When I first watched the movie "Cold Mountain" about a decade ago, I was attracted by the handsomeness of Ida (played by Nicole Kidman) and in-Man (played by Jude Law), after all, the two actors were flourishing. Especially blinded by Ada's heroine aura, so he only saw the heart-stopping love between Ada and Inman, but he never understood that in this film, in fact, what can make this beautiful love immortal and bring hope to Lengshan is actually the silly-looking country girl next to Ada - Ruby.
Image source: Network
At that time, Renee Zellweger won a number of best supporting actress awards including Oscars, Golden Globes, etc. with the role of Ruby, which shows that the character of Ruby is quite successful both from the perspective of acting and from the perspective of the work itself.
In order to understand Ruby as much as possible, I found the original book and read it again after watching the movie. Therefore, I am sure that the real radiance in "Cold Mountain" is actually this country girl Ruby, who has a fleshy face, unkempt hair, and a dirty body.
<h1>His tragic life taught Ruby how to survive early</h1>
Ruby, like Ida, was born without seeing her mother. But Ada is enshrined as a jewel in the palm of his hand by her father, and he does his best to give Ada love and the best material life.
Ruby, on the other hand, has a pit daddy. Ruby grew up living in a pen-like shack with her idle father, and according to Ruby, her father hoped that she would be able to walk and should support herself. Ruby's father was often away from home, so Ruby had to pick wild fruits in the mountains and forests to eat, or go to the town to ask the villagers for something to eat.
In Ruby's memories, one day in her childhood, she asked the villagers for a bowl of bean soup to drink, and on the way home, her pajamas were hooked by the thorns of the black thorn plum tree by the river, and no one passed by the road all afternoon, and on that cold night, Ruby, who was only four years old, stayed by the tree until she was found the next day and rescued her. When he got home, his father didn't even ask Ruby why he hadn't returned all night.
A little older Ruby often went into the mountains in search of food. Ruby is very familiar with the forests of the Cold Mountains and often spends the night alone in the mountains. Where there are caves to shelter from the wind and snow, where there are wooden houses to stay temporarily, Ruby knows it all.
Ruby learned to farm at a young age, and she was able to do all the farm work easily, like a man. The father and daughter often relied on Ruby to farm and barely wrap their stomachs, and the father was always three days without seeing the shadows at both ends.
Despite the tragic childhood and the hardships of life, Ruby is like a tenacious weed, fearlessly fighting against the cruelty of life, always trying to grow upwards.
<h1>The one who supports Ada to stay in the cold mountains and wait for love is Ruby </h1>
As soon as the war broke out, Inman went to the front, and shortly thereafter Ida's father died. Ada is unaccompanied, neither farming nor cooking, and the neighbors have advised Ida to return to her hometown to join her relatives, when Ida is helpless, and she even takes a mirror into the well, hoping to see her future. When she decided to stay, a well-meaning neighbor approached Ruby.
Ruby is a hard-working, kind, brave, and independent girl.
In the original novel, Ruby's appearance is described in great detail, with a thin upper body, a wide crotch, a strong body like a horse pulling a plow, and dark skin. The author also specifically wrote Ruby's foot:
"She didn't wear shoes, but the footboard was clean and her toenails looked like gray-white fish scales."
As soon as Ruby appeared, the noisy rooster was screwed off its head in an instant. This scene in the movie stunned many viewers.
Ruby is indeed as competent as she says she is, experienced in farming, and very sharp in her work. She knew every inch of the ground under her feet, and she told Ida that turnips and onions were grown here, and cabbage, lettuce, and greens were grown over there... The livestock shed needs to be repaired, a few chickens, a few pigs, and we have to brew our own cider...
Ruby gets up early every day, lives a very regular life, and arranges all the work on the farm in an orderly manner. She bartered Ida's piano and coffee for winter food and livestock. Ruby taught Ida to farm, repair the barn, hunt, make cider, and after a day of farm work, they read together in the evening.
Under Ruby's management, the farm is revitalized and gives Ida hope for life.
Ruby associates Ida with the farm and cold mountain. So, what is the relationship between Ruby and Ida?
Ruby begins with Ada's three chapters, emphasizing that he is not a hired worker, not a servant, and that two people are equal. So, when Inman returns from the battlefield four years later, Ida tells Inman that she must get Ruby's permission to keep Inman on the farm because Ruby is her friend. Ruby would always live on the farm, unless Ruby himself didn't want to live anymore.
In fact, it was Ruby who supported Ada to stay in the cold mountains and wait for love. Without Ruby, the pampered Ada would not have survived in the Cold Mountains. This is clear to everyone, including Ida herself. So it is written in the novel that Ida knows that anyone else will leave the farm after getting bored and leave themselves to fend for themselves, but Ruby will not leave her alone.
<h1>Ruby is the embodiment of hope, the epitome of a people who yearn for peace</h1>
In the movie "Cold Mountain", many of the plots of the original novel were adapted, but the plot about Ruby was almost unchanged. From any point of view, Ruby is a pivotal figure in this work, without her, this work has no soul.
When watching movies, it's easy to see the hard love in war. But in fact, under the love, this work has been conveying a hope through the role of Ruby, a hope for life, a hope for life.
It is precisely because of hope that Ida can endure the torment of thought; Inman will abandon the war and embark on the road home; because of hope, the love between Ida and Inman can be eternal.
Why? Let's first look at the background of the story: the American Civil War.
The whole story takes place in exactly four years from the outbreak to the end of the Civil War. Cold Mountain is a remote town in the south, familiar with the history of the American Civil War will know, when the battlefield was mainly in the South, and the black slavery system was gradually abolished. The people of the South live in war and are in danger at any time.
At that time, there were no black slaves in Ida's family, and her father hired a landless white couple to cultivate the land for them. At the beginning of the war, the white couple ran away. Ada's already prosperous life was shattered with the outbreak of war and the death of her father.
Reading, drawing, and playing the piano cannot be wrapped up, and Ida does not have any livelihood skills, and her life suddenly falls from heaven to hell.
When Ida was cornered, Ruby appeared. Ruby has all the virtues of a country girl: kindness, optimism, hard work, tenacity. She is the embodiment of hope.
Between Ida, Ruby and the farm, the relationship between man and land is reflected. Ida remains in the land because of love, and Ruby originally belongs to this land; Ida is unfamiliar with Cold Mountain at first, and her lonely state puts her in danger, and it is Ruby who rescues her.
The whole atmosphere of the film is gloomy and sad, even in the summer, the shadow of war is everywhere in the vibrant scenes of the farm. Ruby, on the other hand, is a bright spot in the gloom. No matter how hard and dangerous life is, Ruby is not afraid, full of confidence in the future, conforms to nature, and lives strongly and optimistically in this land.
Whenever faced with war, ordinary people have no choice but to pursue their current lives with all their might. Even with the flames of war and the smoke of war, they still look forward to a better future. Therefore, it can be said that Ruby is the epitome of the millions of ordinary people who long for peace in the war.
Fortunately, the future is always bright, and the beauty of life will surely come. At the end of the film, ten years after the end of the war, the summer shade, the sun is just right, the large table under the pear tree on the farm is full of rich food, and in the laughter, we see a new big family.
Both Ai and Ruby have become mothers, and new life is thriving.