Reviews

'Cold Mountain' opened to mixed reviews. For marks out of 10, the UK press awarded – 4 (The Independent), 4 (The Guardian), 6 (The Daily Mail), 7 (The Daily Telegraph) and 8 (The Times). For many critics the movie proved to be a successful adaptation though for several others 'Cold Mountain' felt distinctly chilly.

As a romantic, dramatic adventure there was some criticism that it was neither compelling nor convincing. Some critics found it difficult to warm to two romantic leads who have barely met, spoken or kissed before war (and most of the lengthy movie) separates them (effectively, into different narratives). Their longing expressed solely through letters or voiceovers was judged insufficient to emotionally involve audiences to really care for such characters. Others claimed that the movie's inevitable climax delivered an all too brief reunion with a mad modern moment of obligatory soft-core titillation, leaving audiences feeling, as one critic protested- all that for this? Others perceived, however, not an absence of relationship but rather the essentially old-fashioned nature of the relationship. The unspoken infatuation, which an agonising separation only intensifies, is of a long-ago Victorian era quite foreign to today. Social custom and manners of the time and place that these characters inhabited demanded such formal restraint that a furtive exchange of glances during church meetings might even have defined courtship. Their love story was viewed as a testament to how two people may inspire and complete each other. Indeed, Minghella revealed, 'I kept reading about war romances and war brides, and this strange thing that happens when death is close at hand: life becomes urgent and accelerates relationships. These characters are very conscious of the fact that they hardly know each other; they're holding on to the idea of something good, in the face of so much bad.'

At times, narrative structure was judged as too fragmented, constantly alternating between two seemingly separate stories continually intercut with expository flashbacks, and a distracting repetitious parade of supporting celebrity cameos, each introduced in somewhat fanfare fashion. However, Inman's odyssey of chance encounters is central to the character's intent to survive and single-minded resolve not to become involved in distractions. Minghella rejects the argument that Inman has to face too many obstacles: 'You can't have an Odyssey in which Odysseus only faces one or two challenges. He has to face several.' Minghella has also defended his casting of star guest artists: 'We've got heavyweights in the ring and we don't want to put a bantamweight to fight opposite them.' Their appearances may be brief but, as they say in drama, there are no small parts – only small actors!

The movie's impressively authentic period wardrobe was generally applauded, though it was observed that Kidman remained looking absurdly fresh throughout and too ravishingly beautiful for the progressively desperate conditions her character had to endure.

The opening battle scene was generally felt to be something of a separate war film in its own right. Indeed, Minghella himself may have inadvertently conceded as much by writing about the battle spectacle, 'At the end of this short film we made a whole movie!'
However, it was never the intention that the sequence be read as a comment on the American Civil War. 'I could care less about Union soldiers and Confederate soldiers,' protests Minghella. 'I kept thinking about the Cultural Revolution in China. What was interesting to me about this material was the war away from the battlefield, and the abuses that accrue when there's chaos in the land and people are empowered to police when the men are gone. The Home Guard interested me as much as the armies.' The psychological impact of the carnage and pity of war on both individuals and an entire community was the intended focus; 'a reminder that not all of war's casualties lie in neat battlefield rows,' perceived the Sunday Times critic.