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Cold Mountain
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The master of the modern epic, Academy Award-winning Anthony
Minghella, transforms the story of an American Civil War
era romance into an enchanted masterpiece.
The English Patient
director teams up with a stellar cast in this adaptation of Charles Frazier's
debut novel, that is both an inspiring love story and an unflinching depiction
of the horrors of wartime. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best
Actor and Actress, and winner of the Oscar for Best supporting Actress, this
beautifully shot drama is in a league of its own.
After a brief but passionate affair, Ada and Inman are
separated when he is called up to fight in the Civil War. Ada's father then
dies and she spirals into poverty and loneliness, unable to look after the
family farm by herself.
Ruby, a tough itinerant worker offers to help Ada and
together the two women learn from each other's very different talents.
Meanwhile Inman, distraught by his love for Ada, decides to go AWOL and leaves
the army. But, as he heads back to Ada, he encounters many setbacks on the long
road back to his love...
The lead actors are accompanied by an enviable cast
including Natalie Portman, Ray Winstone and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and backed
by a BAFTA winning score written by Gabrielle.
With drama, action and romance that will keep you glued to your seat, this is a
visually striking and unforgettable movie. A must for all fans of jaw-dropping
drama.
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Blockbuster: What was it like working in Romania on the movie?
Nicole Kidman: The thing that was amazing shooting there was that it
was so different, even in terms of taking a walk. The first morning I was there
I got up at 6am and decided to take a walk to help me get over my jet lag. And I
went down into the forest, and said I didn't need anyone with me, I'd be
fine. And there was this huge pack of wild dogs there, and I came running back. There's
a lot of wild animals around. We proceeded to see bears, on the Saturday
night would be this weekly bear spotting. We'd all have dinner together
in the guest house, and then we'd all go out together; you'd drive to work
and there'd be sheep around. It was a remote mountain town.
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BB: Could you live in those times in which Cold Mountain is set?
NK: You conjure up those images because you're playing the character.
I remember we were sitting out on the porch of the big house that we were in, and
there was something that we were shooting in that Dante had built, and there was
something so simple about it that you could see the way people existed then, and it
was incredibly satiating at the same time. The way Ada learns to take care of herself,
of course I could eventually learn to do that. That, to me, is one of the most powerful
parts of the film. And one of the reasons I really wanted to do it, because I wanted to
work with Renee. I felt that the two of us, up a mountain together, would be kind of fun.
She's just great to be around and we spent a lot of time together, about three months,
so we really got to know each other. And being the same age as actresses, basically in
the same position, and with her having Chicago and me having The Hours coming out just
when we finished making this film together. So it was really strange timing of us coming
together, and being able to share and help each other. I hope you see that friendship in
the movie, it's something that I'm really proud of.
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BB: What did you think of the romance at the heart of Cold Mountain?
NK: It was really this triangle in terms of Anthony, Jude and I, when
we embarked on this together. It was a very strange coming together during our
rehearsal period. We all took it on, Jude and I both wondered how to make it that
believable that these people share, at most, a kiss and a few glances and the
occasional touch of a hand. How do we make it believable that would stay present
in somebody's head and actually be their light for such a long period of time and
draw them back. I would constantly be asking Anthony if he had enough, because it
was more up to him to know what he'd captured because we were so existing within
it that we really were in the hands of the director, and we hoped that people will
buy into it, will believe it. Jude and I were basically passing each other because
he would be carrying one part of the film and I would be going back to America
and then I would come back and he would go back to London. So we were crossing
in the night a lot, but we were constantly trying to remind each other of each
other in the scenes; keeping in the each other's presence because we were both
very much aware of trying to feed that into each scene to the point where you
feel snow and you remember Inman. Everything somehow has a presence of the person,
that you're still seeing the world through their eyes which I think is when you are
existing with the thought of somebody, you view the world with them even if they're not there.
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BB: What excited you about your role in Cold Mountain?
NK: This was something I needed to do because it was about
belief in someone, not actually losing belief in somebody. I felt
that Ada was not damaged, she still has this beautiful innocence to
her, she can still believe. When somebody says that he'll come back
she believes that he will. Even though that wavers within, the basis
of it is always there. Something like Dogville is a lot different, and
it certainly stays with you. I think each role takes a little from you
and circles around you for the rest of your life. I don't ever think
you abandon any of them.
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BB: What about the accent you use in Cold Mountain?
NK: In terms of the Charleston accent it is very different
to the accents that the other actors were doing. Some of the sounds
do seem unusual, but they are very, very precise and you have to do
them because to a well trained American ear - a Southern ear especially -
they can be heard. They can absolutely hear everything. Luckily Charles
Frazier gave me the thumbs up on the accent, which was all I cared about,
and so did his wife and daughter. I remember when Charles visited the
set quite early on in production. He had spent six years writing this
book, the idea of meeting the author and knowing that you're portraying
something that existed in their head for that amount of time is very
intimidating. To actually meet somebody and to be playing a person
who didn't exist except to them was difficult. But he was very generous
to us, and he came to Romania and he has since embraced all of us really.
That's very important to me, in the same way as it was with Philip Roth
with The Human Stain and Michael Cunningham and The Hours. The last few
films have been based on important novels.
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BB: What about your costumes in Cold Mountain?
NK: There was a conscious decision by Ann Roth in terms
of the trajectory of the character. That's why she dresses me in
that cream outfit when I'm walking up that dirty mountain - believe
me it's very hard to walk up a dirty mountain wearing cream, with
Ann Roth going 'Don't get it dirty we only have one!' But the costumes
and that veil, really fed into the character. I felt like this really
strange, exotic bird. It was wonderful to have those things, because
the way you moved was affected. She would have us in the real corsets,
the real boots - the soles are very slippery and they're tiny and not
easy to walk in. But that was great because when Renee was running me
around the mountain saying we need this and that I was tripping and
falling and trying desperately to keep up with her because all of my
things changed the way I moved. There was a huge emphasis on their hair,
the size of their waist, the embroidery on their gloves, all of those
things were very important. Particularly to a woman from Charleston.
And then by the end it was just trying to stay warm, and braiding my
hair. That was actually what I much prefer.
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BB: What was the experience of working with Donald Sutherland like?
NK: I would say I had a crush on Donald Sutherland! He has such a
lot of stories, he's been in some of the greatest films. I'd just sit there
next to him and get him to tell me about Klute, about Jane Fonda, about Don't
Look Now, about THAT love scene, and ask what was Julie Christie like. And he's
very, very open. He's a wonderful actor, and in terms of his knowledge, in terms of
books, he's very willing to share. I just adored him, and I was so glad he was playing my father.
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Nicole Kidman Filmography
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You may enjoy other movies starring Nicole Kidman...
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