Surprising and beautiful

Rating: 7/10 (24 August 2014)

First, it is surprising that very little of the film is shot in North Carolina - and that the majority of it is actually filmed in the country of Romania! Having been to 'the real' Cold Mountain many times, one can see the similarities though. The landscape around the mountain is filled with the same type hillsides and hollers we see in the film.
And honestly, even in 1860's character, Nicole Kidman has never looked more beautiful. She is very much like a porcelain doll come to life, and the perfect choice for this film - cause she nails this helpless yet proud character of Ada, her performance is virtually flawless. And even though Renee Zellwegger's character is a little irritating, but her performance is brilliant. The rest of the cast is well chosen and most acceptably fill their roles. Watch for Giovanni Ribisi and Kathy Baker, they are especially good. Ribisi brings his trademark 'weirdness' to a despicable character, and Baker is amazingly 'motherly'...
The most upsetting thing about the film is the realistic and historically accurate portrayal of the disgustingly rancid 'home guard' - who in real life simply took advantage of the war (as an opportunity) to terrorize the countryside, humiliate or routinely murder personal enemies, and line their own pockets with impunity. As if the war wasn't bad enough, southern towns and communities had to endure it with this accompanying evil in the form of men purported to be patriotic to the cause - when all they were (were) violent criminals who deserved to die.