Review by Matt Anderson

While Cold Mountain fell short of the grandeur and sweep of director Anthony Minghella’s adaptations of The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley on the big screen, the Civil War epic makes for an excellent DVD experience.

Disc One includes an excellent running commentary with director Minghella and Walter Murch, the film’s editor. Minghella defends the film’s romance, which some reviews (including this one) have dismissed as being less engaging than the rest of the movie. It’s enough of an argument to make the film deserve a second chance.

The second disc holds six supplemental features. The most curious of the bunch is the 90-minute The Words and Music of Cold Mountain - Royce Hall Special. It’s a live concert, but not just any concert. Among the performers are no less than Jack White, Alison Krauss, Sting, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Anthony Minghella, T-Bone Burnett, and the Sacred Harp singers. The evening was orchestrated by Miramax head honcho Harvey Weinstein, no doubt in a bid for more Oscars.

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