Review of Cold Mountain (2003) by Jojo F — 11 Mar 2012

I missed this on its theater run and knew nothing about the film except that it was set in the Civil War. Having come from a battle reenactment earlier, I thought that this was a good movie to finally see. What I saw was a poignant love story happening in the dying days of the war, when the country was in disarray and people were experiencing its ravages in myriad ways. Obviously, we cope when we can--the human spirit is more than capable, and as the movie shows, the kindness of strangers is both unexpected and uplifting. However, this is primarily a tragedy. When man loves, he can conquer all. But when man fights man, death is the only victor.

The movie is at times slow but that is deliberate. It gives you a sense of anticipation and hopelessness. Here is an amazing cast of characters, and to see today's celebrated actors in short supporting (almost cameo) roles adds to the beauty of the film. When Renee Zellweger said her first couple of lines, I thought, "Wow, she's really good in this one." I checked later and found out that she had won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for this. Well deserved is all I can say now.