Cold Mountain (DVD)

First of all, I stand by my theatrical review of Cold Mountain, it had my attention until it came to its "all-to-obvious" ending that I saw from the beginning. As a viewer you are able to get wrapped up in the characters and despite the fact that Inman and Ada's love my not be the most convincing love, there is a enough support and story around that idea that the movie can still carry itself until the end when that love is the only thing in play. With that being the case the ending just didn't do it for me, which is why it received a "C+" from me, but there was a lot more to Cold Mountain than just the ending.

You are introduced to a wealth of characters as Inman defects from the war and begins his travels back to Cold Mountain and back to the woman he loves. Along the way, in his own personal Odyssey, he runs into a bevy of individuals played by some stellar actors that turn in excellent performances from Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Giovanni Ribisi and Natalie Portman. Portman's character and small scene is one of my favorite of the film and is only improved by an amazing deleted scene that you will find on the second disc that makes the deleted scenes section a must-not-miss.

Speaking of supporting cast, don't think I missed our Oscar winner, Renee Zellweger as she gave the performance of her career and is the primary reason I was so torn upon this film's theatrical release and what grade to give it. Here you have a "C" movie with an "A+" performance inside of it, and I already found myself battling as to whether or not I would even want to own the DVD, since I wanted to see her playing the role of Ruby again, but I wasn't sure if I could sit through the entire movie again, but my answer has arrived.

Despite all my negative thoughts for the film the special features have turned me to a side where I can now say I do enjoy the film in moderation. The second disc comes equipped with several special features, a couple of which are extremely long winded, but there are certainly a couple of gems here.

First let me slough off what you should skip starting with "Words & Music of Cold Mountain." Now when I say skip I am speaking to your average everyday movie watcher since this is really a long winded exhibition for the cast, crew and contributors to Cold Mountain. It can best be described as a concert with speeches and interludes at intermission. It features all the music from the film, which is great no doubt, along with an interview with writer/director Anthony Minghella and then some more talking. It is not a bad feature, but is really going to be of most interest to the Cold Mountain enthusiast.

Along the same lines is a short vignette based on the religious music for the film titled "Sacred Harp History." This section is about four minutes long and is quick and to the point, but not exactly worth the time, and it really should have just been tacked on to the end of the rather bland "making-of" special titled "A Journey to Cold Mountain." Every DVD now days has its mini-making of doc and this is the one for Cold Mountain, but wait there is something you should not skip.

As far as making-of documentaries go Cold Mountain does have the best I have ever seen. While "Climbing Cold Mountain" is 1+ hours and it is absolutely amazing at how much they were able to pack into that hour as it covers everything from the film's early stages to the red carpet premiere. This section touches upon production design, sets, locations, actor selection, rehearsals, shooting, publicity and more and is fast paced and never bores you, it is really a film lover's dream.

My other favorite, which is not usually the case, is the before mentioned deleted scenes section. As you watch the documentaries on the DVD you will hear producer Sydney Pollack talk about how the movie may be too long and how they were trying to cut it and you will notice from these scenes that they play just as well as the rest of the film, but you will also notice that if you cut one of them, down the line you will see why another could not stay. It really is too bad some of these had to be left out, not because they would be pivotal to the film, simply because they are some good scenes that certainly tell more of the story.

Next comes the storyboard comparison, which takes three scenes and runs them side-by-side with the storyboards created for them. I did like the first, which features the opening sequence on the battle field, but it ran long enough for me and the other two jsut couldn't peak my interest.

The final feature I am a bit on the fence about is the commentary with writer/director Anthony Minghella and editor Walter Murch as it just becomes too much. With the length of the documentary and the fact that both of them have their piece inside of it, this commentary is going to be hard for a lot of people to sit through, especially since they are not exactly the most exciting two people to listen to. However, they do offer up some good info and it may be a good listen down the line.

So, you heard me talk good and bad about the film, and good about the special features, and now you may consider me someone who just can't seem to make up his mind. Well you aren't too far off there, as I am certainly conflicted by the way this film looks, sounds and is acted out, but it really comes down to how I was so displeased by the ending that really soured my experience.

As far as recommending the film to others, I will certainly do just that. This is a movie that you should see and decide for yourself if it is for you, my negative thoughts are simply a matter of interpretation and there is no rule saying that your interpretation has to be the same as mine. Run on out and rent it, or if you have the change buy it and enjoy.