Cold Mountain (Anthony Minghella, 2003): USA
Reviewed by Cody Pallotta. Viewed on DVD.
The Civil War period was arguably the most horrible in American history and Cold Mountain does a first rate job of portraying it. I went into this film thinking that above all it would focus on battles in the war. I was wrong. The movie has a deep focus on morality, romance, and perseverance in a time of pure atrocity.
The story revolves around Cold Mountain, a small picturesque town in the Blue Smokey Mountains of Confederate North Carolina. In the years preceding the war, a young woman named Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman) moves into town. Ada eventually falls in love, with future solider, Inman (Jude Law). As the war is about to begin, the two quickly share a passionate kiss, and then spend years waiting to be together again. After being critically injured in a brutal battle, Inman sets off to go back to Cold Mountain, a journey which proves to be almost impossible. The main threat being that confederate deserters and their supporters were hunted down and killed. The majority of the film follows Inman on his journey of love and devotion.
The scenery in the movie is quite breathtaking. The mountains look delicate and beautiful, a sharp contrast to the bloody chaotic battle at the beginning of the film. Although there is only one full scale battle shown, the movie is full of action. As Inman travels back home, he is constantly being pursued. This leads to a lot of excitement, which also leads to a lot of blood; one should not go into this movie feeling queasy. Even in the calmer scenes a chicken or goat is slaughtered.
The costumes and sets are elaborate and historical. One of the most convincing aspects of the film was the acting. Law and Kidman do an amazing job with difficult roles. The confederate troops looking for deserters are highly believable and invoke fear in the audience. I must say this film is near perfect and I recommend it to anyone interested in historical films or romances.
DVD Extras: Director/Editor Commentary audio track, making of cold mountain, live music performance (the score of the film), loads of deleted scenes, and some storyboard to film comparisons.
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