Cold Mountain
A Confederate soldier makes the arduous journey from the front lines of the Civil War to his home in Cold Mountain, N.C., where his lady love has been fighting battles of her own.
Story
Sometimes the oldest stories are the most beautiful ones, and that's certainly the case in Cold Mountain, a relatively straightforward film about a couple in love during the Civil War. Momentous in its scope and stirring in its intimacy, Cold Mountain powerfully weaves together the journeys of its two protagonists, Inman (Jude Law) and Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman), as they endure the hardships of war and await their reunion. Inman, a Confederate soldier wounded in the Battle of the Crater (one of the most powerful cinematic battle scenes in recent memory), realizes as he lies in the hospital that he's had enough of fighting, and he goes AWOL on a journey homeward that will take him through a series of trials not unlike those Odysseus faced in Homer's epic: He's tempted by sirens, tended to by a mountain healer/shepherdess, and betrayed by a mountain man he meets along the way. Through it all, his thoughts are never far from the faithful Penelope whose picture he keeps with him always--the woman he left behind at the farm on Cold Mountain, the beautiful Ada, a true Southern belle. Regrettably, Ada's schooling in the finer things in life has left her ill-prepared to care for the farm on her own as war rages across the country and the local militia, known as the Home Guard, wreaks havoc on the home front it's supposed to be protecting. Longing for Inman and weary of the struggle to survive, Ada welcomes the help of Ruby Thewes (Renee Zellweger), a spunky hellcat of a farm girl whose friendship and common sense spark Ada's transformation into a self-reliant woman.
Acting
Law's Inman, a man of few words, is a study in silent intensity--there's not a woman alive who would question why Ada loves him, despite his rough exterior and slightly odd ways. Kidman's Ada, too, has a quiet energy and a porcelain beauty that belies the tough stuff she eventually discovers under the ringlets and hoop skirts. Taken separately, each performance is flawless; together, the chemistry between Kidman and Law is breathtaking. There's no question the leads in this film deserve Academy Award nominations, but Renee Zellweger absolutely steals the show with her magical Ruby--she should without doubt walk away statue in hand. Every moment her feisty, loudmouthed character is on the screen is an absolute pleasure, whether she's sharing her homespun wisdom, threatening the Home Guard nasties or worrying about a cow's overfull udder. Philip Seymour Hoffman, who's regrettably not getting much Oscar buzz, also deserves a mention--he's a wicked hoot as Inman's traveling companion, the defrocked (literally) preacher Veasey--and Brendan Gleeson has a nice turn as Ruby's fiddle-playing roustabout father Stobrod. Look also for the elfin Jack White of the trendy White Stripes, who's featured prominently on the soundtrack, as another of the musicians.
Direction
Anthony Minghella has developed a reputation as a director and screenwriter who can take a gorgeous, literary book and make it an even better film. The trend started with his Oscar-winning 1996 version of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient, continued with a rendition of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1999 (which also featured Law and Hoffman), and culminates with this masterful adaptation of Charles Frazier's critically acclaimed Cold Mountain, which reunites Minghella with his production team from those films, including director of photography John Seale, costume designer Ann Roth and composer Gabriel Yared. From the opening battle scene--an expansive, gut wrenching, gorgeous piece of photography from Seale (The English Patient, Mr. Ripley)--to the final, snowy moments atop Cold Mountain, the story captivates, the characters seduce, and the vast, panoramic mountain landscapes (shot in Romania, South Carolina and Virginia) inspire. Roth's rich costumes lend even more depth to the visual display, and a fantastic score from Yared (produced by T-Bone Burnett, of O Brother, Where Art Thou? fame) perfectly punctuates the action. Listen, too, for Sting's moving song, ''You Will Be My Ain True Love,'' performed by Alison Krauss and Sting, as the end credits roll.
Bottom Line
A gorgeous, epic film whose characters, story and production are just about perfect in every way. Do not miss Cold Mountain.