We saw this movie on Christmas day and really enjoyed the portrayal of life in the country during Civil war era. It showed rural people in North Carolina (actually, it was mostly filmed in Romania, which is now like what the NC was then) and the way they lived: Homesteading! I recommend this movie to everyone who won't be offended by the nudity and sex. (I wasn't) It was a great love story and a three kleenex tearjerker for me! ( Read the book, too!)
For those of you who read the book AND saw the movie: did the book have all that raunchy sex in it, too?
Chuck - there was sex in the book, but it was not very graphic and fit with the story. I don't mind a little sex in my movies - I prefer it over violence, but sometimes it's just there to please the masses. I think the book told a very strong story of a man's odyssey coming home from war. His story parallells the women's story of what it was like to be left behind to struggle with daily life. Although the movie is visually beautiful, I think it got too entrenched in "the love story" aspect and lost the rich complexity of the novel.
