In From The Cold

You could forgive any film for not wanting to premiere in the days following the phenomenal debut of The Return of the King. After the veritable riot that accompanied Peter Jackson's triumphant return, any subsequent film was always going to come across a little lacklustre by comparison but that didn't stop Anthony Minghella from kicking off Cold Mountain with a royal charity premiere this Sunday - and a damn good show it was too. Despite adverse temperatures (to put it mildly) and the fact that it was a Sunday evening, hundreds of onlookers donned winter garb to welcome the film. Though to be honest it probably had rather more to do with the presence of Nicole Kidman and Jude Law than the (certainly attractive in his own way) director and BFI chair. Indeed, squawking men joined the catcalling girls as the objects of their desire waved coquettishly from the red carpet - and burly security guards kept would-be Casanovas from getting too close. Based on a book by Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain tells the tale of a wounded confederate soldier (Law) who is on a perilous journey to return home and be reunited with his sweetheart (Kidman). A warm and fuzzy premise but the shoot wasn't without its perils. "The morning after arriving on set I wanted to get over my jet lag so decided to go for a walk in the forest," recalled Kidman. "I said 'no, no you don't have to go with me, I'll be fine by myself.' So I'm walking through the forest enjoying the scenery when I walk straight into a pack of wild dogs. I ran back very quickly." Wildlife soon became an accepted part of the shoot, however, with the crew regularly going bear-spotting on Saturday nights. Jude Law found filming in such an isolated environment a rather therapeutic experience. "Downtime was spent going out for walks and climbing trees, and you suddenly found you had peace of mind." Joined by The Prince of Wales, The cast and director sat down to watch the film and then swanned off to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden for merriment and assorted festive cheer.