Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

br-70517 Minghella's Cold Mountain is a love story gone wrong. The story was mostly accurate depicting of the impact of the Civil war on the Southerners. The story was written by Charles Frazier- whose great great grandfather, W.P. Inman, fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. During the war, Inman was wounded and brought to a hospital. After he healed, he escaped the prison hospital in Virginia in hopes to return home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina, to reunite with his love. Frazier did not know all the details about his grandfather's journey, but through research, he wrote what he believed Inman's journey would entail as he traveled home. Prior to the war, Ada, one of the main character, has recently moved to Cold Mountain with her father. She doesn't have any friends besides her father, but she briefly meets Inman and they fall in love. However, shortly after Ada's arrival, many men including Inman are overcome with nationalism and join to fight the war. Ada and her father continue to live on the farm until the father dies unexpectedly. Ada now owns his property and the farm; she frees all of her father's slaves but now is struggling to keep the farm alive. Eventually, a neighbor named Ruby comes along to help her with the farm. Ada learns new skills and the farm begins to thrive again. Ada continues to stay loyal to Inman and writes him several letters. However, as the war drags, the more Ada questions their love- after all they had only known each other for a short period of time. She prays for his survival and tries to predict the future by looking in a water well. With the help of two neighbors, she leans back with a mirror to see the water reflection in the mirror. She briefly sees a man coming closer as crows surround him and he falls to the ground. Confused about the message, Ada is unsure if the message means Inman is returning to herMeanwhile, Inman is traveling back home. Throughout his journey, he meets a variety of different people and encounters many challenges. He scavenges food and in some households he is invited for an overnight stay. At one stop in particular he meets a young woman named Sara. She became a widow when her husband joined the war and she is currently raising her young baby alone on a small farm. She lets Inman stay for the night but the presences of a man reminds of her husband and she begins to sob. Without a husband or father, Sara and her baby's life will be impacted forever. The morning after, soldiers come to her farm asking for a runaway soldier (Inman). She declines any knowledge but they search her house and torment her and her baby until Inman appears and kills the soldiers. On several occasions during his trip, Inman meets people that will delay or hurry his voyage; very similar to the epic, The Odyssey. In The Odyssey, Odysseus went far to fight in war which lasted longer than expected. He wants to return home to his wife and let her know he's alive but is faced with many challenges. Odysseus encounters a Cyclops, sea monsters and much more. Inman's story is very similar. Inman is returning home from war to reunite with his love, but his journey was not easy and very time consuming. Some people provided him with supplies, others tagged along on for the trip and others make the journey more difficult. Overall, I think that the attitude about the war is supported well by the variety of people Inman comes across. Each has their own perspective about tolls war brings and each person has a story. Like the hermit goat lady in the forest. She is very kind to Inman without knowing who he is. She heals Inman and sends him on his way with supplies. Although the war changed people, it showed there is still kindness which has been lacking for some time. The movie demonstrates the impacts of the war, not always thought about. More than slave owners were impacted by the war- families lost their males and towns were reduced to mostly women and young children.

Python Hyena Cold Mountain (2003): Dir: Anthony Minghella / Cast: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman: Provocative drama about distant affection and the peaks that are not as high as they seem. Set in mid 1800's Jude Law fought in the civil war and suffered injury but he reflects upon the woman awaiting his arrival at Cold Mountain. She is played by Nicole Kidman and she is the daughter of a minister whose lifestyle changes after his passing. This subplot is interesting but Law's trek across country is littered with pointless subplots that greatly weaken his necessity. This climaxes with a simplistic gunfight and shed tears that viewers likely won't fall for. Directed by Anthony Minghella who made a superior film called The English Patient. Here he is backed with fine production. While Law's role becomes greatly expendable, Kidman slowly becomes a woman when a ragged Renee Zellweger appears. They have a fine chemistry as Kidman gets her hands dirty and Zellweger gets her hands dirtier. Among cameos are Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a sleazy minister who steals his moments with humour and found guilty of a crime for which he meets consequences. Natalie Portman has a pointless role as a woman raising an infant son, and whom Law assists in a crucial moment. Theme of emotional endurance is evident in our cold society. Score: 6 ½ / 10

jamesphilippy This movie expertly illustrates a different point of view than most are likely used to. Politics are largely neglected in this film, as opposed to the exclusively political conflicts depicted in Lincoln and other such films documenting the Civil War Era. Instead,the struggles and tribulations of an average confederate soldier brings the atrocities of the war, and its impact on the entire south into context for viewers. Viewers are able to, in a very emotional way, experience the horror of battle, as well as the effect on all walks of life in the south. The film details several battles between the Union and Confederate forces, all of which are barbaric bloody brawls. It brings to light the desperation of the soldiers to survive, as well as the near-fervor for their own cause. The way in which southern soldiers were shown to fight reflects the honor and the warrior mentality that the south had at the time, which bolstered its efforts against the Union. Historical accuracy seems rather evident. Conflict existed all across the South during this time period, and it seems accurate that there would be Union Soldiers desperate enough to raid entire towns, steal livestock and supplies, and terrorize locals, seeking food. A mother is encountered by Inman, who misses her husband enough that she would lie with him to recall her husband's presence. It is safe to assume that the husband was also drawn away by the war. The conflict affects every person in the country, and this film makes the situation heartfelt, and as evidently volatile and conflict-ridden as it must have been to actually experience it. The choice to steer clear of political dealings, and focus solely on the domestic effects and tolls that the war took, serves this film well, and it engages viewers, as well as drawing them into the time period. One can truly learn about the war, as well as the time period from watching this film.

erikahermanson The movie was a romantic film that captured a love story as two people split up because of the Civil War. The movie shows both the relaxing parts of the war, the intense battle fields, the families struggling at home, and women's roles during the Civil War. In the beginning of the movie Inman the soldier who will soon go off to war and Ada, the daughter of a Charleston preacher man who has recently moved to Cold Mountain meet and instantly have a connection. The film then follows Inman as he struggles the difficulties of war so that he can return home to Ada, and Ada as she struggles to maintain the life she once knew after her father passes identifies key points of the Civil War. The movie shows gruesome scenes that show how the war ended up affecting many people's lives. The movie details how soldiers treated women and families and indicates the death and rape of many of the women and children. The movie also captures the age differences in the war and showed that many young men were off to fight the war. During the movie Inman and a few other men are captured and this shows that different soldiers would do anything they needed to try and win the war. Overall, the movie captured different aspects of the war pretty well. Although some of the terms or ideas used in the movie had not yet been used during the time period, the movie did a good job showcasing the important details and ideas of the Civil War that are educational and important for the audience to know. While detailing the Civil War the movie also described a love story that captured the audience and made them want to watch until the end.