Cold Hard Facts Of Cold Mountain

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Can treaties be more faithfully enforced between aliens than laws can among friends? Suppose you go to war, you cannot fight always; and when, after much loss on both sides, and not gain on either, you cease fighting, the identical old questions as to the terms of intercourse are a gain upon you." What was the point Lincoln was trying to make? Interpretation will never be the same amongst all people, but I believe that Lincoln was simply saying; it is a shame that we (The United States) can compromise with others (fellow nations), but we can not compromise with our brothers (fellow states). War with our brothers will do little more than take American lives and when it is all said and done, what is gained?

The characters in the film Cold Mountain felt the same way as President Lincoln, in my opinion. The film, made in 2003, was based on the novel Cold Mountain, written by Charles Frazier. It was directed by Anthony Minghella. This film has something for almost all movie goers, but it is rated R and may not be suitable for children. The cast include, among many; Nicole Kidman as Miss Ada Monroe, Jude Law as W.P. Inman, Renee Zellweger as Ruby Thewes, and Ray Winstone as Teague.

Cold Mountain, a romantic Civil War drama, is about the life of a proper lady who was moved to Cold Mountain by her father and a man from Cold Mountain who is rough around the edges. The film takes the viewer back-and-forth through the struggles which face each of them throughout the Civil War, and follows them in their journey back to each other. It's filled with battle scenes that demonstrate combats and confrontations between the North and the South, and the personal struggles the characters battle among themselves. Lou Lumenick of the New York Post reviewed Cold Mountain as, "An exquisitely crafted Civil war epic that combines the epic romantic sweep of Gone with the Wind with a more intimate voice that speaks eloquently to the war-weary nation today."

In the film, I found not only significant historical inaccuracies, but I also noticed small blunders, which are not as noticeable unless you are looking for them. In all the battle scenes I noticed the American flag was the fifty star flag. The movie was supposed to take place in the 1860's. At that time, there were only 35 states in the union, so the flag used in the movie was inaccurate.

The battle scenes were shot well, and seemed to be realistic.

The North laid explosives under the southern defense in order to create a crater. It worked to their advantage because it surprised the southern soldiers, and put them at an immediate disadvantage. It's an impressive move made by the North, but the plan backfired. When they charged the south, they ran into one of their own 'craters', and demolished some of their own troops. It prevented them from reaching opposing troops, and gave the enemy time to regroup and open fire.

It's a realistic depiction of the battles that took place, but the effects and explosions only show some of the reality. The fighting soldiers were a different story. In the movie, the army consisted of all white men. In the actual battles, there were black soldiers who fought and died for the union. The movie presented a misrepresentation of the army's diversity, and in my opinion, gave no credit to the black soldiers who put their lives on the line. Through research I found opinions on why there were no black soldiers in the movie, and the general consensus seemed to be the simple fact of location. The film was shot in Romania, and it was probably more convenient to have Romanians serve as extras for the movie. . . an understandable motive, but an insincere move.

During the war, the Confederate Congress passed the Guard for Home Defense Act. It allowed the formation of home guard units in the counties of all southern states. The goal was to capture deserters and