In this classic story of love and devotion set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, a wounded Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman deserts his unit and travels across the South, aiming to return to his young wife, Ada, who he left behind to tend their farm. As Inman makes his perilous journey home, Ada struggles to keep their home intact with the assistance of Ruby, a mysterious drifter sent to help her by a kindly neighbor.
Cinematography
Blue Ridge Mountains shot like mythic ancient Greece.
Acting
Zellweger's Oscar steal—she's the film's beating heart.
Score
Gabriel Yared's haunting Appalachian-inspired masterpiece.
Director
Anthony Minghella
Jude Law
Inman
Nicole Kidman
Ada Monroe
Renée Zellweger
Ruby Thewes
Eileen Atkins
Maddy
Brendan Gleeson
Stobrod Thewes
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Reverend Veasey
Natalie Portman
Sara
Giovanni Ribisi
Junior
Donald Sutherland
Reverend Monroe
Ray Winstone
Teague
Kathy Baker
Sally Swanger
James Gammon
Esco Swanger
Charlie Hunnam
Bosie
Jack White
Georgia
Ethan Suplee
Pangle
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jude Law broke his rib during filming but kept shooting. Method or masochism? You decide.
The film sparked tourism chaos in Romania (standing in for NC) and revived interest in Charles Frazier's novel.
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