The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Three trappers protect a British Colonel's daughters in the midst of the French and Indian War.

Director:

Michael Mann

Writers:

James Fenimore Cooper (novel), John L. Balderston (adaptation),

Stars:

Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Hawkeye (Nathaniel Poe)
Madeleine Stowe	...	Cora Munro
Russell Means	...	Chingachgook
Eric Schweig	...	Uncas
Jodhi May	...	Alice Munro
Steven Waddington	...	Maj. Duncan Heyward
Wes Studi	...	Magua
Maurice Roëves	...	Col. Edmund Munro
Patrice Chéreau	...	Gen Montcalm
Edward Blatchford	...	Jack Winthrop
Terry Kinney	...	John Cameron
Tracey Ellis	...	Alexandra Cameron
Justin M. Rice	...	James Cameron
Dennis Banks	...	Ongewasgone
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Capt. Beams

Storyline

British and French troops do battle in colonial America, with aid from various native American war parties. The British troops enlist the help of local colonial militia men, who are reluctant to leave their homes undefended. A budding romance between a British officer's daughter and an independent man who was reared as a Mohican complicates things for the British officer, as the adopted Mohican pursues his own agenda despite the wrath of different people on both sides of the conflict.

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Plot Keywords:

british | french | indian war | colonel | settler | 

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Taglines:

The first American hero.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Mohawk

Release Date:

25 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

El último de los mohicanos

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$72,455,275 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 117 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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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Goofs

After Fort William Henry has surrendered, the assistant director is visible at the bottom of the screen, wearing a blue baseball cap and waving a megaphone.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: 1757 / The American colonies. / It is the 3rd year of the war between England and France for the possession of the continent. / Three men, the last of a vanishing people, are on the frontier west of the Hudson river.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood's Top Ten: Battle of the Warriors (2011)

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Soundtracks

"I WILL FIND YOU"
Written and Produced by Ciarán Brennan
Performed by Clannad
Courtesy of Atlantic Records

User Reviews

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

"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