Cold Mountain is a film in which the blood and hatred generously demonstrated by the authors are only ominous scenery of the story of the all-consuming feeling of the simple American carpenter Inman (Jude Law) and the not-so-simple daughter of pastor Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman). Their love, flaring up after a passing acquaintance, a couple of words and a clumsy kiss goodbye, stretched out over a long period of separation.
Historical and epic melodrama
The Englishman Anthony Minghella (“The English Patient”, “Talented Mr. Ripley”) in the first part of the picture extremely powerfully demonstrated the horror of battle scenes and the role of the punitive detachments of the southerners. But after the battle they fade into the background, giving way to a lyrical line that softens the hearts of the audience, while not allowing the beholder to fall into excessive sentimentality.
As a result, the deadly simplicity of the conflict Mingella put in the foundation of the tape can only be redeemed by the bottomlessly blue eyes of Nicole Kidman and handsome Jude Law, who has perfectly adapted to the image of a deserter in love.
The main roles in the film were played by stars of the first magnitude, actors known to the world cinema community. Cold Mountain, with a significant rating of IMDb: 7.20, was once nominated for an Oscar in seven categories.
Oscar-winning Kidman
The Australian and American actress was initially positioned by the creators as the performer of the main female role of the brainchild of Anthony Mingella. Apart from her, no one was even considered for the role of Ada. For Nicole Kidman, "Cold Mountain" was the third film in which she managed to star in one year.
In general, 2003 was very successful for the actress. Firstly, she took part in the production of the experimental painting “Dogville” by Lars von Trier, which received a wide public response. Secondly, Kidman starred in the film adaptation of the works of Philip Roth in the film "The Tarnished Reputation", where she worked in tandem with Anthony Hopkins. Thirdly, Nicole starred in the epic drama Cold Mountain, which raised more than $ 176 million worldwide, and quite popular actors were involved in its production.
“Cold Mountain”, unfortunately, did not receive an Oscar, by the way, film critics tried to accuse Kidman of “Oscar troubles”. According to them, the actress was not able to sufficiently muffle her spectacular shine for the image of Ada of the luxurious movie star from the "Dream Factory".
Right choice
Since the main casting consisted of choosing an actor - the performer of the main male role - the creators focused on the selection of such a master of the scene, with whom the exalted love of Ada-Kidman looked realistically and convincingly, albeit fleeting, but sincere, lasting for many years in separation.
The casting was attended by many actors. “Cold Mountain” could replenish the filmography of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett - all of the listed performers tried for the role of Inman. However, Anthony Mingella personally invited Judah Low to audition, which came to success in a big movie after participating in the director’s project “Talented Mr. Ripley” (the actor was awarded the BAFTA prize for playing a secondary role).
So got the role of Inman Jude Law. Cold Mountain, by the way, also earned him Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, and Sherlock Holmes for the Saturn Award. According to leading filmmakers, in 2003 Anthony Mingella made the right choice, focusing on Lowe's candidacy. The actor squeezed out of his role everything that was possible with the restriction of the harsh pubic framework.
Minor Characters and Their Performers
Cold Mountain is a film to a certain extent too cruel, but at the same time beautiful. The brutality shown is justified, it reveals the mean charm of the secondary characters, which are the undeniable advantages of the film. Minor roles were also played by fairly well-known actors. "Cold Mountain" presented to the audience a gallery of characteristic heroes, among which the most memorable were:
- Ruby Tews, performed by Renee Zellweger. The laureate of various film awards is known to the viewers on the films "Chicago", "Case 39" and the trilogy about Bridget Jones.
- The Rev. Wisey in Philip Seymour Hoffman turned out to be interesting, and most importantly, ambiguous. He is a specialist in a wide range of actors: from arthouse parables to mainstream blockbusters, has a huge filmography, in which the film “Woman's Smell”, “Tornado”, “Red Dragon” and the epic “The Hunger Games” are considered especially significant.
- Wonderfully played by Brendan Gleason, musician-deserter Stobrod Tewes, Ruby's father. The Irish actor played a lot of remarkable roles in the famous films “Braveheart”, “Artificial Intelligence”, “28 Days Later”, “Troy”, “Kingdom of Heaven”.
- Ethan Sapley, remembered for his Butterfly Effect, did a great job with Pangle.
Free interpretation
In general, "Cold Mountain" turned out to be a worthy film. Although for especially inveterate snobs, the author's interpretation of US history has become unacceptable. Although Anthony Mingella’s attempt to overshadow the canonical melodrama Gone With the Wind, although it failed, it can definitely be considered a shocking experience worthy of either censure or admiration.