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.
In late 1950s New York, Tom Ripley, a young underachiever, is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf, a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy. But when the errand fails, Ripley takes extreme measures.
Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.
The story of how the novel "Mrs. Dalloway" affects three generations of women, all of whom, in one way or another, have had to deal with suicide in their lives.
Director:
Stephen Daldry
Stars:
Meryl Streep,
Nicole Kidman,
Julianne Moore
At the close of WWII, a young nurse tends to a badly-burned plane crash victim. His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair.
Director:
Anthony Minghella
Stars:
Ralph Fiennes,
Juliette Binoche,
Willem Dafoe
This Civil War saga addresses romance, friendship, and the ravages of war--both in the field and on the home front. Captures the horrors of war for both those fighting it, and for those left behind. This is a tale of hope, longing, redemption, second chances, and faith.Written by
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The Appalachian Mountains of the Eastern United States have no jagged peaks. The mountains shown are Romanian. See more »
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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There are so many good things to praise in COLD MOUNTAIN that it pains me to say that staying with it to the very end is sometimes difficult because it drags in spots and some of the story-telling techniques are awkwardly staged.
Nothing but kudos for the casting. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law are in top form--with Law hiding his good looks most of the time under beard, stubble or mud. Renee Zellweger makes us understand why she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as the tough but tender-hearted Ruby. Cinematography and background score are tops.
By the time the two lovers have been reunited for the finale, much has happened in the way of showing how war brutalizes men. Anthony Minghella doesn't flinch from showing the harsh realities of battle and then switching to scenes of pastoral splendor on the home front.
It's a film in which all the ingredients are put together with exceptional craftsmanship. So much so, that you wish the script had been a little stronger to make the two hours and thirty-four minutes more absorbing. Unfortunately, it tends to take too long to tell a tale that lacks the power of holding interest once it gets past the midway point.
Nevertheless, anyone interested in the Civil War period will find this a meticulous work as far as costumes, settings and use of folk music is concerned.
But be warned: This bittersweet romance at times is downright depressing and the gritty war scenes (and the brutality of certain Yankee soldiers) are about as graphic as such battle scenes usually get. The overall feeling is one of awe that so much has been accomplished and yet there is something unsatisfying about the tale itself.
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There are so many good things to praise in COLD MOUNTAIN that it pains me to say that staying with it to the very end is sometimes difficult because it drags in spots and some of the story-telling techniques are awkwardly staged.
Nothing but kudos for the casting. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law are in top form--with Law hiding his good looks most of the time under beard, stubble or mud. Renee Zellweger makes us understand why she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as the tough but tender-hearted Ruby. Cinematography and background score are tops.
By the time the two lovers have been reunited for the finale, much has happened in the way of showing how war brutalizes men. Anthony Minghella doesn't flinch from showing the harsh realities of battle and then switching to scenes of pastoral splendor on the home front.
It's a film in which all the ingredients are put together with exceptional craftsmanship. So much so, that you wish the script had been a little stronger to make the two hours and thirty-four minutes more absorbing. Unfortunately, it tends to take too long to tell a tale that lacks the power of holding interest once it gets past the midway point.
Nevertheless, anyone interested in the Civil War period will find this a meticulous work as far as costumes, settings and use of folk music is concerned.
But be warned: This bittersweet romance at times is downright depressing and the gritty war scenes (and the brutality of certain Yankee soldiers) are about as graphic as such battle scenes usually get. The overall feeling is one of awe that so much has been accomplished and yet there is something unsatisfying about the tale itself.