front it's hard to find fault, it's a tip top production. Romania's mountains, rolling hills and forests form the backdrop to most of the action, with John Seale's Academy Award nominated photography neatly passing for a rugged North Carolina. While the costumes, set design and Yared's score also add impetus to the feel of the time. There's some minor itches, such as fluctuating accents and the delicacy of the romance lacking the passion to drive such a journey by Inman on, but they are not flaws. Such is the strength of Minghella's story telling ability, Cold Mountain still comes out as great cinema. A film that can stay in your mind for days after viewing it. Bleak yet subtle, savage yet tender, a different sort of Civil war movie. Amen to that. 9/10

Anthony Minghella knew something of the Civil War in locating his story in North Carolina. Of all the states that seceded to form the Confederacy, North Carolina may have been the most reluctant. It's Governor Zebulon Vance who is mentioned in the story dragged his feet in giving help to the Confederate government and its citizens save for the east where the plantations were never really embraced the Southern cause. Jude Law's attitude about fighting for a rich man to own slaves was not at all uncommon in North Carolina.

Which after a well staged recreation of the siege at Petersburg which when the north blew up the Confederate defenses by tunneling under and mining them with explosives did not have the desired result, Law decides he's sick of war and just quits to go back to his sweetheart Nicole Kidman on Cold Mountain. In the meantime Nicole is having her own problems just keeping body, soul, and property together on the small family farm. So the film proceeds along two tracks of Law's journey and Kidman's problems.

The stronger track for me is clearly Kidman and her problems. Renee Zellweger won a Best Supporting Actress Award for playing a young white trash woman who Kidman takes on for just board and feed to help with the farm. Without her help the farm's survival would be problematic although she has to put up with some pithy observation as well. Zellweger invests this simple character with so many dimensions her performance even without the Oscar capping it is her personal best. Kidman while not to the plantation manor born being the daughter of minister Donald Sutherland also is not used to manual farm labor. She grows in character as the film progresses.

As for Law and Kidman as well he has to worry about the Home guard, a self appointed group of militia taking over because official government machinery has broken down. Probably before the war they were slave catchers, now they hunt deserters and those who aid and abet them. Giovanni Ribisi also scores well as a young man in the home guard who declined to serve at places like Petersburg. Ribisi is some piece of work.

Besides Zellweger's Oscar, Cold Mountain was deservedly nominated for a flock of other Oscars. It's a marvelous look at the decline of the Confederacy, a cause that simply would not die quietly. In its own way the survivors are invested with the same kind of nobility that the Gone With The Wind cast was.

Cold mountain is a film that addresses big issues like romance, friendship and the harsh effects of war. It shows these things in a very open and raw way. The film's best thing that it has going for it is the excellent performances by the A list cast. Nicole Kidman is an extremely talented actress and she turns in a great performance as Ada. Jude Law also stars as Ada's love interest, even though he rarely shares the screen with Kidman, the majority of the film focuses on them living apart longing to see one another again. And that journey to return to each other is really what makes the romance great here. We also have Renee Zellweger. This is the performance that earned her an academy award. Zellweger is wonderful here, she plays a very blunt, country girl that helps out Ada with the farm. The movie's best acted moments are by Zellweger. She truly makes the viewer feel the raw emotion in her performance. The script is very well written. I love how it isn't melodramatic but it still manages to create emotion. Seeing these characters and the tragic events they go through will make you care deeply for them. But it isn't just that they go through junk, it's how they survive and the connections they have in one another. That's really what Cold Mountain is all about. It's about connections with people and learning how to keep going. 8/10. I recommend this one!

There are so many good things to praise in COLD MOUNTAIN that it pains me to say that staying with it to the very end is sometimes difficult because it drags in spots and some of the story-telling techniques are awkwardly staged.

Nothing but kudos for the casting. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law are in top form--with Law hiding his good looks most of the time under beard, stubble or mud. Renee Zellweger makes us understand why she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as the tough but tender-hearted Ruby. Cinematography and background score are tops.

By the time the two lovers have been reunited for the finale, much has happened in the way of showing how war brutalizes men. Anthony Minghella doesn't flinch from showing the harsh realities of battle and then switching to scenes of pastoral splendor on the home front.

It's a film in which all the ingredients are put together with exceptional craftsmanship. So much so, that you wish the script had been a little stronger to make the two hours and thirty-four minutes more absorbing. Unfortunately, it tends to take too long to tell a tale that lacks the power of holding interest once it gets past the midway point.

Nevertheless, anyone interested in the Civil War period will find this a meticulous work as far as costumes, settings and use of folk music is concerned.

But be warned: This bittersweet romance at times is downright depressing and the gritty war scenes (and the brutality of certain Yankee soldiers) are about as graphic as such battle scenes usually get. The overall feeling is one of awe that so much has been accomplished and yet there is something unsatisfying about the tale itself.