The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Director:

Michael Mann

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

25 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Romance | War

Tagline:

The first American hero.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Abenaki | Battle Scene | Adopted Son | Battle | Adoption

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

112 min | USA:117 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Mohawk

Colour:

Colour (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

South Korea:15 | France:Unrated | Brazil:16 | Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #31878) | UK:15 (video rating) (1993) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (edited version)

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Trivia:

Alasdair Fraser, renowned Scotish fiddler, is the fiddler on the soundtrack though he is not credited.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Duncan can be heard translating one of the lines from French before it is spoken.

Quotes:

Colonel Munro: And how am I to know it wasn't a raid by thieves?
Hawkeye: The cabin was attacked by a war party fighting with the French. They're sweeping south along the frontier attacking farms and Mohawk villages, all the men are stuck here.
Colonel Munro: I need proof more convincing than this man's opinion before I weaken the fort's defenses by releasing the militia.
Jack Winthrop: Chingachgook had the same opinion about the raid; taken together that's gospel. Your fort will stand or fall depending on Webb's reinforcements, not the presence of the Colonials.
Colonel Munro: I judge military matters here, not you.
Hawkeye: Your judgment is not more important than their right under agreement with Webb to defend their farms and families. Major Hayward was there, he was at John Cameron's, he saw what it was.
Colonel Munro: What exactly did you see Major?
Duncan: [glancing at Cora] I saw nothing that would lead me to the conclusion that it was other than a raid by savages bent on thievery.
Hawkeye: You're a liar.
Colonel Munro: [as Duncan lunges for Hawkeye] Major!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Into the West" (2005) (mini)

Soundtrack:

THE HOUSE IN ROSE VALLEY

The ultimate early Western romance.

This film, for reasons that are not completely obvious to me, struck a chord. It was in part the amazing location shots, partly the characters, partly the music and the action sequences. As for the (relatively) under-developed romance between the hero and heroine - all I can say is that the line that Hawkeye delivers when Cora Munro challenges this rough colonial who has the temerity to gaze upon her (a colonel's daughter) and says (essentially): 'Who are you looking at?' Hawkeye answers: 'You, Ma'am. I'm looking at you.' Priceless.

Interestingly, archeologists have recently excavated the site of Fort William Henry and discovered many interesting things, none of which contradict the events described by Fenimore Cooper. The attack on the defeated column in the woods also appears to be historically accurate.

This film, though imperfect, ranks with me as one of the best action movies of all time.