Can’t help but fall in love with the epics, how appropriate to grab a bottle of wine and have a little candlelight in front of the TV with your loved one. Yes, some true sad endings are in your future with choices like Cold Mountain and The Notebook, but their love stands the test of time and think about the comforting that comes after.
Cold Mountain:
Not only does it have an awe inspiring list of screen inspiration, but it’s directed by Anthony Minghella (The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley) the names never stop for the award winning Cold Mountain. Chemistry flows right out of the screen with Jude and Nicole’s characters and Renee keeps you completely enthralled, her charisma is pure brilliance. Cinematography is breath taking and special affects between the battle scene reenactment and additions to the scenery, everything looks so real. Costuming, what a wonder, down the the last button is perfect in detail and tradition. I had watched an A&E special where they had explained the costumes and actors parts in the film. Under the costumes, the part that we do not see, even that part had kept up with tradition, corsets and layers of clothing. If the opportunity comes about watch the special, it shows the wonders of music and it’s importance to the screenplay and characters of the film and the words. So many stories, each character had their own tale to tell, Inman (Jude Law) found himself traveling back to a love he had yet known, but wanted. Inman ran into each wondrous character along the way and lived apart of their lives, even for a short while, with them. Saved lives and taken, Inman had done both on his journey and tried to keep himself from being buried 6 feet under. Then there is Ada (Nicole Kidman), Ada is a preacher’s daughter who knows nothing of life, but how to play piano and be elegant. A wonderful line from the movie, “if it has a purpose, a true function, then I am not ment to do anything with it” Ada. Ruby (Renee Zellweger) comes along to assist Ada, show her how to farm, cook, mend fences, and be all together useful. Cold Mountain is based on hardships during the Civil War and many different aspects of lives, not just a love story, but a life’s story. An epic film based on a brilliant novel, Cold Mountain is a film not to be missed.
The Notebook:
The Notebook might not fit into the epic romance category, but it comes close to true love and loss and can easily be considered a classic romance for today’s times. A Spring and Winter romance that reaches to the very depths of our souls. The Notebook is slow at times, but true southern romances shouldn’t be rushed. The story of an older gentleman madly in love with his wife and willing to relive that love everyday for the sake of memories. The story of a young man who has a true heart and everything to offer, but money, to the love of his life. Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) must choose between true love and all the comforts of having the one real thing that life must have to survive or making her family, mother, content and accept the love of another to stay within her well lavished role. Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) a local that works manual labor in a mill and earns a mere 40 cents an hour is madly and passionately in love with a wealthy beauty who summers in his home town. He swoons her off her feet and the two spend a wonderful, but short romantic summer together, against her mother’s wishes. When the summer had ended and Allie was forced to leave and Noah had been pulled off to fight in World War II, even though the two were forced to part their memories haunted each other. Allie had found another who lavished gifts and love upon her, with her families approval she accepted his marriage proposal leaving behind any hope of reuniting with Noah. One day she discovered an image in the paper of Noah and his home he had promised her and off she went to find out why he had left her behind. Noah had never forgot and she had arrived to find a man tore to pieces by the haunting memories of their summer love. Falling into each other’s arms and never wanting to let go, she must, she had been promised to another and could not leave the lavish life that Noah could not provide for her.
Decades later we find that a man (James Garner) in a nursing home spends everyday of his life telling this true romantic story to an older woman (Gena Rowlings) with a memory that has faded over the years. Everyday he reads this story from start to end looking for the spark of memory that he receives, but only for a fleeting moment at the end of the story. Through out the day visitors come and go, yet she does not recognize who they are and they only address her as their father’s friend. Is the love story he reads to her everyday their story? Does she finally remember that he is the true love of her life? Does she remember if he is Noah or is the the other she was betrothed to. These are secrets that the creators of the film had tried to keep from the audience, but didn’t pull the illusion off as well as they had hoped. If they were to keep the story a mystery until the very end, they should have covered their tracks a little better. The audience figures out way too soon that this is Noah and Allie’s story that he spends everyday reading to the older woman and it’s their story, but the question is is he Noah?
James Garner still has what it takes to make the audience completely believe his character, completely believe that he is madly in love with Gena Rowlings character. Ryan Gosling is a new hottie on the seen that has more than just the graces of a beautiful face and luring sweet eyes; Ryan is a very talented actor. Such talent is shown in some of his other films like The United States of Leland, The Believer and The Slaughter Rule. Ryan pulled off a very passionate and strong of character role. Gena Rowlings is a beautiful actor that comes from an old school of great talent and shines on screen. The Notebook does seem a little slow at time, but for all good things that come it does take time. Certain things in life cannot be rushed. I give The Notebook a slow romantic syrupy sweet thumbs up.
Others you may consider…
Gone With The Wind, The English Patient, The Thornbirds & Braveheart