message in the movies By Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

        
Cold Mountain   PG-R
Directed by Anthony Minghella. Starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman

Photo © Copyright Miramax Films
The Civil War is beginning to wind down (or fall apart) and there is plenty of despair for everyone. Cold Mountain tells the story of Inman and Ada, a young couple in love who are separated when Inman is sent to fight for the Confederates.  Ada remains home with her minister father, but upon his death, she finds herself having to deal with the harsh realities of making it from day to day with no men in town but the corrupt captain of the home guard and his immoral lackeys. Fortunately, Ada meets Ruby, a plucky no-nonsense gal (played with verve and wit by Renee Zellweger) who agrees to help her run the family farm. Fighting for the South, Inman is wounded following the siege of Petersburg; he deserts the army to return home to Ada.  Cold Mountain tells of Inman’s travels to South Carolina and Ada’s persistence on the home front.  True love will prevail, but there are many hard times ahead.  In adapting this prize-winning best seller for the screen, a good deal of the spirituality of the book was left behind, but every nasty plot twist was included.  This is a well-made and engrossing film; I was surprised upon later reflection to acknowledge all of the terrible things that happen to the people on screen. Cold Mountain is the dark middle passage of Gone with the Wind stretched out to epic scale, with cold blooded killings, near-rapes, torture, and atrocities galore.  To be sure, redemption does come, but at a terrible price.  That’s war for you.

Halo and Pitchfork Rating: Three halos. (Love at its best during a time when America was at its worst.) Four pitchforks. (Occasional crude language, nudity, sexuality, war violence, torture, murder, and other casualties of war.)

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