Based
on one of the most acclaimed
novels in recent memory,
"Cold Mountain" sets
off on a true American odyssey
through a time that saw some of
the greatest ferocity -- and
heroism -- the nation has ever
known
THE
STORY Fearing
for the safety of his beloved
Ada, the wounded Confederate
soldier Inman makes his way
across the war-ravaged South,
back to her farm on Cold
Mountain. He faces trials and
tribulations as he encounters
slaves and bounty hunters,
soldiers and witches, unexpected
friends and dangerous enemies at
every turn. Ada's road is no
easier as she relies on wits and
newfound bravery to protect her
father's farm from attack, with
the help of an intrepid drifter
named Ruby.
As they come ever closer, Inman
and Ada weave a story about the
longing for home after being in
the wilderness, the longing for
peace after being at war, and
the longing for love and union
in the midst of chaos.
THE
BACKGROUND When
Charles Frazier's debut novel
"Cold Mountain" was
first published in 1997, his
story of a soldier's search for
home and love in the last days
of the Civil War quickly
received rhapsodic acclaim. The
book was based on family stories
passed down by the author's
great-great-grandfather.
For director Anthony Minghella,
the book's mythic story of a
300-mile, life-changing journey
was filled with emotion and
revelation: "It appears to
be a story about the American
Civil War, and I don't
necessarily have an interest in
war stories. But then I realized
that war was the not the issue.
It's more about a man's return
from war, the after effects of
war, and the effects of war on
the world away from the
battlefield."
There was no doubt in
Minghella's mind that he wanted
to film "Cold
Mountain," but it was
essential to him to have the
blessing of Charles Frazier.
"Charles Frazier read the
script and expressed a lot of
contentment," says producer
Sydney Pollack, "and
everyone else who read it felt
the same."
Progress began on several fronts
simultaneously. The first order
of the day for Minghella was to
reunite his Academy Award
winning production team from
"The English Patient,"
without whom he wouldn't
consider making a movie.
Minghella said: "I felt
very lucky to be able to have
this team on board for this
film. These are essential people
for me, a kitchen cabinet of
collaborators who are very
demanding and expect a lot of
me."
One of the most vital tasks
remained before filming could
get underway: The choosing of
locations to capture the starkly
rugged landscapes of "Cold
Mountain." Deciding where
to film "Cold
Mountain" took on a
particular urgency, and in fact
Minghella says that he and Dante
Ferretti spent the better part
of a year looking for the right
place to shoot.
Minghella and the producers
began a search for a location
that somehow had retained the
untamed essence of 19th Century
America in the 21st Century. The
filmmakers were uncertain about
the next step. But as luck would
have it, "Cold
Mountain's" executive
(line) producer Iain Smith had
been in Romania on a walking
tour of the Carpathian Mountains
in Transylvania. To his
amazement, he noticed that the
landscape there seemed to
resemble North Carolina and he
immediately dispatched pictures
to Minghella and Ferretti.
"And it was full of snow
and beautiful," Ferretti
adds. "We made a second
trip during the spring and found
out that it was perfect for each
of the seasons in which we had
to film."
