Arts

Film: Cold Mountain

Three lines of dialogue from Cold Mountain:

1. God must be weary of being called down on both sides of an argument.
2. What colour is the sky?
3. I wish metal would be completely banished from this earth.

On the surface Cold Mountain tells of a physical journey from the battlefield to home. But that journey seems to be repeated a little deeper in the soul of its characters.

Shortly after commenting on God's weariness, Jude Law's character asks Nicole Kidman's about the sky. This line echoes Colin Firth's question of Scarlett Johansson in Girl with a Pearl Earring; in both the question in one of perception: tell me about your view of the world.

By the time we meet Natalie Portman's character (author of the last of these three lines) the internal transformation is complete.

There's much I've not said. I've not commented on Renée Zellweger's Adademy Award nominated performance, or the humour that runs through what is a very intense film. But I'll leave that for other reviews.

Cold Mountain is a very strong movie, one that deserves a careful viewing and direct access to your soul.

(And as if to prove it, The Riverside was packed tonight.)