CAST:
- Hawkeye: Daniel Day-Lewis;
- Cora: Madeleine Stowe;
- Chingachgook: Russell Means;
- Uncas: Eric Schweig;
- Directed by Michael Mann.
BACKGROUND:
This film is a very loose adaptation of the somewhat boring novel of the same name by James Fenimore Cooper. To say that I have read the novel would be a lie, because every effort to do so is met with inevitable boredom and disbelief at how horribly written this "classic" is. However, it is a genuine classic, because it tells a story from a period in US history that gets very little attention. The 7 Years, or "French & Indian," War is a most fascinating part of our nation's background that just doesn't seem to have the appeal to writers and movie makers that WW2, the Civil War, or even Vietnam has. Perhaps it has something to do with the weaponry: there are guns, but they are not so advanced yet to replace swords, axes, and war clubs. War movies are defined by the underlying history, which is largely interesting because of its effect on subsequent history. What has had a greater impact on history, particularly military history, than the weapons?
This film did not receive a lot of critical acclaim. It is, perhaps, best remembered for its musical score, which if rated separately would achieve 5/5 (it's not derivative of anything). However, I am more than happy to say that this film is the best example of war movies. Some war movies attempt to be documentaries with stories (see the "Longest Day" as the best example of this niche within the genre), while others attempt to be mostly drama (see "Braveheart," similarly). "Pearl Harbor" betrayed the genre utterly by taking one of America's most solemn moments in history and using it as backdrop for jealous romance.
The Last of the Mohicans has some jealous romance too: Major Duncan Heyward is in love Alice Monroe, the daughter of the famous Colonel Monroe, who in real life was actually an officer in the British army, which for a Scot, was quite an achievement in those days. Cora, however, falls in love with her rescuer, the enigmatic Hawkeye: the adopted white son of Chingachgook, who alongside his blood son Uncas, is one of the last of the Mohican people.
This film, however, is neither about the jealous romance nor the extermination of the Mohican people (the historical accuracy of which is debatable). Unlike "Pearl Harbor," these themes are not center stage, and they serve only as the backdrop or consequences of a much greater story based on historical events involving the struggle of the British colonials and American natives who were swept up in the war between England and France. Some sided with the French, others the British, while our protagonists desperately struggle not to get involved. The prejudices of Colonel Monroe and Major Heyward, stoked by the forbidden romance between Cora and Hawkeye, blinds them to the plight of the colonials, whose families have been left to fend for themselves while there husbands fight for the British at Fort William Henry.
At times, the romance between Hawkeye and Cora Monroe serves primarily as a device to advance the plot: it causes Major Heyward to act in ways most unbecoming a British officer, and it affects the politics driving the war. This can be seen in the film. Other times, their moves to the forefront, but it never consumes the movie entirely as I felt was the case with Pearl Harbor, and creates an interesting context for the story.
To say that the cinematography perfectly captures every moment of this film, especially those where are heroes and heroines are trapped inside the fort, would be a gross understatement. This is one of the most beautifully shot films that I have ever seen. I could go on about the little complexities of the story, but suffice it to say that, while there is romance, revenge, redemption, action, and history aplenty, the real story belongs to the events that we see reflected in the characters' faces, expressions, and dialogue. The horror of every scalp taken, for instance, is captured perfectly in the eyes of Alice Monroe, Cora's younger sister who has never before seen the brutal face of war.
The events of the film, historical and imagined, are like an uncredited character that serves as the antagonist for all involved. There is no side of right or "good" side to the conflict in this movie: the French commander, Montcalm, does not want to butcher the British troops that oppose him. Neither does Colonel Monroe seem to take joy in the death of so many French. This war, historically speaking, may have been the death of the last "gentleman's war," as both sides adopted guerrilla tactics that previously would have been considered dishonorable but continued to be used thereafter.
Possibly the only example of evil in this film would be found in the heart of a Huron-turned-Mohawk Indian played by Wes Studi, but even he is just reacting to the death and pain this story visits upon all its characters. It compells them to act in incredible yet all-too-realistic ways. In the words of one of the characters, "It feels like the world is on fire," both to the characters and the audience, yet they do hope, and they do go on, as all people must, grappling with an ending to events that is bittersweet at best. I suspect that any viewer will feel athat hopelessness, but unlike most films with that effect, somehow the Last of the Mohicans descends to the level of being depressing. Of course, that might be becuase we viewers recongize this conflict as the beginning of a new world, setting the stage for American freedom.
PROS:
This film is based on historical events. Watching it is informative, even if a few parts are more fiction than fact, and it covers an area of history few Americans are familiar with. It entertains, regardless, and brings across many moral themes. Specifically, the film subtly deals with genocide, prejudice, and uplifts the concepts of sacrificial love and honor. Hawkeye, Chingachgook, and Uncas sacrifice the future of the entire Mohican people to love and protect those who cannot protect themselves. In the end, even the most selfish protagonist sacrifices everything that he has to protect those he loves. The film, from that perspective, is very uplifting and inspiring.
CONS:
There is a lot of violence in this movie. I would not say that the violence is unnecessary given the subject/material of the film. However, it is graphic and gruesome in places. This movie is not one for young children (though your high school students may end up seeing it in US history class, as I once did). The language is mild, but sometimes the characters speak calmly about topics such as revenge and murder. This movie is a good example of what an "R" movie should be. There is no nudity, and the language is mild, but the violence and themes, similarly to the Passion of the Christ, are something children could be spared for a few years at least. One of the most disappointing scenes, from a Christian perspective, shows 2 characters in the throws of extramarital passion and implies (without explicitly showing) that they slept together.
FINAL THOUGHT:
This is my favorite movie. It does not fail to provide any element of excellent story-telling and also draws upon actual historical events that rarely get screen time. In the end, this film does a number of things that no other film in the genre or at large does, and it does them very well: the score and cinematography are beyond reproach; the characters are compelling; and the film remembers the dead Mohican people not for their weakness and suffering, but for their courage and capacity to love selflessly. Is this an accurate representation of the Mohicans? Who can say - there are none left to ask or observe, or are there? The debate is irrelevant. Either way, I love to imagine a people whose unfailing courage and hasty flight to the defend the cause of the weak brought them to extinction. There were so many lives taken during the 7 Years War between Britain and France, and there are so many holes in our knowledge from that time period. Who is to say that the answers imagined by the Last of the Mohicans are not accurate?
I admit a certain bias for this film. To me, the Last of the Mohicans is the movie that reminds me why I bother watching movies at all. Michael Mann is also one of my favorite directors. More than any other, he can capture a specific mood onscreen and deliver it to the audience. In the Last of the Mohicans, he delivers a mood and an emotion that I have no words to describe.
BOTTOM LINE: 5/5 (it also receives my unoffical, honorary 6/5 for being my favorite movie).
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