On February 19, in conjunction with the Wyoming County Reads program, the Dietrich Theater will be showing the Oscar nominated film “Cold Mountain,” which is based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Charles Frazier.
In this classic story of love and devotion set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, a wounded Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman deserts his unit and travels across the South, aiming to return to his young wife, Ada, who he left behind to tend their farm.
As Inman makes his perilous journey home, Ada struggles to keep their home intact with the assistance of Ruby, a mysterious drifter sent to help her by a kindly neighbor.
“Cold Mountain” is a well-crafted film that delivers a beautiful, emotionally engaging story that does an outstanding job keeping you invested from beginning to end.
One of the aspects of the film that filmmaker Anthony Minghella did extremely well is depicting the challenges of war and in the way war can change people. There are some moments where we see how the American Civil War has changed people that can be extremely powerful and does a great job showing how it affects them differently.
Despite their limited screen time together, Nicole Kidman and Jude Law worked really well together. The bulk of this film takes place during Inman’s long walk back to Ada and it shows how both of them lived, grew and changed over time. And, as soon as the two are finally reunited (little spoiler), it’s incredibly moving.
Despite the dramatic moments that the film delivers, Renee Zellweger really knocked it out of the park as her spunky, no-nonsense character Ruby, who also adds a few moments of humor and definitely deserved her Oscar win.
“Cold Mountain” works on more than one level - it’s a gripping love story, an intense portrayal of war, and it’s a deep and powerful testament to faith, hope and friendship.
Cast: Jude Law (Inman); Nicole Kidman (Ada Monroe); Renee Zellweger (Ruby Thewes); Eileen Atkins (Maddy); Brendan Gleeson (Stobrod); Philip Seymour Hoffman (Reverend Veasey); Natalie Portman (Sarah); Giovanni Ribisi (Junior); Kathy Baker (Sally); James Gammon (Esco); Donald Sutherland (Reverend Monroe); Ray Winstone (Teague)
Writer/director: Anthony Minghella (The English Patient; The Talented Mr. Ripley)
Trivia: In 1997, United Artists bought the rights to the novel and announced that United Artists/MGM would be distributing with Miramax. During the middle of filming in 2002, MGM ended up pulling out of the project, leaving Miramax as the sole distributor. To get the rising budget down, production for “Cold Mountain” primarily took place in Romania.
MPAA: Rated R for violence and sexuality (running time 154 minutes)
Where to find the film? The Dietrich Theater is showing the film (free admission) on Feb. 19 at 1 pm and 7 pm. If you can’t make it to the film, you can currently stream “Cold Mountain” on Paramount Plus and MGM+, along with renting it via Fandango and YouTube.
Brendan Gleeson is an accomplished violin player and did all of his own playing in this movie.
Many of the scenes were shot in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, for example, around the city Brasov or in the canyon of Zarnesti.
According to TIME Magazine, Jude Law had to gain ten kilograms (twenty-two pounds) of muscle for his role on-location in Romania. As there wasn't any regular fitness equipment around, he did so by carrying his personal trainer around on his back, dragging logs, and pushing a tennis-court roller.
For her performance in this movie, Renée Zellweger became the first actress to win Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Critics' Choice Awards.
Anthony Minghella spent five years on this movie. Almost one year was used for editing.
Nicole Kidman was asked to lose as much weight as possible. She went on the hard-boiled egg diet, which entailed having one egg for breakfast and two to three for dinner. This type of diet is not advisable in the long run, as it is unbalanced, unhealthy, and does not provide one with enough calories. In the end, she ended up losing more weight than she originally desired.
The original budget was $40 million, which later expanded into $120 million, before it was finalized at $80 million. Harvey Weinstein made this movie over the objections of his boss, Walt Disney Company chairman Michael Eisner, who had pressed him to find a new partner to help pay for this movie after MGM, a co-financier, lost faith in the project and dropped out two weeks before filming began.
Nicole Kidman revealed in 2011 that she first met with Anthony Minghella in the 1990s to discuss a possible role in his movie The English Patient (1996), but was eventually turned down.
The book was written similarly to how this movie was shot. In the book, alternating chapters are spent following Inman's journey and Ruby and Ada's plight. This movie does the same, switching back and forth between two compelling storylines, each significant stories in its own right.
The only movie that year nominated for Best Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globes, and not Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
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