Cold Mountain Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)January 5th, 2004
"Cold Mountain" Barely Finds Warmth
by Homer Yen
(c) 2004
The tumultuous period of the mid-1860s has wrought a dimension of brutality in the South as the Civil War gradually reshapes the nation, our heritage, and our culture. "The war is being lost on the battlefield, but twice over by those who stay behind." This is one of Ada's (Nicole Kidman) observations. Born unto a well-to-do-lifestyle, she is the tragedy-stricken southern belle of an idyllic town nestled within the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. That town, and this film, is called "Cold Mountain."
"Cold Mountain" is the lyrically gift-wrapped adaptation of the celebrated romantic novel by Charles Frazier. Yet, it doesn't feel so much a movie as it does an earnest attempt at Oscar recognition. The film appears to be very calculated in its approach as it strains to be noticed by the Academy. It feels so calculated, in fact, that there is an undeniable feel of rigidity as the story hand-holds us through its 3-hour narrative. Apparently, you can't rush love, and this film certainly takes its time.
Ironically, it is the two main stars, Jude Law and Nicole Kidman, that come across stiff. Despite their natural talents and their on-screen chemistry, the attraction between a laconic-but-dutiful man and a prim minister's daughter leads to a romance that seems more polite than primal. One might guess that they each ask for permission before they kiss. We'd much prefer the instinctual coming-together where the man firmly wraps his right arm around her body, where he stares deeply into her eyes, where he cups her head with his left hand, and then where that purposeful kiss melts her inhibitions away. Considering that this is supposed to be a sweeping saga with strong shades of "The English Patient", the efficacy seemed oddly tepid.
Jude Law and Nicole Kidman play Inman and Ada, an ill-fated couple who begin their relationship with the kind of playfulness characteristic of schoolchildren who have crushes on one another. But as our couple is grown up, they choose their words very carefully. Their attraction seems somewhat tempered, although these two stars are quite affable. Their connection is also complicated by the brief length of time that they are together before he leaves to join the Confederate army. In the meantime, Ada pours her heart into letters that suggest that the relationship is much deeper and certainly deeper than we can fathom. That creates an annoying disconnect as we find it difficult to appreciate Ada's conviction.
During this period, she undergoes a slow but convincing transformation as her life becomes an unbearable struggle without purpose and love. Supporting players enter the story as sort of isolated subplots that help to accentuate the cruelty of the period, to help somewhat bridge that disconnect between how we feel about Inman and Ada, and to spark our waning interest level.
Ultimately, the film is a handsome and impressive production. The acting is solid, especially the performance by Renee Zellweger as a hardscrabble drifter who steals the movie. And we certainly get a feel for the zeitgeist of that period. It's just unfortunate that we couldn't really buy into the connection of our supposed lovers. We get too sidetracked by all of these peripheral episodes, which makes this seem like a series of fine vignettes as opposed to one cohesive film.
Grade: B-
S: 3 out of 3
L: 1 out of 3
V: 3 out of 3
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