"Cold Mountains", one of the best films of the year (it's a crime it wasn't nominated for Best Picture), is beautifully crafted, stirring, poetic tale of love, loss, and the will to survive. Directed and adapted to the screen by the wonderful Anthony Minghella and boasting a stunning cast of Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Jack White, Brendan Gleeson, and Donald Sutherland, this film is truly a force to be reckoned with."Cold Mountain" tells the story of Inman (Law), a carpenter working in Cold Mountain, North Carolina in 1861 when the alluring, elegant, and well-educated Ada (Kidman) and her father, Reverend Monroe (Sutherland), move to the Blue Mountains from the city. Inman and Ada, in true Hollywood fashion, are instantly taken by each other and engage in restrained flirtation, Ada's preacher father and their different social classes being the bulwark from romance. Soon the Civil War begins and the entire young male population of Cold Mountain departs in eager anticipation of glorious battle. Inman and Ada engage in one fleeting, hungry kiss before he rushes off to join the departing procession.
During battle, Inman is wounded and, after reading Ada's numerous earnest letters imploring him to return to her, deserts the Confederate army and embarks upon an Odyssey-like journey back home to his true love. Meanwhile, Ada's father has died, leaving her helpless and alone on their 300 acre farm. Soon Ruby (Zellweger) arrives and offers Ada her services in exchange for food and shelter. Realizing that she simply cannot manage on her own, Ada agrees. The rest of this spellbinding film flashes back and forth between Ada, being "all that keeps Inman from sliding into some dark place" and Inman, being Ada's "last thread of courage". Though these two souls barely know each other, they both remarkably become the single thing in each others world worth living for, worth fighting for.
When boiled down to it, "Cold Mountain" is simply a beautiful testament of the human soul's fierce will to survive and, as corny as it sounds, the power of love. If it weren't for their love, neither Ada nor Inman would have found the will and courage to survive after their lives had been shattered by the brutalities of war.
The seamlessly intertwined music plays such a large emotional role in this film. From Gabriel Yard's haunting score to Alison Krauss' tender songs, the music in this films helps to create an absorbing atmosphere that sucks you right into the Civil War. In addition, John Seale's breathtaking cinematography complete with sweeping views of the snow-encrusted Blue Mountains makes this a film you simply must see on the big screen.
This has been a very difficult review for me to write. Upon first seeing "Cold Mountain", I was pleased with the film, but definitely not as taken with it as I soon came to be. That all changed in the weeks following. I simply cannot get this film out of my head. The hope, the sacrifices, the pain, the loss, the love. It really sticks with you. It's hard to put my feelings into words and I sincerely hope that this review has given you the incentive to go see this film, and by doing so, embark upon an unforgettable journey.
The movie tells of Inman's journey back to Ada and the parrallel story of Ada trying to survive on her fathers farm. Both characters take a journey in spirit and determination to survive the horror that has become there existance during the war.
I loved the intertwining of music and drama in this movie. Anthony Mingella did, as expected, an excellent job etching the powerful feelings of hope and dismay with haunting music written by Sting and performed by the clear voice of blue grasses own Alison Krauss. I am from North Carolina am familiar with the native music of the area and thought the music in the movie very similar and so wonderful.
Although, this is a Love Story more than a movie of the American Civil War it stirred the feeling of my Southern Roots. The movie did not contemplate the reasons for the Civil War but it was a vehicle for ours lovers seperation. I found the depiction of the Petersburg battle flawed not entirely accurate to history but then again the war is not the focus in the movie.
I was in aw of the cinemontography of this movie, magnificent. A gorgeous movie that needs to be seen.
Perhaps I am biased, since I am a North Carolinian, but I thought this movie excellent, bittersweet, wonderfully acted, and crafted by the best in the movie business today. I would recommend this movie.
I was so touched by the Lovers' correspondence between each other the quiet love between two people spelled out in words. You hear Ada reading her letters to Inman on his journey back to her and your heart aches for the both of them......sigh.
girldiver:) "Cold Mountain," Anthony Minghella's film of Charles Frazier's novel, is a mournful, beautiful and occasionally profound film about the futility of war, the persistence of love and the desperate attempts of people to survive in wartime. The quiet, delicately nuanced performances of Jude Law and Nicole Kidman in the lead roles are deeply moving, and Renee Zellweger brings much-needed comic relief as Ruby, a plain-spoken farm worker. The film's episodic structure may distract some viewers, but the vignettes are extremely powerful per se, and they allow for some wonderful supporting performances--by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Eileen Atkins, Kathy Baker, Donald Sutherland, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Lucas Black, Brendan Gleeson, Ray Winstone, Jack White, Ethan Suplee and others--to be placed strategically in the movie like jewels in a crown. "Cold Mountain" makes the sad but undeniable point that at times of national tragedy, all the survivors can do is pick up the pieces, rebuild their lives as best they can, and find joy wherever they can. With fine performances, excellent music (by Sting, Jack White and others), and exquisite photography by John Seale, "Cold Mountain" lingers in our minds and hearts long after the closing credits roll.
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"Cold Mountain," directed by Anthony Minghella, stars Jude Law as Inman, a Confederate soldier during the U.S. Civil War, and Nicole Kidman as Ada, the minister's daughter he loves and longs for when he leaves to fight. Renee Zellweger costars as Ruby, a feisty farmhand who works with Ada on the homefront.This film is a period piece that has a true epic sweep, yet never loses an intimate connection with the main characters. The production design is full of fascinating and thoughtful details that make the film a joy to watch. But it's also often harrowing and graphically violent--Minghella does not flinch at exploring the injustice and brutality of humankind towards itself.
The performances are all superb. After having distinguished himself in a number of noteworthy supporting roles, Law really proves himself a great leading man here. Kidman brings both delicacy and steel to her role--a southern belle faced with daunting wartime challenges. Zellweger delivers a rich, earthy, zesty performance; she is a perfect foil for Kidman and their characters' relationship is one of the great highlights of the film. The three main actors are superbly supported by the rest of the cast.
"Cold Mountain" is often quite grim and brutal, but is leavened by earthy humor and irony. Ultimately I found the film to be life-affirming. It's a love story and a war story, but regardless of genre it's a superbly crafted and genuinely moving film.
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COLD MOUNTAIN by Charles Frazier is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. It is a heart-wrenching story about Inman, a soldier fighting for the South in the Civil War, his desertion from the war, and his subsequent journey home. But it is also about Ada, the spoiled and impractically raised preacher's daughter who is left to fend for herself after her father dies. It is touching to watch Ada grow before your eyes as she learns to work and take care of herself for the first time, and becomes selfsufficient. When I discovered they were making it into a movie, I was ecstatic. I recently saw it, and I give it 3 stars out of 4. It was a good movie, but not great-(let LOTR win this year!)First, I wanted to write this review because **I feel as though everyone is missing the point of the story somehow**. Some have stated they couldn't feel sympathy for Inman because his character was cold, and it glorified a deserter in some way. Others felt Ada's relationship with Inman was superficial and trite. It's very important to understand Inman's motivation for leaving the war in order to understand Inman as a person, and his relationship with Ada.
In my opinion, Inman is one of the bravest and most human characters any author has ever written. In the novel, Inman's inner turmoil is more evident than in the movie, so readers will find themselves better able to sympathize with him than viewers. Frazier's novel shows Inman is becoming dehumanized by his experiences in the war. He has seen too much. He has watched his friends murdered, he has taken lives with his own hands, he has done what he can to survive, and it is not honorable. It reminds me of the Wilfred Owen poem "Dulce Et Decorum Est" or Randall Jarrell's "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner", because those poems get across to readers there is nothing glorious about war. What the book gets across beautifully, and where the movie fell short, is the effects of war on the human soul. Inman's spirit is being BROKEN. There is a black place inside him he does not know if he can ever recover from. This is why he knows he must leave.
Inman doesn't know if he can ever recover from what he's been through. He has been irrevocably affected by what he's been through, this horrible tragedy that is war. He sees Ada as his salvation; she is the light at the end of his tunnel, the only possible chance for hope. Even in the novel, they didn't have much interaction before Inman left for war. It seemed as though there was much more left unsaid between them than was ever actually put into words. However, Ada and Inman saw something in each other that was enough to sustain them.
There were many good points about the film. Beautiful scenery and cinematography....fabulous costumes...rich characterization. The two main characters were well cast with wonderful chemistry. After thinking back on Kidman in "Far and Away", I knew she could pull off Ada's character, which is supposed to be cold and somewhat haughty. Jude Law is a perfect Inman. I especially enjoyed the moments between them when they said nothing, yet you KNEW some sort of understanding had passed between them. Their love scenes were passionate and tasteful. I loved Donald Sutherland as Ada's father. Kathy Baker captures the stoicism and stalwart nature of Ada's neighbor Sally Swanger. I loved Giovanni Ribisi as the money hungry Junior, and Natalie Portman will bring tears to a few eyes as the lonely young widow trying to survive a hard winter with her baby. Philip Seymour Hoffman is an excellent Veasey, a priest Inman meets on the journey to Cold Mountain. When Inman meets him, Veasey is attempting to dredge up the courage to kill his pregnant lover--whom he has drugged and stolen from her home in the middle of the night-so the townspeople won't realize what a lecher he is.
There was one thing that threw the movie off for me. Renee Zellweger plays Ruby, a strong young woman who comes to help Ada gain control over the house (she's being terrorized by a rooster when Ruby shows up). Ruby becomes Ada's teacher in all things pertaining to country life and running a farm. Zellweger did a nice job getting across the conflicted way Ruby felt in regards to her father, the fiddle playing Stobrod, who abandoned her repeatedly when she was a child. Their relationship was touching. But while Zellweger provided some much-needed comic relief, her acting was COMPLETELY OVER THE TOP. She did not so much "steal scenes" as she hurled herself into them and shoved everyone else out of the way. I did see a few reviewers (a precious few-most people seemed to think she was brilliant and deserves an Academy Award) who felt less would've been more. The movie is not meant to be hilarious, and her scenes felt too contrived--every time she came onto the screen, people would start to chuckle, knowing something "amusing" was going to happen. To me, she wasn't amusing so much as just overreaching her role. I was especially frustrated when she RUINED the moment at the end of the film when Inman is finally expressing his feelings for Ada.
One of the most touching aspects of the film is when you think about the spirit of the characters in it. No one was rich; they all struggled to make it through a horrible experience with few resources of their own. Yet they were still willing to give food off their own tables (and out of their children's mouths) in order to keep some stranger from going hungry. That kind of attitude and camaraderie was simply unforgettable. Go see the movie, but don't miss out on reading the book.
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