(2003) 3.5 Dana Rowader Anthony Minghella's Cold Mountain is at once a beautifully shot, contemplative film about the Civil War South, and a messy, uneven narrative that fails to fully engage the viewer. Chief among the film's problems is its unbalanced mix of romance, war drama, road movie, and ensemble film elements. Considering the fact that this film is, at its heart, a romance, it is unfortunate that the leads lack chemistry. Although part of this may be due to the fact that both actors are playing very internalized characters -- Kidman a shy and unsure belle, and Law a thoughtful, yet introverted, man of few words -- they just do not stir up the requisite amount of passion when onscreen together for their love story to be compelling. There is also little foundation for their relationship in the story line since they barely interact with each other before their separation. Attempts to convey Ada's (Kidman) inner thoughts through voice-over readings of her love letters fall into melodrama, and Inman's (Law) repeated gazing at Ada's daguerreotype falls short of conveying more than escapist sentiments amidst his harsh surroundings. In fact, his decision to desert the Confederate Army seems to be grounded more in his own desire to get away from the bloodshed and death than in acquiescence to her call for his return. Thankfully, there is much more to both of their stories than their supposed love for each other. Though Ada and Inman maintain rather aloof personalities, even in their separate stories, they still have a multitude of other characters with which to interact. The film is bursting at the seams with colorful "country folk," disturbing opportunists, and sad souls -- many populated by recognizable character actors and minor stars. From the sinful Southern preacher played by the always-intriguing Philip Seymour Hoffman to the desperate, widowed young mother portrayed with ferocity by Natalie Portman, these characters are the lifeblood of the film. The larger supporting roles are taken by those in Ada's life, including a devastating turn by Kathy Baker as her neighbor and a moving turn by Donald Sutherland as Ada's wise father. Renée Zellweger's feisty performance as a down-home girl who helps Ada run her farm, becoming her closest friend in the process, may be considered by some as hamming it up or chewing the scenery; however, her character injects life into the film where it would otherwise have fallen horribly flat. The problem with all of these many performances is that they upstage the two leads. In this barrage of characters, even many cameo performers come across as full-blooded, three-dimensional personalities, while Ada and Inman seem more like blank slates. Helping out the film immensely is its wonderful musical score by Gabriel Yared and its many traditional country and folk tunes. The work of Alison Krauss, Jack White, and many other artists really brings the film to life, giving the Southern characters and environment a sense of authenticity throughout. Yared's score imbues the romance with a subtle, understated warmth that it could not have accomplished on its own and works beautifully with the sweeping, gorgeous cinematography. One should be warned that the film is very gruesome and brutal in parts, truly depicting the savagery of war and the anarchy that overran the South as the Civil War was being lost. This brutality, characterized at first on the actual battlefield, but also in many of the characters' heartless actions, threatens to overwhelm the love story and any hope the film seeks to offer. The movie seems to want its romance to be the unifying element, but the love story ends up feeling more like an ineffectual backdrop most of the time, not strong enough to balance out the disheartening elements of the film. Cold Mountain is really a beautifully crafted movie; it's just a shame that many of its disparate elements could not come together to create a cohesive cinematic experience.

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Cold Mountain (2003)

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Cold Mountain

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flags

Brief Nudity
Adult Situations
Not For Children
Sexual Situations
War Violence

genres

Romance
War

sub-genres

category

Feature

directed by

Anthony Minghella

countries

USA

release date

December 25, 2003 (USA)

run time

155 min.

produced by

Mirage Enterprises

released by

Miramax

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Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Nominated	Best Actor Jude Law	2003
Nominated	Best Cinematography John Seale	2003
Nominated	Best Editing Walter Murch	2003
Nominated	Best Score Gabriel Yared	2003
Nominated	Best Song T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, Sting	2003
Won	Best Supporting Actress Renée Zellweger	2003

American Society of Cinematographers

Nominated

Best Cinematography

2003

Chicago Film Critics Association

Nominated	Best Cinematography John Seale	2003
Nominated	Best Original Score Gabriel Yared	2003
Nominated	Best Supporting Actress Renée Zellweger	2003

Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Nominated	Best Director Anthony Minghella	2003
Nominated	Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama Jude Law	2003
Nominated	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama Nicole Kidman	2003
Won	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture Renée Zellweger	2003
Nominated	Best Picture - Drama	2003
Nominated	Best Score Gabriel Yared	2003
Nominated	Best Screenplay Anthony Minghella	2003
Nominated	Best Song Sting	2003

National Board of Review

Won	Best Adapted Screenplay Anthony Minghella	2003
Nominated	Best Picture	2003

Producers Guild of America

Nominated

Producer of the Year

Sydney Pollack, William Horberg, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa

2003

Screen Actors Guild

Won

Best Supporting Actress

Renée Zellweger

2003

Writers Guild of America

Nominated

Best Adapted Screenplay

Anthony Minghella

2003