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Baby Party - 2005-06-20 08:52:47 OK, here's the deal: Cold Mountain, the book, is basically the story of a man in love with a place, or at least what the place represents to him, and his struggle to return there. The book is complex and affecting, and deeply moved this son of Applachia. However, Anthony Minghella's film takes an even more reductionary turn than his adaptation of The English Patient, going for the simplified "romance!" and "war is bad!" aspects whenever possible. Like The English Patient, it's undeniably well-crafted and it gets some scenes amazingly right (the goat lady comes to mind), but this makes the things he gets wildy wrong (i.e., most everything else) all the more frustrating. Of course, Charles Frazier and Michael Ondaatje are laughing all the way to the bank, so they probably couldn't care less that Kip, Carvaggio, Inman, and Ruby will be mere caricatures in most moviegoers' minds for eternity. Given that Minghella's film career started with the subtle, sublime Truly, Madly, Deeply (imagine if Ghost was actually good), I gotta say I'm disappointed with how it's gone since then. Also, Renee Zellwegger, who I've liked in plenty of other things, chewed scenery like crazy and doesn't deserve Oscar diddly for Cold Mountain. But apparently that's just me. ------------------------------- Paula - 2005-06-20 09:40:38 Thanks, BP and Miles, I would like to read the book, this film won't keep me away. I wish filmmakers/studios trusted audiences more. (I dunno, maybe as a whole we aren't a trustworthy lot). I wish we could be trusted with a story of a man's affinity for his land, of the cruelty and kindness of strangers (and kin), and not be made to endure a silly adolescent story of delusional longing.
You and me both. I don't know, I've seen more blockbustery movies lately as an excuse to hang out with friends, and the commercials and previews have had an increasingly cringe-inducing effect. I have to wonder what someone from another country who was sitting in the audience must have thought of Americans as a whole, all hyuk-hyukking to some sorry remake of some sorry TV show. Gah. add your comment: |