Cold Mountain (2003)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Anthony Minghella

Writers (WGA):

Charles Frazier (book)
Anthony Minghella (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 DECEMBER 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

Find your way home

Plot:

In the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier (Law) embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart (Kidman). Based on the novel by Charles Frazier.

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Civil War | Farm | American Civil War | North Carolina

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 13 wins & 61 nominations

Cast

Jude Law	...	Inman
Nicole Kidman	...	Ada Monroe
Renée Zellweger	...	Ruby Thewes
Eileen Atkins	...	Maddy
Brendan Gleeson	...	Stobrod Thewes
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Reverend Veasey
Natalie Portman	...	Sara
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Junior
Donald Sutherland	...	Reverend Monroe
Ray Winstone	...	Teague
Kathy Baker	...	Sally Swanger
James Gammon	...	Esco Swanger
Charlie Hunnam	...	Bosie
Jack White	...	Georgia
Ethan Suplee	...	Pangle

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

154 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #40383) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Australia:M (TV rating) | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Italy:T | Japan:R-15 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Carpathian Mountains, Romania

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

There is a real Cold Mountain in North Carolina, located within the Pisgah National Forest southwest of Asheville. However, there is not and has never been a town named after the mountain.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ada is leaving the cabin to go "look for some food", her hair is in two braids. When she comes back after shooting the turkey and finding Inman, her hair is in a ponytail.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ada: [voiceover] Dear Mr. Inman, I began by counting the days, then the months. I don't count on anything anymore except the hope that you will return, and the silent fear that in the years since we saw each other, this war, this awful war, will have changed us both beyond all reckoning.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Climbing 'Cold Mountain' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Scarlet Tide

This movie works, but it is no "Gone With The Wind"

This movie worked for me because I see this movie as an exact opposite of 'Gone With The Wind.' Farm owners instead of plantation owners. Scarlett fights and connives for what she wants; Ada gets depressed and turns inside herself until Ruby, (Renee Zellweger,) shows up to save the day. Sort of, in a round about way. Deserters instead of officers trying to get back to their families, the lists goes on and on. Even the love story was opposite. If this is what the producer and writers were trying to get across it succeeded with me.

There are only two things I didn't like about the movie, the rest I thought was well done and I liked it enough to recommend it to friends. First, I couldn't see the attraction between Inman, (Jude Law), and Ada, (Nicole Kidman,) as being strong enough for Inman to desert to get back to her. Inman said he only had written to her a few times where Ada wrote to him almost constantly. Second, something or someone getting killed or dying in almost every scene was a little much. I must say it was full of action because of that, but after about the second scene I knew something or someone was going to die in the next scene. I like to be surprised by the next scene, not know what is going to happen before it does.

I thought all the acting was very well done, with Zellweger the best. She deserved the credit she got for it. I thought she played the part of the hillbilly girl very well. She must have done her homework on the part. Zellweger even said in the movie that she was smarter than people thought she was. I think that was true. Law did well with his part with all he had to go through to get back to Kidman. It must have been a lot stronger love to go through all that than I thought it was. Now he showed a lot of emotion in his face during his trials. Kidman's part may have had something to do with the fact I chose her performance after the other two. Except when she was depressed she didn't show much emotion, I don't know if that is how the part was written or if that is how she perceived the part. She still did a good job, I just thought the other two were better.

I liked the scene with the Zellweger, Kidman and the rooster, even though it was one of those scenes I mentioned above. I thought the 'Home Guard' was exactly as they probably were back then. Even though we don't hear much about them they were a part of that time. I thought the scenery was beautiful. The movie had everything needed to be a good historical romance.