Cold Mountain
When the book first hit the shelves back in 1998, Frazier's Civil War epic, Cold Mountain, was immediately recommended to me by one of its earliest readers. It was the author's close attention to the details of terraine, vegetation and country my friend thought I would enjoy. And the book has its moments in that regard. But mostly, it was the geography -- trying to follow Inman's journey home by tracing lines on the map inside the front cover of the hardback-- that intrigued me. This was land I knew. I had backpacked that rough high country several times. A good hiking buddy of mine died on the trail -- with his boots on, the way he would have wanted to go-- in '94 on his way to Shining Rock, just a few trail miles from the unfriendly crag of Cold Mountain. I was interested as much in place as in the characters and plot.
The reviews of the movie are all over the map this week, but I'll have to see it regardless, seeing as how it is from 'round here. The language and rhythms, if the Hollywood affects approach the genuine, should seem familiar to a local like me who has lived his entire long life in these southern mountains.
The tale is more or less historically grounded. Elizabeth Hunter follows Inman's steps by talking to surviving relatives who still live in the Waynesville area. Their assessment of the accuracy of the story and the notoriety it is bringing the area are mixed. You can read part of her article on Cold Mountain from Blue Ridge Country Magazine here.
This reviewer writing from a town very near the mountain itself was not impressed with the portrayal. And, she created a new word. Can you find it in the following clip?
"Law’s Inman is soulless, his bumpkinism turning decent prose into lines delivered with laughable earnesty, and later quipped in smart-mouthed moments of caricature. Kidman’s Ada bears a faltering Lowcountry accent, consistent fashion-plate status and the emotional warmth of trout dip. Together, the couple’s passion barely registers. The burning, longing, unquenchable thirst one would typically think would be required to wait four years for an unrequited love to return simply is not there."
Comments
Let's see.....bumpkinism or trout dip. I was also perplexed by the use of the term "Lowcountry." Is that anything like "flatlanders?"
Posted by: Clarence | December 26, 2003 12:13 PM
didja you know it was filmed in Romania, much to the consternation of locals and Southern film makers.
"People like Frank Sorrells, a 75-year-old retired teacher who farms 33 acres at the base of Cold Mountain, do not understand why a movie set in Cold Mountain, N.C., was filmed in the Romanian province of Transylvania.
"It don't seem right," he says."
Hmmmm...This is one that I may pass on...as you say the book was so rich, too detailed to make the transition to the screen...but then I scoffed at Elijah woods as Frodo...now I can't imagine anyone else in the part and New Zealand IS Middle Earth...so what do I know? *G*
Posted by: feste | December 26, 2003 1:13 PM
"Bumpkinism" and "earnesty"...Delightful neologisms! What a wonderful writer & reviewer.
After reading a few of those "all over the map" reviews I decided not to see the film. Can't stand mediocre when it comes to films. There are so many good ones to see...why waste one's time on those less good?
Posted by: Richard Silverstein | January 1, 2004 6:46 PM
It would be impossible to have actually filmed Cold Mountain in Cold Mountain, NC bc there would clearly be all kinds of American crap in the background or sky whenever they were trying to film it! Duh!
Posted by: Oprah Winfrey | January 8, 2004 7:35 AM