Cold Mountain (2003)

In the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart.

Director:

Anthony Minghella

Writers:

Charles Frazier (book), Anthony Minghella (screenplay)

Stars:

Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger

Won 1 Oscar. Another 17 wins & 63 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Inman, a wounded confederate soldier, is on a perilous journey home to his mountain community, hoping to reunite with his prewar sweetheart, Ada.

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Plot Keywords:

mountain | soldier | civil war | cold mountain north carolina | friendship | 

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Taglines:

Find the strength. Find the courage. No matter what it takes... find the way home.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [us] Official Facebook

Country:

USA UK Romania Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Regreso a Cold Mountain

Filming Locations:

Carpathian Mountains, Romania

Box Office

Budget:

$83,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$211,255 (Japan) (7 May 2004)

Gross:

$95,632,614 (USA) (25 June 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Mirage Enterprises, Bona Fide Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

154 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the scenes were shot in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, e.g. around the city Brasov or in the canyon of Zarnesti.

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Goofs

During the battle scene, it appears that some of the American flags being carried by the Union soldiers are the "50 star" type flags. The American flag with 50 stars was not used until at least 1960, after Hawaii was made a state.

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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.

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Connections

References The General (1926)

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Soundtracks

"Ruby with the Eyes That Sparkle"
Traditional
Arranged by Dirk Powell
Performed by Stuart Duncan, Dirk Powell, and Brendan Gleeson
Stuart Duncan and Dirk Powell appear courtesy of Rounder Records

User Reviews

Hope in Times of Despair

Anthony Minghela's (writer/director) Cold Mountain is a carefully constructed, sensitive, and intelligent drama set in the social context of the confederacy during the civil war. It deals with the politics of the war in a very subtle and realistic manner. While it accurately depicts the brutality and inhumanity of that war, it also does something that many films related to this period do not handle effectively - Cold Mountain studies the southern context from the inside out, and portrays changes among the non-slave owning common people wrought by the war. Almost uniquely, Cold Mountain does not over-generalize southerners, northerners or anybody else.

The film surfs through genres as needed - never presenting a dull moment. It is a romance, a war story, an action-adventure and historical fiction, all nicely woven into one.

The story centers on Inman (Jude Law) and Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman), who are smitten with each other for very simple reasons. As this young romance begins to bud, Inman enlists in the confederate army, taking with him a book Ada has given him and a photograph of her. Ada's character is one of the most brilliant aspects of the film, which is important because the audience experiences this film from a third person perspective, but the story is clearly hers from the beginning to the end. Ada is an intelligent southern belle and daughter of a liberal minister. She begins the film as a daddy's girl skilled in many of the arts that southern women who have been surrounded by servants most of their lives were expected to learn. In other words, as she admits to Ruby Thewes (Renee Zellweger), she is a master of everything useless.

Ada's father passes on, and she is left to manage his modest estate by herself. With no experience of this sort, she struggles, and survives by holding the memory of Inman close to her heart. Ruby enters the picture as a tough young woman who has been raised by a drunk and negligent father. Ruby has all the skills and abilities Ada lacks, and as they become inseparable business partners, they grow to love one another as best friends. Inman's experience is radically different, but something of a mirror image. During his participation in the war, he sees many friends killed for causes they don't really believe in, and decides to desert. Nobody he meets comes to his rescue as he begins the thousand mile walk back to Cold Mountain and Ada, and most of those he meets die.

The bulk of the film takes place during Inman's long walk, following both of the protagonists as they live, learn, grow and change. An on-going act of will borne of desperation preserves their intense passionate love. For Inman, it is his only source of hope in a world of pure desperation. For Ada, it is very much the same thing, but also a symbol and remnant of the old south - a world which is rapidly passing.

The cinematography is powerful and breathtaking. There are beautiful shots of Appalachian landscapes which give the film a strong sense of history. The script and editing are also extremely strong - emphasizing the broad class and educational differences reflected in the ante bellum southern dialects of the middle and lower classes. With the cast of this film, nothing short of perfection should be expected. And the cast, mostly, rises to the occasion. My one criticism, however, relates to the accents adopted by Kidman and Law's characters. An Australian and a Brit probably should not be expected to accurately reproduce southern American speech, but there are a few occasions where these two exceptionally gifted actors produce distracting vocal slips. I admit my oversensitivity to this, and can say with some confidence that it won't bother most people. Zellweger's performance is outstanding and she creates a character I will remember into my senescence.

Very highly recommended.