Cold Mountain

Anthony Minghella's lovely adaptation of Charles Frazier's civil war novel, "Cold Mountain" is the perfect fit for Blu ray. Epic in wide-screen scope and full of rich colors of the country-side, this truly underrated and oft-overlooked film is prime for revisiting. The story tells of the romance between Inman (Jude Law) and Ada (Nicole Kidman) who are torn apart when Inman goes to fight in the American Civil War and both most endure different kinds of hardships. Academy Award nominee Renee Zelleweger plays the spunky Ruby Thewes who spends many years helping out poor Ada adapt to life during a time of war. Along the way they meet a variety of characters all played by an all-star cast that includes Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisis, Ray Winstone, Kathy Baker, Donald Sutherland, and Jack White.

The best part of this release is the number of extras included - the only flaw being that they are not in Hi Def. They include:

"Climbing Cold Mountain," an hour and 15minute documentary on the making of the film, twenty minutes of Deleted Scenes.

"The Words and Music of Cold Mountain - Royce Hall Special," a feature length concert featuring music and performers from the film including Jack White and Nicole Kidman, and special performances of the Sacred Harp music featured prominently in the film.

"A Journey to Cole Mountain" is a half hour special promoting the film.

"Sacred Harp History" tells about the choral music used in the film.

"Storyboard Comparisons" shows a side-by-side comparison of a few key sequences.

Trailers of upcoming Blu-ray releases.

The gorgeous cinematography is presented in its theatrical 2.35:1 image and marks an improvement over the DVD release. Sound is in 5.1 DTS-HD. For fans of this beautiful film, this is a must-purchase. Between the stellar performances and the rapturous look of the film, it's well-worth your money, and at a SRP of $14.99, it's really a steal.

COLD MOUNTAIN
Blu-ray SRP $14.99
www.lionsgate.com