Cold Mountain
Anthony Minghella’s extravagant Cold Mountain is a sweeping and quirky character-driven epic that covers events built around the backdrop of Civil War. It set several new precedents in film, too, including the use of a sub-$1000 editing tool from Apple (Final Cut Pro) that seemed to scoff at the notion that big budget editing tools were needed for “big budget” films.
Cold Mountain follows a few separate journeys with its meandering plot. Jude Law plays W.P. Inman, a Confederate soldier, who meets a beautiful woman named Ada, played by Nicole Kidman. The two fall in love in a rather short period of time and the relationship, only a few minutes old, is tested immediately as Inman heads off to war. After many battles and losses of life, Inman begins the struggle home from the war. He starts off on foot back to Cold Mountain where Ada is waiting.
Ada, meanwhile, is a city woman who had only moved to the country with her father. Her father subsequently dies and she is left on her own to manage this large farm. Ada enlists the aid of Ruby, played by Best Supporting Actress winner Renee Zellweger, to help her with the chores and life on the farm. Ada and Ruby end up having a variety of tense and difficult run-ins with a gang of men that round up deserters from the war. The film winds its way around in several directions and angles, showing the intensity and the confusion of this time in history.
Cold Mountain uses a quirky and intelligently witty script to bring the characters to life. It also uses an intricate combination of sweeping and gritty cinematography to draw the audience into the land and the events surrounding the Civil War. The battle scenes are intense, including a tremendously vivid recreation of the Battle of the Crater. As Inman wanders towards home, the stories and hearts of the people he meet are as varied and engaging as life itself. Back at home in Cold Mountain, the adventures of Ada and Ruby are equally compelling. The film demonstrates these moments of life by utilizing moods from the very comedic to the very emotionally intense.
Cameos abound in Cold Mountain, drawing on a stellar cast to bring much of the character of Civil War period North Carolina to life. Watch for Jack White of the White Stripes, Philip Seymour Hoffman as a conscience-challenged preacher, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi and more.
With all of these stellar performances, the gritty action from the frontlines of the Civil War, the colorful recreations of life in North Carolina and the witty comedic script, Cold Mountain is a quirky and intelligent film about war. It is often shockingly violent and often startlingly funny, all at once. It is truly a remarkably sweeping epic in the great tradition of Gone With the Wind and others. Cold Mountain is certainly not a film to be overlooked.
Trailer:
