History Literature / ColdMountain

* CaliforniaDoubling: The film was mostly shot in Romania, as the real South has too many paved roads and telephone wires.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Ada indulges in "the easement of maiden, spinster, and widow," and, being the daughter of a minister, feels suitably guilty over it.

* SouthernBelle: Ada

* DisappearedDad: Ruby, Inman, and Ada. [[spoiler: Ada's dies, but Ruby's comes back.]]

* PsychopaticManchild: Boisie is shown hopping up and down and whistling on top of a fence... while nailing Mrs. Swanger's hands under the planks of said fence.

* FamousLastWords: "The confidence of youth." [[spoiler: Boisie]]

* SnowMeansDeath: Inman's final confrontation with Boisie takes place on a snowy day.

* YoungGun: Bosie

* SnowMeansDeath

* AmericanAccents: Dixie, specifically.

* [[spoiler:TheHeroDies: Inman himself at the end.]]

* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar

* GreekMythology: While not directly referencing the epic, the story closely follows that of ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', with the setting, context and names changed. In the book, Ada reads to Ruby from ''The Odyssey,'' and Ruby likes it, but thinks that Odysseus might be a bit less honest and more wily than the epic lets on.

* AscendedMeme: Shortly after the film's release, Creator/DavidLetterman would frequently play audio clips of Renee Zellweger saying "If you need help, here I am," and "There ain't no man better'n me," from the movie, completely without context.

A 1997 novel by Charles Frazier (made into a [[TheFilmOfTheBook film]] in 2003 starring NicoleKidman, Renee Zellweger, and Jude Law) which tells the story of Ada Monroe, who moves from Charleston to rural Cold Mountain with her aging (and ailing) father for his health, and W.P. Inman, a terse but goodhearted young man. Just as Ada and Inman seem to be developing a relationship, Inman leaves to fight for the Confederate Army and, after being wounded in battle, decides to desert and walk through often hostile territory to get back home to Ada. Meanwhile, Ada's father has died and she must learn how to survive on her own.

* SpoiledSweet: Ada comes from an entirely different social echelon than her rural neighbors in Cold Mountain but is actually quite humble.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: Ruby is described as being dark-skinned, with a broad nose and hair the texture of a horse's mane. Whether this is due to mixed racial heritage, or simply her rough outdoors life, is up to interpretation.

* DiedInYourArmsTonight:[[spoiler:Inman]]

* HerHeartWillGoOn:[[spoiler:Ada at the end.]]

* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Ada, moreso in the novel than the film. This is gradually subverted over the course of her friendship with Ruby, who is BookDumb, but very observant, and knowledgeable about aspects of the world that mystify Ada.

* {{Tsundere}}: Ruby. She's brash, if not quite a JerkAss, and pretends not to care about Georgia or her father but is really quite a softie.

* FakeAmerican: virtually the whole cast.

* TheAmericanCivilWar

* StrangeGirl: Ada is regarded as this when she first moves to Cold Mountain, due to her habits picked up from living in the city and from her father.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: in the book. Inman's gone for a long time and Ada gets lonely.
* AbusiveParents: Stobrod, along with (and probably because of) being an AlcoholicParent.

* FourthDateMarriage: Ada and Inman both admit they haven't interacted much

* OrphansOrdeal: [[spoiler:Ada, having been taken care of all her life, has no idea what to do when her father dies.]]
* OscarBait: nominated for seven Oscars and won for Best Supporting Actress (ReneeZellweger as Ruby.)

* PsychoForHire: Teague.

* ChocolateBaby: In the book, Junior complains that his wife delivered a chocolate baby to him after they'd been married a year.

* GreekMythology: While not directly referencing the epic, the story closely follows that of ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', with the setting, context and names changed.

* IWillWaitForYou: Ada

* DisappearedDad: Ruby, Inman [[spoiler: and Ada. Ada's dies but Ruby's comes back.]]

* {{Hypocrite}}: Veasey. He's a priest and repeatedly lectures people about doing things the godly way, yet impregnated a woman out of wedlock, attempted to drown her, and repeatedly messes around with other women throughout the rest of his time in the book, not including all of the other underhanded stuff he does.
* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Ada, moreso in the novel than the film.

* BulletHolesandRevelations: When Boisie and Inman face off at the end. [[spoiler:Twice, first Boisie is shown dead, then Inman mortally wounded.]]

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