Cold Mountain

I have the feeling this will be a more enjoyable film if you haven't already read the book. It follows the book so closely that there weren't quite enough surprises to keep up my interest. Which isn't to say that Anthony Minghella didn't do wonders turning a good book into a good film. At times, it seems as if you aren't listening to a conversation between people but instead reading well-built prose. What passes between folks, in particular between Ada (Nicole Kidman) and Inman (Jude Law), doesn't seem like any sort of normal conversation. For those who haven't read the book, this is the tale of a Confederate soldier who goes AWOL to get back to his sweetie. What I enjoyed so much about the book is the trouble Ada goes through in order to keep her farm, having to learn from Ruby (Renée Zellweger), another woman also down on her luck. Ada learns that she can in fact learn to haul bales of hay until her arms ache and get up at 5am when she's worked until past dark. In the film, we see them putting up fence rails (ooh) and making a scarecrow (aah), not at all the hard labor I envisioned from the book. For some, Kidman may be too pretty for her role. Ada's beauty is pointed out early on in the film, but at times she is too luminous, although un- makeup-ed when it suits. Much better to notice how gorgeous Jude Law is, whether mussed up or not! It's a good thing they both know how to create characters we want to believe in as well as look at. Zellweger does a great job, as do others in smaller roles (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Giovanni Ribisi), but the prize goes to Natalie Portman as a woman who gives Law food and shelter for one night. I have to take back what I've said about her not being able to act. She's a revelation. In the end, Minghella has created a glorious tapestry of words and deeds, but it didn't reach me as I think it should have. I'd be interested to know if others who have read the book have the same problem.

year: 2003
length: 155 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159365/combined