Last of the Mohicans (1977) (TV)

Director:

James L. Conway

Writer:

Stephen Lord (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

23 November 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | War

Plot:

During the French and Indian War in colonial America, a white scout, with two of his Indian brothers...

Plot Keywords:

Indian War | Native American | Massacre | Based On Novel

Cast

Steve Forrest	...	Hawkeye
Ned Romero	...	Chingachgook
Andrew Prine	...	Major Heyward
Don Shanks	...	Uncas
Michele Marsh	...	Cora Morgan
Jane Actman	...	Alice Morgan
Robert Tessier	...	Magua
Robert Easton	...	David Gamut
Whit Bissell	...	Gen. Webb
Dehl Berti
John Bishop		(as John G. Bishop)
Coleman Creel
Beverly Rowland
Rosalyn Mike
Reid Sorenson

Directed by
James L. Conway

Writing credits
Stephen Lord		(written by)
James Fenimore Cooper		novel "The Last of the Mohicans" (uncredited)

Produced by
Charles E. Sellier Jr.	....	executive producer
Robert Stabler	....	producer

Original Music by
Bob Summers

Cinematography by
Henning Schellerup		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Steve Michael

Art Direction by
Charles C. Bennett		(as Charles Bennett)

Makeup Department
Dennis Marsh	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Chuck Russell	....	unit manager
Stan Siegel	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jerry Fleck	....	first assistant director
Sam Baldoni	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Freddie Mullis	....	property master
Jon Reeves	....	construction supervisor

Sound Department
Mark Bovos	....	sound
Lon Bender	....	supervising sound designer (uncredited)
Jim Bryan	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Harry Woolman	....	special effects

Stunts
Denny Arnold	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Dillingham	....	camera operator
Glenn Schellerup	....	gaffer (as Glen Schellerup)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Cheryl Beasley Blackwell	....	wardrobe (as Cheryl Beasley)

Music Department
Don Perry	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Elliot Friedgen	....	production executive
Lynette Gardner	....	business coordinator
Sandy King	....	script supervisor
Dennis Williams	....	location manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Schick Sunn Classics

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1977) (USA) (TV) (original airing)

Other Companies

• Mclean/Ebbins/Mansour Casting Co.  casting (as McLean/Ebbins/Mansour Casting Company)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Pipe Spring, Arizona, USA

Company:

Schick Sunn Classics

Quotes:

Maj. Duncan Heyward: What will happen to Chingachgook now?
Hawkeye: It takes a Mohican only minutes to bury his dead...but many moons to bury his grief. He'll wander the hills alone until he's ready to come down. Then we'll both go back into the forest and try to find what we lost.
Maj. Duncan Heyward: What is that?
Hawkeye: Peace. Peace, Major. The most precious thing a man can have. Chingachgook and me, we'll help those who want to see peace grow.

Movie Connections:

Version of Leatherstocking (1924)

A Fine TV Movie Achievement; Very Well Acted; an Unusually Memorable Tale

Only a handful of films made for television, by my standards, can be ranked among the most important, artistic and influential of films. "The Last of the Mohicans", 1977, directed by James L. Conway from a Stephen Lord screenplay of James Fenimore Cooper's novel I assert is one of these. It is among the best-acted of all TV films, and was filmed entirely on location using cinematography from Henning Schellerup. The familiar background is a period when those loyal to England and those to France were recruiting Amerind all,ies to battle for possession of the North American continent. Already British settlers were overrunning Indian-claimed territory; and at the time of the tale, the French had persuaded the Hurons to help them make war upon the British colonists everywhere. Regular troops were finding it difficult in the impenetrable North American forests to do battle with wily opponents who knew the territory and its ways; but in this situation, there were men who had taken to the forests, woods rangers, who helped the settlers and made their life as frontier experts, scouts, and warriors--forerunners of the woods-wise colonists who later defeated the unacclimatized British regulars in the War for Independence. With authentic and occasionally inspired Art Direction by Charles C. Bennet and Bob Summers' unobtrusive and helpful score, the film takes on aspects of the best of two genres--an almost documentary feel about events that seem realistic and convincing at all points, I suggest, and still the adventurous pace of a well-made and sometimes exciting physical contest of prowesses. The dialogue is literate and occasionally brillint, I judgeas a writer. The portion of the plot that matters is easily explained. The daughters of a British officer need to be escorted to a Fort; a young Major takes these two sisters and a choirmaster onto the trail, led by an Indian guide, even as an attack is expected. They are rescued when their guide, Magua, betrays them, by Hawkeye "Longrifle", and his blood brother Chingachgook. The duel between the pair and Magua and his Huron helpers goes on for days. The pair are joined by Chingachgook's warrior son, Uncas, and eventually by another chieftain and his tribe who confront the Hurons in a final battle. Complicating the affair is the choirmaster who bursts into religious song whenever frightened, Magua's obsession with the elder daughter, she falling in love with Uncas, the young Major's lack of understanding of the situation plus the overwhelming number of the opponents. As Hawkeye, Steve Forrest explains the Indian's positions memorably. Ned Romero gives an award caliber performance as Chingachgook, while Michele Marsh as the elder daughter, Don Shanks as Uncas, Andrew Prine as the Major, Whit Bissell as the General, Robert Tessier as Magua, Jane Actman as the younger daughter and Dehl Berti as the Chief are all far-above average in their achievements. Robert Easton steals several scenes as the memorable choirmaster. And the wise addition of a narrator, in the form of a settler saved by the hero and his partner, allows us to see the tragic history of Chingachgook as it once happened, which gives the film immense authenticity and flashes of power. This is a serious adult production, unlike the many puerile and thin-spirited versions also available. I find it to be memorable, influential in its use of authentic locations, and very-well done indeed.