Last of the Mohicans
Last of the Mohicans was the movie that had me fall in love with Daniel Day-Lewis. I was convinced he would make the perfect Aragorn for Lord of the Rings - and indeed, he was the person the producers wanted for the part initially. Apparently he turned them down. Why?The story, written by James Fenimore Cooper, is set in 1757. Daniel plays Hawkeye, who is good friends with the last two Mohicans on the planet. They roam the east coast, hunting deer, hanging out with friends and being friendly. Unfortunately for them, war has come to the region. The British are going around grabbing up loose men to defend their forts. The French are coming, and the French have friends.
This sets the stage for the good Indians vs the bad Indians. The good Indians are honorable, brave and strong. The bad Indians like to stab people in the back and betray their word.
There's romance, too. One of the fort's commanders has two young, beautiful daughters who go on a journey to meet him. They are ambushed, and Hawkeye comes in to save the day.
I don't want to give away a lot of the plot points, as you can tell by my summary :) Part of the gorgeous impact of the story is finding out as you go what is going to happen to each character. As you might guess from the title, this is not an upbeat, Disney film. It is about the last of a dying breed, about how traits which should be praised and respected are instead trodden down.
The book has many stereotypes, and I feel the movie did a great job of trying to make the story more accurate and round. The director did a great deal of research to make the landscapes, clothing and surroundings as authentic as possible. You don't get to see a lot of Native American life in the movie - probably the closest you get is a short scene where a few natives are playing a game involving balls and sticks with their colonial friends. Still, the few moments you get - like when Hawkeye and his friends slay a deer, then give thanks before touching it - are very moving.
If I have a complaint, it's that the scene where Hawkeye is desperately trying to find the two sisters goes by very quickly. It's set up to be a great, monumental task he has, to track them for months and months, to finally rescue them. The book lays out the challenges faced by the trackers along the way. In the movie it's more like the girls leave in the morning and by sunset he's caught up with them again. It always bothers me when I watch the movie.
Still, I've seen this film dozens of times and it always gets to me. I love the dialogue. I love the soundtrack. I love the scenery and landscapes. A must own as far as I'm concerned.
Comparison of Last of the Mohicans book and movies
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