Many great filmmaking qualities, but the melodrama of it's love story is annoying!

Rating: 9/10 (28 December 2003)

`Cold Mountain' is one of those tragic love stories that director Anthony Minghella loves, like his Oscar winning film, `The English Patient.' However, unlike `The English Patient,' one does not feel swept away in the grandeur of the love story. `Cold Mountain' plays out like an overemotional romance novel turned film. Still, I cannot deny that the film has many great filmmaking qualities that to down it would be unfair. This movie is marvelous for its cinematography, direction, performances, and musical score. The film is based on the book by Charles Frazier.	`Cold Mountain' opens with a stunning battle scene during the Civil War in which one of the characters, Inman (Jude Law) is wounded. While in hospital, he is read a letter from his lover, Ada (Nicole Kidman), back home in Cold Moutain by a nurse. Ada's final comment was `come back to me,' so he deserts the Confederate Army and begins his trek home. On the way, he is troubled by the memories he has of Ada, as they have only met on a few occasions but have become infatuated with each other. The same is true for Ada-she is so consumed with grief that she spends more time writing him letters and pining over him than she does taking care of her farm. On the way home, Inman meets many colorful characters that give him aid, or slow him down. One of which was Reverend Veasey (Philip Seymour Hoffman) whose piety and bad habits do not mix. As for Ada, a young woman named Ruby (Renee Zellweger) approaches her. Ruby has a cocky attitude and hardy nature that bring about some of the film's more whimsical moments. She wants nothing more from Ada than a home and food. The two agree and get the farm back in order. But there are problems in Cold Mountain-the sheriff is on a mission to kill anyone who may harbor deserters of the Confederacy. Ada, Ruby, and Inman will have to face the righteousness of the law before all is said and done. I was not impressed by Reverend Veasey's character, regardless of Hoffman's excellent performance. He added distaste to the film when at that point it was based on noble characters. However, Inman also met two other women during his travels. One of them was named Sara (Natalie Portman), a woman whose husband had died and she was now alone to fend for herself and her newborn son. Portman portrays her grief so effectively that it pulls at the audience's heart. Especially during a scene when she asks Inman to sleep in her bed with her so she will not be alone. Nothing sexual occurs, but it was a nice touch to give this woman something to feel after she had been alone for so long. Another interesting character that Inman meets is an elderly woman named Maddy (Eileen Atkins) who looks after him-she lives in the woods, in a shack and raises goats. She provides Inman with medicine and food for his journey. What's more, she also provides understanding of Inman's heartache for his beloved. `Cold Mountain's' one weakness is its melodrama-it becomes irritating at times and one cannot help but want it to end. In one scene, Ada and Inman confess their love and want to get married by saying `I'll marry you' three times, as they do in some strange land unknown to them. Give me a break! It is a good thing that the film can fall back on so much filmmaking majesty as opposed to its overbearing love story. ***1/2