|  BIASES:
late 20s black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors
action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie
flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare
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COLD MOUNTAIN
MOVIE BIASES: Historical fiction based off a hit novel with
Jude and Nicole and a "Mountain’s" worth
of critical acclaim? I’m THERE.
MAJOR PLAYERS: Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley), Nicole
Kidman (Moulin Rouge), Renee Zellweger (Bridget Jones’
Diary), based on the novel by Charles Frazier, and writer/director
Anthony Minghella (The Talented Mr. Ripley)
"Come back to me is my request." From the lips
of the right woman, your woman, if Nicole Kidman’s
Ada WAS that woman, it’s enough to make you drop your
weapon, desert an army, and dodge a war. At least that’s
what "Cold Mountain" would have you believe, an
exquisitely unglamorous Civil War romantic drama whose entire
fate hinges upon one woman’s simple request of her
beloved soldier, and how their loyalty to hope, love, and
each other transforms them both.
Beginning with a literal bang, "Cold Mountain"
weaves two concurrent storylines separated by three years
time--Inman's (Law) courtship of the stately Ada Monroe
(Kidman) and his long, torturous journey back to her after
having deserted the Confederate Army in the midst of war.
On the first storyline, their flirtation and affection grows
almost chastely within the confines of proper Southern etiquette,
with the culmination of their dalliance coming in the form
of one soul-bending, kneecap-shattering kiss right before
Inman heads off for war. In the latter storyline, a war-torn,
injured Inman decides to bail on the old graycoats when
one of Ada's many letters reaches him, simply asking him
to come home to her. Meanwhile, Ada's having a hard go of
it, a Latin-speaking, piano-playing single girl left to
tend to a farm with no real-life skills to speak of. Help
arrives in the form of the fiery Ruby Thewes (Zellweger),
a salt-of-the-earth handywoman who literally puts the "spit"
in spitfire. Through her no-nonsense tutelage, she schools
the useless and dependent Ada into a self-sufficient independent
woman, all while Ada holds the almost impossible hope that
her would-be lover is alive and coming back to her. After
THREE YEARS without a single letter from him.
Save
your eye rolls for movies with a less artistic, ambitious,
and professional pedigree; "Cold Mountain" deserves
your suspension of disbelief on this one. Once you take
into consideration the time period--where a promise and
a man's word was equivalent to a blood oath and a letter
was more than mere communication but a missive carved straight
from the heart--this premise works, but mostly due to the
dedication of everyone involved. Minghella's art dealer's
eye is in overdrive here, transforming the unspoiled, rustic
Romanian countryside into panoramic, widescreen 1860s North
Carolina. For a Brit who knew little to nothing about a
war that cleaved "The Colonies" in two before
this project, his adaptation of Frazier's award-winning
novel is a little piece of history itself that is brilliant
but could not stand alone without his stunning visuals.
His opening battle scene is crafted with such ferocity and
human anguish, it makes "Saving Private Ryan"
look like a duck hunt. The brutality of the old South is
authenticated down to the finest detail, including superbly
rural costuming. A direct reflection of the period, there
is not a glamorous performance in this movie, just outstanding
actors doing outstanding work, servicing the script, the
director, the time, and the audience. The score is so light
yet effective, like a good NBA referee (not you, Steve Javie),
you barely even notice it's there.
The supporting cast is just as moving as the leads. The
increasingly brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman, scene stealer
extraordinaire, hijacks the movie by humorously fleshing
out a whoring yet endearing minister who's kicked out of
his town in just his jammies. A heartbreaking scene of pure
human need and necessity is Natalie Portman's (Star Wars:
Episode II) showcase as a widowed mother having to fend
for her child while still aiming to quench her very womanly
desires. Even a quick cameo by Jena Malone (Donnie Darko)
provides the most hilariously inappropriate come-hither
in recent screen history ("For another thirty dollars,
I'll throw this dress over my head."). But the standout
support is Zellweger, who, once again, has proven a facility
to simply vanish into thin air and emerge as whatever character
she's tackling. As an almost surrogate husband/provider
for the pining Ada, Ruby's no-BS, plain-spoken, rock-'em-sock-'em
style comes as a hurricane of fresh air, vivifying the movie
at just the right time. Her Ruby is the grimiest of them
all, yet, quite possibly, the one with the biggest heart,
however well-guarded.
Finally, it comes down to our two leads, the accomplished
Jude Law and Nicole Kidman, our walking, talking reasons
for suspension of disbelief. As a woman who "can't
keep a smile," a nonproductive, overdependent egghead
that's "always carrying a tray," Kidman's Ada
makes a character arc into a shotgun-blasting self-starter
that is fascinating to behold. From the beginning, we see
Kidman's flirty, schemingly sexy eyes (framed by razor sharp
eyebrows) belie a savvy that her face just can't reign in,
setting us up to believe in her transformation and making
us fall in love with her just as Inman does--with just one
passionate, tonsil-grabbing kiss. And Law's borderline taciturn
Inman? Through his soulful, pale blue orbs, you buy into
his impossible journey and all its hazards ("They kept
trying to put me in the ground, but I wasn't ready."),
believing as he does that Ada's "a place I'm heading"
even though he "just can't seem to get back to her."
Although the bond they share before he heads off to war
is the outcome of a really good first date today, it holds
all the essence and meaning of what lovers hold dear in
that time, and in any time.
Usually with movies about this era with white leads, one
comment as a black man I almost have to throw out as a caveat
is that this movie is about white people with white problems
while my ancestors were getting raped, whipped, and dying
in the fields. Okay, got that out of the way. But this movie
is a universal one that transcends the era, dealing with
love the only way true lovers can live it. If you let it,
this movie takes you back to a time when your first kiss
on your first date made your toenails quiver. Just from
the contortions my face made throughout is a testament to
its craftsmanship, enriching characters/story, and visual
poetry.
If Ada is correct that "All we can do is make peace
with the past and try to learn from it," then the future
of love is bright. Beautiful. Warm. And "Cold."
@@@@ REELS
(FOUR REELS)
An urban classic/instant legend.
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Edwardo Jackson is the author of the novels EVER AFTER and
NEVA HAFTA, (Villard/Random House), a writer for UrbanFilmPremiere.com,
and an LA-based screenwriter. Visit his website at www.edwardojackson.com
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