"Law conveys his character's romantic illusions and battlefield disillusionments very effectively, and Kidman makes us believe her character's initial awkwardness and gradual growth." William Arnold SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER "A successful adaptation." James Berardinelli REELVIEWS "A sublime story of brute living and ethereal yearning." Michael Booth DENVER POST "Cold Mountain wants desperately to be Gone with the Wind." Joshua Tyler FILM HOBBIT "A Civil War melodrama that never really has the emotional heft: the oomph, if you will; that audiences will expect." Jeff Vice DESERET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY

"At 154 minutes, Cold Mountain is long and seems long, at times inspired, at times merely dutiful. But in most of the important ways, it succeeds." Mick LaSalle, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "The big, glossy feel of a Hollywood epic that’s been worked up by experts." Peter Rainer, NEW YORK MAGAZINE "Is the equivalent of comfort food: old-fashioned, earthy, satisfying." Steven Rea PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "Blends every aspect of filmmaking: sets, costumes, camerawork, acting, lighting, writing, editing and technology; to tell mythic stories of love, death, courage, honor, loss and survival on the battlefield and the home front." Rex Reed NEW YORK OBSERVER "As they might have said in the old days, this sweeping historical romance is one heck of a classy picture which is both its great virtue and its limitation." A O Scott NEW YORK TIMES

At A Glance "Like many a good film "Cold Mountain" is certainly worth experiencing." That's the opening line in a verdict I recently gave when asked how good is "Cold Mountain"? From the hype surrounding the film and the gushing comments coming out of the USA you'd think "Cold Mountain" and Nicole Kidman are the hotest tips going, a shoe-in for this years Academy Awards. The truth is, outside of Jude Law all the interest in "Cold Mountain" comes from it's rich images, it's recreation of the harrowing seige of Petersburg during the Civil War and from a wealth of talent shining brightly from those so-salled 'supporting' actors. Believe me, I'd go see "Cold Mountain" not for the woeful performances of Nicole Kidman [who fails to master that 'suth-urn' accent] and Renée Zellweger [looking remarkably like a thinner version of Magda Szubanski, aka the dog lady in "The Crocodile Hunter] but rather for the performances of Ray Winstone, Brendan Gleeson, the chilling Charlie Hunnam [hard to believe he was that sweet kid "Nicholas Nickleby"] and even though it is brief, the passionate, poignant, indelible performance, that truly does tear your guts out, from Natalie Portman. Add to that Giovanni Ribisi, Eileen Atkins and Philip Seymour Hoffman. No the strength of "Cold Mountain", when it comes to it's characters, is in it's supporting cast. Recreated from the Charles Frazier 1997 National Book Award-winning debut novel "Cold Mountain", the film tells the tale of a confederate soldier named Inman whose only hope, in the midst of a bloody war, was his undying love for a preachers daughter. His journey from a hospital to home was in fact inspired by one of the many stories Frazier heard while growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. In fact the lead character of Inman is named after his Great, Great Uncle W P Inman, a confederate soldier who really did leave a hospital in Virginia and walked 300 miles home during the Civil War. Director Anthony Minghella read the book and says "I don’t necessarily have an interest in war stories. But I quickly realized it’s about so much more. I understood I was in territory that was very compelling, and utterly fresh." Minghella was quick to see the book could become an epic motion picture. "The book itself makes an irresistible case for adaptation to the screen," he said. "It has an honorable hero, a journey, a purpose, a series of obstacles, a woman waiting with forbearance, and Cold Mountain itself, which stands in for a time and way of life that have been lost. At its heart the book has an intriguing, enduring question: Is it better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all?". Minghella then set about writing the screenplay. It was a job many thought formidable indeed. Anthony had previously undertaken "The English Patient" by Michael Ondaatje, a task many thought was impossible. Once again he would prove he could succeed. Famed producer Sydney Pollack was most impresed. "Anthony was able to make his adaptation completely his own without ever violating the author’s intent," he said. "In a way, he re-imagined and re-dreamt the whole world of the novel in his screenplay. It has everything that both Anthony and I treasure: it’s a love story but it’s also an odyssey that tests its main characters in every possible way." But the icing on the cake was when author Charles Frazier gave the script the big thumbs up. A big highlight for those who take in "Cold Mountain" will surely be those opening scenes which recreate the seige of Petersburg and the infamous 'Battle Of The Crater'. This re-enactment of a real-life incident from the Civil War truly sets the scene for the harrowing brutality that faced soldiers from both the Union and Conferderate forces. History shows that this clandestine operation by Union soldiers was meant to end the war, alas for both sides it prolonged the carnage for nearly another year. In the end this war, in which 3 million americans fought, would cost 620,000 lives. In May 1861, North Carolina became the last state to join the Confederate States in their battle to preserve their constitutional rights. It cost the state dearly with some 40,000 citizens giving their lives to the fight. For many of those left behind, life became a living hell as "soldiers, guerrillas and thieves terrorized the women and children left behind, raiding and taking whatever they could find from already failing farms". As the war dragged on "many soldier such as Inman, reached a point where they chose to risk death and desert the army. North Carolina had the highest desertion rate in the Confederacy. It was not at all rare for soldiers to try to make their way home across the miles, dodging Home Guard units, as Inman does" in "Cold Mountain". It is this dual focus, the soldiers battle to survive being caught, shot, hanged or even worse, forced to returned to the fighting while revealing the plight of those left at home. It lays bare the horror those broken spirited men [who just wanted to get away from the carnage, the futility of the war] faced in the long journey to once again be with their loved-ones. At the same time it reveals the terrible hardship those left behind faced. The defenceless women, the failing farms, disease, starvation and the inhumanity inflicted upon many of them by the own kind. This is what truly drives "Cold Mountain". Casting About Cold mountain was directed by Anthony Minghella ["Truly Madly Deeply", "The English Patient", "The Talented Mr Ripley" and "Play"], the Producers include Sydney Pollack ["Tootsie", "The Firm", "Sliding Doors", "The Talented Mr. Ripley"], the Executive Producers include Bob Weinstein ["Pulp Fiction", "The Crossing Guard", "The English Patient", "Good Will Hunting" and "The Others"] and Bob Osher ["Bounce", "Serendipity"and "On The Line"], while the magnificent cinematography is the work John Seale ["BMX Bandits", "Witness", "Rain Man", "Dead Poet's Society" and "The Talented Mr Ripley"]
Cold Mountain stars Jude Law ["Gattaca", "The Talented Mr. Ripley", "Enemy At The Gates" and "Road to Perdition"], Nicole Kidman ["Dead Calm", "BMX Bandits", "The Others", "The Hours" and "Moulin Rouge"], Brendan Gleeson ["Braveheart", "Tailor of Panama", "Gangs Of New York" and "28 Days Later "], Renée Zellweger ["Dazed and Confused", "Reality Bites", "White Oleander" and "Down With Love"], Donald Sutherland ["Ordinary People", "Six Degrees of Separation", "Space Cowboys" and "The Italian Job"], Natalie Portman [Star Wars: Episode I", "Star Wars: Episode II", "The Seagull" and "Where the Heart Is"], Philip Seymour Hoffman ["State & Main", "Almost Famous", "The Talented Mr Ripley" and "The 25th Hour"], Giovanni Ribisi ["Saving Private Ryan", "Heaven", "Masked and Anonymous" and "Lost In Translation"], Eileen Atkins ["The Dresser", "Gosford Park" and "The Hours"] and Ray Winstone ["Nil By Mouth", "Sexy Beast", "Last Orders" and "Ripley's Game"] as Teague. The Story The threat of war looms large over the residents of Cold Mountain. The menfolk can't wait to take on the Union. They foolishly believe it will all be over in a short time and they will be victorious. Against this backdrop, the townsfolk are building a church and eagerly anticipating the arrival of Reverend Munroe and his daughter Ada. Ada soon finds herself attracted to one of the men working on the site, a handsome young man named Inman. He is smitten by her, but before their love can be made public, war is declared. Inman joins the other menfolk and heads for the battlefront. But not before Ada gives him her photo. Throughout the burgening conflict Inman clings to her memory. He survives the 'Battle Of The Crater' but is then wounded in a night time incursion into enemy lines. While recovering in hospital Inman learns that he will, when he is fit and healthy, be returned to the fight again. Dispirited he deserts and begins a long and arduous journey back to Cold Mountain and his Ada. The Verdict "Like many a good film "Cold Mountain" is certainly worth experiencing. But it is not just for that reason I recommend it to you. The truth is despite the big stars .... who at times so appear awkwardly out of place and so hopelessly mismatched .... despite the ludicrous, uninspiring, love story which fails to reach any great emotional heights at all .... somehow against all odds, "Cold Mountain" carries itself well and for most cinemagoers it will be good fare. This can be attributed to some great special effects, great sceney and the excellent talent of those in the supporting roles like Ray Winstone, Brendan Gleeson, Charlie Hunnam and Natalie Portmans heart wrenching appearance as Sara." The Cast

Jude Law Nicole Kidman Renée Zellweger Donald Sutherland Ray Winstone Brendan Gleeson Philip Seymour Hoffman Natalie Portman Kathy Baker James Gammon er Giovanni Ribisi Eileen Atkins Charlie Hunnam Jena Malone Ethan Suplee Lucas Black Jack White Melora Walters Taryn Manning Ben Allison

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Inman Ada Monroe Ruby Thewes Reverend Monroe Teague Stobrod Thewes Rev Veasey Sara Sally Swanger Esco Swanger Junior Maddy Bosie Ferry Girl Pangle Oakley Georgia Lila Shyla Rourke

The Crew Directed by Anthony Minghella From the book by Charles Frazier Screenplay by Anthony Minghella Original Music by T-Bone Burnett/Jack White/Gabriel Yared Cinematography by John Seale Film Editing by Walter Murch Casting by Michelle Guish/Ronna Kress/David Rubin Production Design by Dante Ferretti Set Decoration by Francesca LoSchiavo Costume Design by Carlo Poggioli and Ann Roth Run Time 154 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright © 2003 - Miramax Films - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2003 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved. TM & Copyright laws apply.