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| Movie Review: Cold
Mountain Story: Writer and director Anthony
( I do great book adaptations) Minghella (The
English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley) delivers us a terrific
journey to Cold Mountain. The film is based on the best selling Odyssey
inspired novel by Charles Frazier (let it be known
that I could not slog my way through this book).
It is 1864, the brutal Civil War is winding down, and young Inman deserts
his platoon to go home to be with his love, Ada Monore, a young woman
he left three years before to go fight for the South. His journey home
is one half of the film. The other half is how young Ada copes with
life on the farm without help after her father dies.
Through flashes back and forth in time we get to see how they met and
fell in love. The film is mostly episodic and like a novel as we get
to meet fully realized characters along the way.
The production team deserves kudos for a visually stunning film with
some memorable imagery. The score is also worth mentioning as are the
costumes.
It is a bloody, brutal depiction of the waning days of the war and what
it has done to the people both left behind and those in the midst of
the fighting. It is a love story, a war story and a story of survival.
Acting: Terrific all around. Jude Law
is wonderful as young Inman. His part does not require much dialogue
but I found him believable and very good to look at. Nicole
Kidman was more than fine as Ada Monroe. The only flaw with
her role was that she always looked too well scrubbed. It was annoyingly
unbelievable. Renee Zellweger is one of those actresses
that I never think I am going to like but usually end of applauding.
This role was no exception. A fine supporting cast of names includes
the always amazing Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ray Winstone, Brendan
Gleeson, Natalie Portman, Kathy Baker, Giovanni Ribisi, Charlie Hunnam
and Eileen Atkins.
Predilection: Jude Law is very pleasant on the eye.
Critters: Livestock galore, including chickens, cows,
sheep, goats and then there are horses, crows and vultures. Some do
not fare too well, I am sad to say.
Food: Lots of stew and much of the above unnamed livestock.
Visual Art: The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.
The Translyvanian Alps of Romania was the location of choice as the
substitute for the Blue Ridge Mountains of the 1860s.
Blatant Product Placement: None.
Soundtrack: Perfectly haunting and melancholy.
Opening Titles: Type superimposed over slow moving
water.
Theater Audience: It was a preview screening audience
and was pretty crowded for a 9AM showing.
Sappy Factor: 2
Squirm Scale: 4 - War is hell and very squirmy for
humans and critters.
Predictability Level: High - even though I did not
finish the book.
Tissue Usage: I used just one but my movie buddy went
through a small pocket pack.
Oscar Worthy: Most likely it will get several nominations
especially for production.
Nit Picking: It was toooooooo long.
Big Screen or Rental: Big screen for sure. The impact
of the visual expansiveness would be lost on the small screen. For some
other films starring Jude Law try: Road to Perdition,
Artificial Intelligence: AI, Enemy at the Gates, Talented Mr. Ripley,
The Wisdom of Crocodiles, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Gattaca
and Wilde
Length: Two hours and thirty-five (extra) minutes -
at times it seemed as long as the Civil War itself.
LOBO HOWLS: 8
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