Cold Mountain Almost Lives Up to Extraordinary Hype

Minghella Gives One of the Year’s Best Films

 

 

Eight Golden Globe nominations were the worst thing which could have happened to Cold Mountain (CM) in the media blitz leading up to its release. While the relevance of the Golden Globes has (and always will be) debated, any movie which leads the field in nominations carries with it heavy expectations. As such, I expected CM to blow me away.

 

It didn't. In fact, there were moments during the first parts of the movie where I carried on a mental dialogue questioning the critics who placed the movie on its pedestal. As a fan of movies, rethinking this hype after seeing CM, I feel gypped. This was a very good movie, and only in light of those expectations does this movie deserve any criticism. So, here forward in this write-up I'll move past the hype, leaving here the fact that I don't feel this movie was as good as my elite movies of the year (Return of the King, Mystic River, and 21 Grams).

 

I do, however, feel it is right behind, making it an excellent movie in its own right.

 

What is it about?

 

CM is the love story of Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman) and Inman (Jude Law), brought together by Reverend Monroe's (Donald Sutherland) relocation from Charleston, North Carolina to CM (North Carolina) shortly before the dawn of the American Civil War. Though immediately attracted to each other, the courtship of Ada and Inman is hastily halted when the war erupts, forcing Inman to leave and fight the Union while Ada waits for him at CM.

 

Shortly after being wounded and hearing of Ada's desires for him to return home, Inman deserts and commences a long, Frodo-esque voyage back to Cold Mountain. Meanwhile, Ada struggles with the managing of her estate after her father's death, wary of the immerging, corrupt local ruling forces (men how, unable or unwilling to go to war, stay in Cold Mountain and consolidate power).

 

Amidst these and other obstacles, Inman and Ada struggle to reaffirm their hasty though passionate love. CM chronicles this struggle.

 

Why should you see it?

 

This is the best love-story of the year. There is no close second place. Do not be confused by the battle ground pictures and the war-torn settings: this is definitely a "chick-flick."

 

Director Anthony Minghella (The Talented Mr. Ripley, The English Patient) does an excellent job of intertwining the independent developments of the Inman and Ada storylines, along the way flashing back to how the two met and developed their love.

 

Minghella, in his script, includes many small storylines along Inman's travels that give the viewer great incite into the diversity of life in the post-War American south. Along the road south, Inman encounters a preacher (Philip Seymour Hoffman) trying to dispose of a slave girl who he has enpregnated, a young and lonely mother (Natalie Portman) whose husband (having never seen his son) died at Getttysburg, an enterpreneaur (Giovanni Ribisi) running a brothel as a means to catch deserting Confederates. In a small way, the structure reminds you of The Odyssey.

 

Law and Renee Zellweger give performances worthy of acclaim. Zellweger is a tad over-the-top at times as a vagabond farm-hand brought to Ada’s farm to help teach her the workings of an estate. But, playing off a miscast Kidman, her quasi-caricature arguably saves the "at home" storyline. Kidman doesn't play young enough to be a naive Southern belle. It would have been more interesting, if less commercially attractive, to cast Portman in the Ada role.

 

A small note for all us music fans: Jack White plays Georgia, a musician deserting the army who develops a connection with Zellweger's Ruby. He does a good job in his role.

 

And although I made light of the movie's eight Golden Globe nominations, I would not argue with nominations of Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay (among other awards) come Oscar time.

 

Why you wouldn't want to see it

 

If you don't like love stories you are probably going to become bored. The movie is two and a half hours long and, if you are not willing to invest in the emotional aspect of the story, the movie will be too drawn out for your tastes.

 

You also need to like Jude Law. He is the conscious of the movie. If you don't identify with his portrayal, you will not get everything you need out of his character to get through the movie.

 

Final Words

 

This is a movie that people are going to be able to argue as the best of the year. Unless you simply do not like love stories, CM will be rewarding. On my scale of 1 to 9, CM is an 8.

 

 

For more information on Cold Mountain, I recommend IMDB.com’s page:

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0159365/

 

Please email me or post to tell me what you think of this write-up/review and/or this movie. I’m hoping to spark a conversation as well as improve my writing skills.

Have you ever thought of becoming a movie critic :idea2:

Yes :) ... we'll see how that works out.

I loved this movie.

 

Jack White was great in it too.

got back from this 2 hrs ago

 

it's great!!

 

8/10 :cool:

"Do not be confused by the battle ground pictures and the war-torn settings"

 

This is what is making me be turned off by the movie.

I'm not a war buff

 

 

:army:

The movie spends very little time in a war setting. There are only two or three scenes devoted to battles, just enough to shape Jude Law's character. This is definitely not a war movie.

Good! :thumbsup: I thought not too much war.