Last of the Mohicans - James Fenimore Cooper

The story begins with Hawkeye and his two Mohican friends - Chingachgook and son Uncas - killing a deer. They bring it to a friend's house, the Camerons, who are preparing to join the British in their war against the French. Hawkeye doesn't agree. Still, they head to Fort William Henry. Cora and sister Alice are just arriving in New York from Boston. Duncan proposes to Cora, but she explains that she cannot marry him. She likes him as a friend. They head to see the girls' father at the fort with, Magua the Huron guide. So the girls, Duncan and a small group of soldiers head there. An ambush kills off everyone but Cora, Alice and Duncan, while Hawkeye shows up to rescue them. They find that the Cameron house has been burnt down. They hide out in a sacred spot overnight. They all go into the fort. Munro wants to send out runners for help and Hawkeye helps protect them with his gun. There is also a romantic scene with Cora and Hawkeye.

Soon Hawkeye helps his colonial friends escape to return to protect their homes, and he is thrown in jail. Munro is forced to abandon the fort, and they all head out. Indians attack and slaughter everyone. Magua kills Munro. He says that his village had been destroyed by Munro earlier. The "good guys" escape to a hidden cave beneath a waterfall. As the Hurons approach, Cora begs Hawkeye and the indians to escape. He promises to find her, no matter what. Duncan stays with them.

It seems like a day or so passes with simple running before Hawkeye has found them. Magua is planning on roasting them all. Hawkeye pleads his case. The elders decide to kill Cora, give Alice to Magua and return Duncan. Hawkeye is upset and insists his own life be traded for Cora. Duncan, who is translating, changes it to offer himself and it is agreed. Duncan is roasted and Hawkeye kindly gives him a mercy shot to kill him.

Now everyone is chasing after Magua, Alice and their small band. Uncas loves her and wants to rescue her. He tries his best in hand to hand combat, but he is slain by Magua. Alice, seeing her hero slain, deliberately steps off a cliff, committing suicide. Chingachgook runs up and kills Magua, and then you have a sad ending scene where they comment that the Mohican line is now ended.

My Thoughts on the Plot
They switched around the characters here from the book. Duncan loves Cora, not Alice. Hawkeye was never supposed to love anyone so the love triangle is all new. They lost the religious character. In the book a key part was Magua wanting to marry Cora and her refusing - here he simply wants to kill everyone. The final Indian scene is supposed to be with Delawares - friends of Uncas. Instead they are with Hurons - friends of Magua. Cora is supposed to be killed, rather than Alice choosing to die.

Still, the director made GREAT efforts to be historically accurate here, and took out a lot of the bias and nasty anti-Indian sentiment of the book. So in many ways the movie is a great improvement on the original story. And, to be honest, I really like the new romantic interests :) I love how the girls start out very prim and proper and step by step, their hair comes down, they get more disheveled, and they give into the natural beauty around them. I really like how they show that Alice is understated, but that her love for Uncas is just as powerful in its own way as Cora's is for Hawkeye. I really wish that the "chase scene" was MUCH longer though. It looks far too simple and quick.

I like how they keep some of the ideas - like the mercy shot - and use them in different ways. I also like how they talk about the plight of the local colonists, something really ignored in the book.

1992 Movie Plot of the Last of the Mohicans 1971 Masterpiece Theater Plot of the Last of the Mohicans Last of the Mohicans book

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