Episode 1

full
Published on:

4th Feb 2026

Cold Mountain

This week on Forgotten Cinema, the Mikes trek through "Cold Mountain", Anthony Minghella’s sweeping Civil War drama starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renée Zellweger, that both of them ultimately enjoyed, even while acknowledging its many hurdles.

The film has a lot working against it. The dialogue often feels pulled straight from the novel, the tone is relentlessly dreary, and at 154 minutes it asks a lot of its audience. Mike Butler and Mike Field also struggle with the central romance, finding it hard to believe that Kidman's and Law’s characters would risk everything for a relationship that never really existed.

Despite those issues, the Mikes agree that "Cold Mountain" tells a compelling story and contains several genuinely powerful moments. Strong supporting performances, striking imagery, and episodic stretches of the journey help elevate the film beyond its flaws.

It may be long, heavy, and imperfect, but "Cold Mountain" still leaves an impression and offers enough substance to make the journey worthwhile.

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0:00 - Introduction

2:56 - Film Facts

9:45 - Film Discussion

35:36 - Reviews

36:26 - Who Would You Recommend This To?

41:26 - Why Is This Forgotten?

50:36 - Plugs

#ForgottenCinema #ColdMountain #JudeLaw #NicoleKidman #ReneeZellweger #CivilWar #HistoricalFilm #Drama #MoviePodcast #FilmDiscussion #UnderratedMovies #ClassicFilms

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About the Podcast

Forgotten Cinema
A podcast about forgotten films that deserve a second chance
Welcome to Forgotten Cinema! Each episode, Mike Field and Mike Butler highlight a film that for a variety of reasons was forgotten by audiences. Whether it be because a more popular movie was released at the same time or the movie simply didn’t catch on with an audience in the its initial run. We’ll discuss what we love about the movie or perhaps don’t love about it and decide whether the movie is worth a revisit.