![]() We are to believe that she was willing to forgo the chance to meet another man while she waited for him. Yet we are to believe that they did nothing but think about each other for three years. Only in the final moment of their last pre-war scene do they openly express any emotion for one another. The characters share three or four brief scenes before Inman marches off. The problem is inherent to the story itself: Inman and Ada barely know each other before he goes to war. They create their characters just as fully as any of the supporting players do. Jude Law and Nicole Kidman are both very, very good in this film. The weak spot in Cold Mountain is the relationship between Ada and Inman. In Zellweger’s hands, Ruby becomes more than just comic relief, (although she certainly provides that) she becomes an important part of the story. She perfectly brings out Ruby’s no-nonsense style and penchant for cutting to the bottom line. ![]() ![]() In reality, Zellweger pulls it off masterfully, in a turn that could well earn her an Oscar nomination and perhaps even the award itself. The actress is so inherently cute and so modern that I wasn’t sure she could pull off a period piece such as this, especially since Ruby is the quintessential tomboy. I’m a huge fan of the actress, but I admittedly had some reservations about her in this role. My other favorite thing performance-wise is Renee Zellweger. It’s a treat to have so many rich supporting characters. That’s the way Cold Mountain is: a bunch of recognizable actors come in, do a brief stint as some fascinating person Inman or Ada meet, then wander off. Natalie Portman is in the film for perhaps only ten minutes, but the scene makes an impact. The poor woman misses her husband terribly and, in an act of loneliness, requests that Inman chastely share her bed so that she can remember what it felt like when her husband was there. For example, one of my favorite scenes is the one where Inman, looking for shelter, spends the night at the home of the war widow. Although the story is about Inman’s journey to get back to Ada, it is the concentration on the side characters that gives the movie its flavor. Frazier’s novel has provided many that are interesting, and Minghella has cast solid actors in every role, no matter how big or small. He is killing them for committing “treason.”Ĭold Mountain is a film about characters. A nasty guy named Teague (Ray Winstone) – who has aspirations of taking over the town – is leading a witch hunt against anyone who helps deserters. Together, they harbor a few deserters, including Ruby’s estranged father, a musician named Stobrod (Brendan Gleeson), which puts them in nearly as much danger as Inman is in. Ada and Ruby develop a strong friendship, and Ruby is able to help Ada learn to do things for herself. She receives help from Ruby (Renee Zellweger), a plucky little thing who tells it like it is and doesn’t take grief from anybody. When her father dies, she finds herself incapable of maintaining their massive estate. She does not know if Inman has received any of her letters, yet she continues to write them. He also meets a fascinating array of characters along the way, from a temptation-riddled priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) to a lonely war widow (Natalie Portman).Īda, meanwhile, struggles to hang on back in Cold Mountain. ![]() Inman finds himself in danger many times. His journey is treacherous, as deserters are being hunted down and killed. ![]() Once he recuperates sufficiently, Inman decides to desert the army and go home to the woman he barely knows, yet loves. In one of the letters, she begs him to simply pack up and return to her. Ada and Inman are immediately attracted to one another, but don’t openly express it until shortly afterward, when he is called off to battle.ĭuring his absence, Ada writes Inman letters expressing how much she misses him. The woman in the picture is Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman), who has just moved to the tiny town of Cold Mountain with her minister father (Donald Sutherland). When Inman is seriously injured during a surprise attack, he flashes back three years earlier, right before he left for war. Set in the final days of the Civil War, the film stars Jude Law as Inman, a soldier for the South who clings to a picture of a beautiful young woman. Again, he takes a literary work and turns it into first-class cinema. Minghella’s latest project is Cold Mountain, the film version of Charles Frazier’s award-winning novel. For his follow-up, he found both critical and popular success with his adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. He turned the allegedly unfilmable The English Patient into an Oscar-winning Best Picture. Director Anthony Minghella specializes in adapting complex novels for the big screen. ![]()
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