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Cold Mountain (2003) is an unusual war movie in that its focus is more on the innocent causalities of war than on the war itself. This civil war story is more about hope, home, love, and humanity amidst the selfishness, social havoc, and senseless violence of war. The cruelty of war takes the dramatic backdrop to the main character, a Confederate soldier named Inman (Jude Law) who is a wounded deserter trying to recapture his prewar emotional security by returning to his home and his only love, Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman). During Inman's terrifying journey home, he is met with a variety of brutalities that seem to only reinforce greater self-determination in his need to return home and rejoin his lover. In the meantime, Ada faces her own struggles in maintaining the farm following her father's death in war-torn North Carolina. The movie follows two almost distinct storylines around each character and though Nicole Kidman and Jude Law both give good performances that emotionally portrayed each character; I am saddened that their emotional connection is never adequately crystallized. On a psychological level, I think it seems a bit unreal for someone to wait for four years to be with another person they saw a few times and only kissed once. Despite the dramatic appeal of the main two actors, they are unable to convince the audience that they are truly in love. In fact, I found this short-lived courtship to be the most difficult part of this movie to digest. I blame this major shortcoming on the film Director, Anthony Minghella. With such movies as Play (2000), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), and The English Patient (1996), this director seems to lack a great deal of experience at developing believable chemistry, flame, and passion between two lovers who are powerful actors. On the other hand, Anthony Minghella's combat scenes are most realistic and he certainly captures the cold inhumanity and brutal terror of war. Nonetheless, this absence of a love-connection between the key characters suddenly becomes less important when Ruby Thewes (Renée Zellweger) enters the film and almost immediately restores interests and excitement with a stunning performance from which she gained an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Equally enjoyable are also the many Cameo performances by well known actors such as Giovanni Ribisi, Eileen Atkins, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Donald Sutherland, and Charlie Hunnam to name a few. Nicole Kidman is rather disappointing in her role as Ada Monroe though she gives a solid performance. This personal observation has nothing to do with her brilliance, abilities, or skills as an actress. Instead, I find her to lose believability in any period roles from the past or historical characters she plays as in The Portrait of a Lady (1996). Despite her beauty, solid acting, and femininity, her total appearance seems to only limit her talents to those performances depicting characters in modern or present times and this movie is no exception. In comparison, Renée Zellweger is very believable with "looks" that one might expect to find among women of the Civil War era. With that being said, I think this movie has three uniquely striking features. One striking effect which really caught my eye was how the first hour of the film was set in flashback. The dramatic change from violence in battle scenes to peace and tranquility back at Cold Mountain leaves the audience with an amazing effect. It is very much as if Inman is fighting at the same time he is reflecting on how life was before the war and each flashback seems to hold more regret in his military service than he ever dreamed possible. The second striking feature of this movie is the magnificent cinematography particularly the shots of the winter mountain scenery. While the title of the film is taken from the name of the village, it is appropriate in that much of the story is set in winter and the memorable cold scenes of the beautiful but bleak snowy landscapes appear to be the perfect symbol for one of the coldest, bleakest periods in American history. Finally, the soundtrack is striking. Although I am not necessarily a big Bluegrass fan, the music is subtly integrated into the storyline and truly complements a romantic mood characteristic to the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. In summary, this movie has all the right ingredients – a small town, a southern belle, a lover, a war, villains, and deceivers everywhere mixed together in a romantic tragedy. The DVD makes a great addition for any collector and contains a separate disc that has some interesting Special Features that only add to the enjoyment, including a segment called The Words and Music of Cold Mountain. Also, director Anthony Minghella is interviewed about bringing this film to life; eleven deleted scenes; and Jack White (who plays Georgia in the film) performs some of the lonesome bluegrass music heard in the film. email this review to a friend
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