Captures the spirit of the novel superbly

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 2003)

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**** Cold Mountain is a beautifully written novel, one that captures the anguish and heartbreak of a time when families could not look to the future with any certainty. The story of Ada and Inman took me to places I had never been before and moved me to emotions that were felt deeply. The ending is filled with irony and heartbreak and yet it is also filled with hope. I knew Cold Mountain would make a great movie.
Thus, when I heard that Anthony Minghella would be making the movie I was sure he would do it justice. However, I was quite surprised and leery of the casting of Nicole Kidman and Jude Law ... not quite how I pictured Ada and Inman. Not to worry. They are both excellent and now I can't imagine anyone else in either role. Renée Zellweger was definitely not how I pictured Ruby, but she is also marvelous.
As I watched the movie, many of the feelings and emotions from reading the book welled up inside me as scenes that had been only moving pictures in my mind played across the screen in front of me. I wasn't expecting this until the end, but for me it is a sure sign the cast and direction and music and writing had all superbly combined to add even more pleasure to my enjoyment of the book. As with Mystic River, having read the novel was perhaps an advantage that enhanced the movie experience. Even though I knew how everything would play out, knowing the background behind each scene allowed me to add in my mind what the movie was unable to present. Both Eastwood and Minghella were able to strip the story down to the necessary parts that moved the story forward without losing any of the emotion and complications.
I am looking forward to seeing Cold Mountain many times again once it is released on video. It is one of the great Civil War movies, along with the Shenandoah, the wonderful James Stewart movie from 1965, that really captures the heartbreak of how the war disrupted the lives of ordinary citizens.
Those who loved the book shouldn't be disappointed. Cold Mountain will take it's place as one of my all time favorite Romances, along with Casablanca, The English Patient, The Princess Bride and The Way We Were.