Civil War Movie
The movie “Cold Mountain” is a 2003 war drama film directed by the British writer and director Anthony Minghella who adapted Charles Frazier’s novel and masterfully shot a movie in the best traditions of historical realism. Accompanied with the resourceful editor Walter Murch the director faced a challenge as the novel offered readers a seesaw between the present and the past and required flashbacks’ technique usage. The film stars Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Ruby Thewes, Renee Zellweger in lead roles as well as Natalie Portman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Melora Walters as supporting characters. Jude Law and Nicole Kidman are represented in the movie as would-be lovers who are dramatically separated by the cruelty of the American Civil War of Yankees and Confederates. The film offers a new perspective on the Confederate homefront during the Civil War and sheds light on unknown details of the war.
The movie opens in 1864 with a blood-shattering battle scene that contrasts with the beautiful scenery that we later see in the film, the picturesque views of the mountains and trees. The director manages to portray realistically both the peaceful scenery of nature and the violent “Battle of the Crater”. The battle ends with a victory of Confederates and Inman assists in pulling his fellow-soldier Oakley to the hospital. Though Inman is wounded, his great feelings to almost a stranger Ada Monroe give him comfort as he is read her numerous letter to the front. Ada promises to wait for Inman and keeps her promises. Even when everyone considers her expectations hopeless, Monroe does not give up. She believes that he will be back from war and they will reunite in grim times. Inman has to overcome all the hardships and go through many challenges, including fatal dangers, seduction and imprisonment. Inman, however, manages to escape with a wound and is fed by an old caring woman. At the same time Ada, a typical Southern city girl, has her own peaks to conquer as she moves to the rural farm Black Clove. Her careless past when she first arrived in Charleston with her father seems merely a dream for Ada. It is a place where she meets a shy Inman who can hardly string two words together. But they fall in love with each other, the two strangers who exchanged nothing but a farewell kiss before Inman left the city.
Ada is fated to meet a helper Ruby Thewes who is adept at all the rural tasks and they make friends despite numerous differences in their characters. Ada finds her skills useless in the grim times of the war, while Ruby on the contrary considers her skills more than helpful and feels confident. Much harm was done to the dwellers by the Home Guard who is supposed to seek deserters. Stobrod and Pangle are injured and Pangle dies. Finally Inman comes home, but there is no happy end as Ruby is wounded and Inman dies in Ada’s arms. Life still goes on and the viewers see Ada, Ruby and their families celebrating Easter. Ada’s transformation within the period is evident, she turns into a self-reliant woman who manages to withstand all the difficulties and comes to know what is worth living for. Though the main characters seem to live in parallel worlds so distanced from each other they are connected with invisible threads of their feelings. Though the film contains not many actual war scenes and deals with human relations more, it brilliantly portrays the situation in the country at the pre-war and war period. The inaccuracies of the film include love over-dramatizing and feelings idealizing, that makes the movie to slow and at times boring. Kidman’s staring is splendid despite of the shady perfect manicure of a starving lady. Moreover, Inman’s journey from Raleigh to Cold Mountain is also suspiciously true, as Inman needs to reach the Atlantic Ocean.
The movie “Cold Mountain” touches upon different social issues in the context of the war and was justly nominated for more than 70 awards. It contains wonderful scenery sketches and fantastic old-time soundtracks. The war drama is obviously worth watching.
