Absolutely thrilling. One of my most fav...

Author: Hamish Joy from India
21 July 2004

This is turning out to be one of my most favourite romantic epics of all time. I know most people do not see this as romantic as it is a classic battle movie. As a matter of fact, seeing the trailer and the posters left me with the impression that this is indeed a war movie, what with the battle scenes and all; something along the lines of `Braveheart'. But upon seeing the movie, I was awed by the unexpected change in genre. The movie is a masterpiece, and all the actors and actresses certainly do amazing jobs. Daniel Day Lewis is simply amazing as Hawkeye. Though I usually try to read some of the more interesting books based on which movies are made, I haven't read the book in this case. But I sincerely doubt whether the book can be as good. Plus, I am told that the movie and the book have little in common.

Madeline Stowe is stunning as Cora Munro, and Jodhi May was certainly impressive as the frail dependent younger sister. Nathaniel, or ‘Hawkeye', is the adopted son of Chingachgook, played by Russell Means, whose real and lone son Uncas contributes to the team's claim of being the last of the Mohican clan. The British recruitment of Militia from its colonies during a time of war against France brings about a certain unrest. And it is further deepened by the character of Magua, who is a Huron warrior bent on a personal vendetta against British Colonel Munro, and his family. Magua is bent on the utter destruction of Colonel Munro and his two daughters, hence ‘wiping his seed from the earth'.

Chingachgook and his two sons become entwined in between all this. To top that, Nathaniel falls in love with Cora and their love story takes the show from there. It is sensually and emotionally stimulating, and we as the audience feels engulfed in the mastery.The love story I liked better was the one played in the background, an story that is absent, yet strongly felt throughout the movie. I am referring to the love story between Eric Schweig's character, Uncas and Alice Munro, played by Jodhi May. It is the subtleness and the overtone-nature of the love that builds in us a sense of involvement. To the best of my memory, they never spoke a word to each other, but the passion is strongly felt. And the climax really takes us to another level of appreciation.

Wes Studi is probably the fiercest villain I have seen on screen. His mere presence builds an acute level of intimidation. The character portrayal is flawless, and the casting done is excellent. I do not believe that anybody…, anybody at all, could have replaced Wes in this movie. The fierceness, the anger, the viciousness, the… the everything required to build up the character… He has done all that. Probably his best performance yet.The music is sort of unconventional. Usually, the pace of the music is in sync with the pace of the action on screen.

But in this case, the same slow music floods the scenes whether the pace on-screen is fast or slow. If I had heard somebody else say that, I certainly would have thought that it would not be effective. But amazingly, this unconventional approach works. And how! The music is probably the most addictive feature about the movie. After the first time I saw it, the music lingered in my mind for a month. All my waking moments, my mind was echoing that brilliant piece of work. I am a very very huge fan of Hans Zimmer, but I doubt if even he could have done a better job.I have seen the movie eight times to date. And I will definitely see it again. The climactic scene is so moving that I have lost count how many times I've seen that.

One Of The Greatest Adventure Films Ever

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from United States
7 January 2006

This was one of those movies I didn't expect that much when I first saw it so I was pleasantly surprised. Since then, it has skyrocketed to nearly the top on my list of all-time favorite films. I can't think of too many other adventure films that are better. Just a great, great movie.

It boasts an interesting story filled with intense characters, beautiful scenery, a fantastic score, good action and a nice romance. So....there is a lot to like about this Michael Mann-directed film.The action scenes are quite realistic, and border on being almost too prevalent, to be fair. However, even if it may be a little too intense or frequent, the action is always interesting and varied, from all-out assaults to individual battles.

The story takes place in Eastern New York State but, in reality, was filmed in beautiful Smokey Mountain areas in Asheville, N.C. This movie looks spectacular and with an epic, sweeping soundtrack is quite a feast for the eyes and ears.The eye candy includes a handsome leading couple: Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeline Stowe. Wes Studi is mesmerizing as the "bad guy." If you liked him in "Geronimo: An American Legend," you'll like his work here.

If you are fairly young and only know Michael Mann through his crime movies like "Heat" or "Collateral," please check this earlier film out. It could be Mann's best, which is saying a lot.

Jodhi May : Alice Munro (très bien !)

*

*

Action, Romance, and Intrigue

Author: Volay from Virginia, USA
6 February 1999

The Last of the Mohicans is a timeless tale of the 18th century frontier and the virtue and tragedy that results when the uniquely different cultures of the French, English, Native americans, and colonists collide. Based on James Fenimore Cooper's literary genius, The Last of the Mohicans transports the viewer back to a time of America's youth in a brilliant, mesmerizing fashion.

The story centers on an eclectic band of travelers, thrust together by fate and their attempt to escape danger and reach the besieged British fort, William-Henry. Deep within the western forests of colonial New York, Hawkeye, the white, adopted son and brother of the Mohicans, tries desperately to avoid an ever-increasing war. He is forced to act when, along with his Mohican father and brother, he encounters two endangered sisters trying to reach their father, a British colonel in command at the fort. Hawkeye, the rustic tracker, and Cora, the refined, eldest daughter, are naturally drawn together (much to the dismay of Major Heyward, an intriguing character who also vies for Cora's affections).

Tensions and passions arise between the characters as a whirlwind of conflict and violence rages around them. In the end, each character must face heart-wrenching decisions that will affect their very lives, and the lives of those around them.I especially love the way that the film depicts the perspectives of each of the groups involved.Whether the group is competing for military superiority or simple existence in their homeland  the viewer is given a true sense of their mindset in the midst of a great conflict. It is difficult to say one side or the other is completely to blame for the events that take place.

Even the story's main antagonist, Magua (wonderfully portrayed by Wes Studi, Dances with Wolves) draws in a fair amount of empathy.The Last of the Mohicans is a marvelous, visual adventure that thoroughly reveals the horrors of warfare, the wildness of a chaste frontier,and the fated and ill-fated romances of the characters involved.

Fierce, bold, and beautiful - "The Last of the Mohicans"

Author: dee.reid from United States
19 November 2004

"The Last of the Mohicans" was one of the most popular and acclaimed films of 1992. Its vision of early America, as it was during the French and Indian War, is captured in its utter brutality and beauty, complete with the many driving ambitions and clashing cultures of everyone involved.

This movie has a bit of everything, including action, romance, war, and passionate drama. The director, Michael Mann, knows the story well and does all but completely discard James Fenimore Cooper's source material, which some have dubbed as being racist and totally unfair in its portrait of Native Americans.

The story (and what a story) is all over the place, with three frontier scouts - Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis), Chingachgook (Russell Means), and Uncas (Eric Schweig) - escorting a British colonel's daughters - Cora and Alice Munro (Madeleine Stowe and Jodhi May respectively) - to safety at the besieged Fort William Henry. Major Duncan Heyward (Steven Waddington) rivals Hawkeye for Cora's affections and a vengeance-driven Huron named Magua (Wes Studi) seeks to have both daughters killed in retribution for the loss of his own children.

This is by far Mann's best film yet (it ranks #15 on my all-time favorite movies list) and he uses the lush wilderness settings to great effect. He also makes good use of the editing, which actually comes in handy when showcasing the brutal violence that dominates much of the film's action sequences. The film's last 20 minutes are a definite stunner that can only be described as classic and vicious.(?!)This is a great movie that shows America in its infancy, complete with the rivalries, intrigue, and violence that I'm sure was an everyday part of life during this hectic time period.10/10

Trivia
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Composer Randy Edelman was brought in to provide additional music after Trevor Jones could not return to the film due to other commitments after having written about fifty minutes of music to rework his score from the film's original three hour cut. Edelman would provide about twenty-eight-and-a-half minutes. Edelman was then in charge of assembling the music for the new cut of the film which clocked in at about 114 minutes which included Jones' music,

Edelman's, and all the source material by Daniel Lanois and Clannad. Jones and Edelman did not work together on the score which is why their names on the credits are separate from one another. The subsequent soundtrack album also represents this as Jones' music is separated from Edelman's as the album's first half is Jones' score followed by Edelman's and ending with Clannad's song to round it out. All told with their musical contributions to the film, Jones and Edelman's score combined round out to approximately seventy-eight minutes without the source music.
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-Although the Ft. William Henry massacre actually took place, historical fact differs somewhat from historical fiction. A Col. Munro was in command at the fort and did indeed surrender to Montcalm when General Webb could not arrive in time to reinforce him. The attack by the Hurons after the surrender was directed at the colonial militia and its Indian allies. Munro and the British regulars were at the head of the column under the protection of French soldiers and did not know that the column had been attacked until they arrived at Ft. Edward.

James Fenimore Cooper based his novel on reports from survivors of the attack. The British used the attack to stir up the colonials to join in the fight against the French. In all versions of the movie except this one, Munro survives and is saved by Hawkeye. Munroe survived in real life as well.
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-One of the reasons Michael Mann decided to shoot the film in North Carolina instead of New York was that he felt the woods of North Carolina looked more like the old-growth forests of the Adirondacks, which still show evidence of logging during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the scenes were shot at Biltmore, George Vanderbilt's North Carolina estate; the forest in the estate was carefully planned and planted about 100 years ago.
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-The drummer during the march just before the attack by the Huron war party has "Nec Aspera Terrant" embroidered on his hat, which means "Difficulties be damned" (other meanings or translations are often used for this motto, it must be noted.)
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-Hawkeye's rifle is a beautiful example of the classic Pennsylvania long rifle - which is all too frequently misnamed the "Kentucky" rifle. Considered by many to be among the most beautiful firearms ever crafted, Pennsylvania long rifles often feature a small lock, long, slim, graceful lines, and beautifully carved "tiger" maple stocks. The dramatically down-turned "Roman-nosed" stock is a hallmark of the Allentown-Bethlehem area school, the rifle in the film being very similar to works created by several well-known gunsmiths from that tradition in 18th and early 19th century. Hermann Rupp, John Rupp, and Jacob Kuntz were among some of the well-known practitioners of this style; an excellent and gorgeous example of the Kuntz's craftsmanship can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
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-Jodhi May's mother was on set and wouldn't let there be a real "love scene" between Jodhi and Eric Schweig.
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-While filming the canoe scenes, the canoe always tipped. F. Curtis Gaston, Soldier Number One, recalls having to save the upset Jodhi May from the cold waters.
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-Hawkeye's real name in the novel is Natty Bumppo, but was changed to Nathaniel Poe for the film to avoid titters from the audience.
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-Jodhi May has said that much of her role disappeared on the cutting room floor.
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-The film was originally scheduled for a summer 1992 release, as the teaser posters said, but when Michael Mann's first version clocked in at three hours, he was told by Fox to cut the film down and the release was postponed to September. Mann was never happy with the resulting two-hour version, feeling he had not had enough time to properly trim it, and so Fox allowed him to re-edit it entirely for the 1999 DVD release. Although only a few minutes longer, the new version features minor changes throughout the film. It is Mann's preferred version and the only one available on DVD in the US.
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-Brian Cox was offered the part of Colonel Munro.
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-The cougar used in the film now lives in Hollywild Animal Park in South Carolina.
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-Daniel Day-Lewis is alleged to have quipped at the local NC airport to a fellow Mohican player, "I quit smoking, but this film has made me start again".
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-During the siege scenes, large mortars are seen to fire huge cannon balls at the fort. On one day while attempting to capture the projectiles arcing through the air, basketballs spray painted black were actually fired from the mortars. Problem was, most of them either burned up in the barrel or briefly flamed in the air for several feet before falling to earth.
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-Renowned Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser is the fiddler on the soundtrack though he is not credited.
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-According to Randy Edelman's 1996 Film Score Monthly interview, he came on board because of creative differences between Trevor Jones and Michael Mann which forced Jones off the project. "The movie was over budget, there was a mess with the studio, etc. The only reason Morgan Creek got the rights to not just the music and the album but all the overseas rights is because the whole situation was out of control. Daniel Day-Lewis was a big box-office star having won the best actor Oscar only two years earlier for 'My left Foot'."
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-Mike Phillips character is listed as "Sachem" in the end credits. This is not a name; it is a title that means "elder", "wise one", or "chief". The character's actual name is "Tamenund", although this name is never used in the film.
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-Andie MacDowell was considered for the role of Cora Munro.
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Spoilers
The trivia items below may give away important plot points.
In the original theatrical film, after Major Duncan Heyward tells Hawkeye that he will have him beaten from the fort, Hawkeye responds by saying, "Someday, I think you and I are going to have a serious disagreement." The Director's Expanded Edition of the film however has no such line. Michael Mann removed it after deciding that it gave away too much before the two's argument over who should be killed in the place of Cora. Interestingly, Mann replaced the line for the Director's Definitive Cut (released on blu-ray).
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-Numerous characters who die in this film do not die in the book written by James Fenimore Cooper including Monroe, Heyward and Alice (in the book it was Cora who was killed).