Just before the outbreak of the Civil War, Ada Monroe (Nicole
Kidman) goes to live in the small North Carolina town of Cold Mountain with her
minister father (Donald Sutherland). Minister Monroe needs to move there for
health reasons; his doctors think the fresh mountain air will be good for him.
The town welcomes them by building a new chapel. During an inspection of the
chapel's construction, Ada catches the eye of Inman (Jude Law), a local who is
helping out on the building site. While it may not be love at first sight, there is
an attraction between them that grows stronger each time they meet. When the
Civil War erupts, Inman and Ada share a very brief moment of intimacy just before he
joins his regiment. She gives him a book with a photograph of her as something
to remember her by.
It is this book, with the unsmiling photo (or tintype, as they were known back
then) of a woman he barely knows, that keeps Inman sane throughout the horrors
of the Civil War, which reaches its zenith for him at the Siege Of Petersburg, when
the Union tries a direct assault on the town by tunneling and placing explosives
directly under the battlements. In the bloodbath that follows, the South holds
their position, but much of Inman's unit is lost during a night attack on Union
snipers hidden in a thicket of trees. Inman himself is badly wounded, and taken
to the hospital. For Ada, life on the home front is not much better. With her
father having passed away, and most of the men in town away fighting the war,
life in Cold Mountain is dominated by the Home Guard, a
collection of armed thugs who abuse their authority by bullying their neighbors.
Convalescing in the hospital, Inman receives a letter from Ada that pleads for
him to return home. And so he does; deserting the Confederate Army, Inman begins
a long and arduous journey back to Cold Mountain, evading the Home Guard, who
have standing orders to arrest any army deserters, and meeting up with varied
saints and sinners along the way. In the meantime, Ada receives some much-needed
help in the form of Ruby Thewes (spiritedly played by Renée Zellweger in a
well-earned Oscar-wining performance). Where Ada is knowledgeable in classical
education, Ruby's knowledge is more down to earth and practical. She teaches
Ada how to manage and work the farm, and both women become as close as sisters
in the process. Yet the local Home Guard commander, a bitter and cowardly man
named Teague (Ray Winstone), has set his sights on their farm, as well as on the
fair Ada herself.
Directed by Anthony Minghella and adapted from the novel by Charles Frazier,
Cold Mountain avoids becoming a soap opera by investing in its characters, and
focusing on how they solve their troubles in a very gritty manner. It easily holds your
interest during its entire two and a half hour running time. This is due largely
to the great performances of the fine cast: Kidman, Zellerger and Law are superb, as
are Natalie Portman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Brendan Gleeson (Gleeson, who
appeared in the horror film 28 Days Later, also shares the screen in Cold
Mountain with the star of that film). The two disc DVD set includes commentary by
writer/director Anthony Minghella and editor Walter Murch, "Climbing Cold
Mountain" an excellent 70-minute documentary on the making of the film, as well
as a shorter featurette named "A Journey to Cold Mountain". There are also 11
deleted scenes, and "Words & Music of Cold Mountain", a 90-minute Royce Hall
Special concert featuring the music from the film, readings from the book by the
actors, and an interview with director Minghella. "Scared Harp History" looks at
the musical influences of the film. And there are storyboard comparisons with
three scenes. --SF