The Last of the Mohicans (1920)

As Alice and Cora Munro attempt to find their father, a British officer in the French and Indian War, they are set upon by French soldiers and their cohorts, Huron tribesmen led by the evil... See full summary »

Directors:

Clarence Brown (as Clarence L. Brown), Maurice Tourneur

Writers:

James Fenimore Cooper (novel), Robert Dillon (scenario) (as Robert A. Dillon)

Stars:

Wallace Beery, Barbara Bedford, Alan Roscoe

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Wallace Beery	...	Magua
Barbara Bedford	...	Cora Munro
Alan Roscoe	...	Uncas (as Albert Roscoe)
Lillian Hall	...	Alice Munro
Henry Woodward	...	Maj. Heyward
James Gordon	...	Col. Munro
George Hackathorne	...	Capt. Randolph
Nelson McDowell	...	David Gamut - a Preacher
Harry Lorraine	...	Hawkeye - A Scout
Theodore Lorch	...	Chingachgook (as Theodore Lerch)
Jack McDonald	...	Tamenund (as Jack F. McDonald)
Sydney Deane	...	Gen. Webb
Joseph Singleton	...	Undetermined Role

Storyline

As Alice and Cora Munro attempt to find their father, a British officer in the French and Indian War, they are set upon by French soldiers and their cohorts, Huron tribesmen led by the evil Magua. Fighting to rescue the women are Chingachgook and his son Uncas, the last of the Mohican tribe, and their white ally, the frontiersman Natty Bumppo, known as Hawkeye.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | french | french and indian war | rescue | waterfall | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film takes place in 1757.

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Quotes

Title Card: Glad to be risking his life for the sake of the wonderful white maiden.

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Alternate Versions

In 1993, Lumivision Corporation and the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, copyrighted a special edition which was distributed by Milestone Film & Video. It was tinted, had a music score composed and orchestrated by R.J. Miller and ran 73 minutes.

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Connections

Version of Fall of the Mohicans (1965)

User Reviews

One of the better silent adventure films

You can't compare this version of the Cooper story to later sound versions--it just wouldn't be fair. It's like comparing apples to oranges. However, if you compare this adventure film to other similar silent films, then it comes off as one of the better ones you can find today. Not only does it do a pretty good job of sticking to the original story, but the production values and acting are superb. For a 1920 film, it was amazingly well-crafted and complex. In particular, the outdoor scenes were so realistic and beautiful. Many of the outdoor scenes (particularly at the end) were like works of art--and look very much like moving Ansel Adams photographs. The mountainous scenes are just gorgeous. The stunts were also amazing and well performed--looking every bit as good as modern stunt-work. Also, while most of the Indians are played by white folks in dark paint (a very, very common practice for the day--and which included Boris Karloff as an extra!), they at least look a lot like real Indians. In fact, I was very surprised that they were able to get Wallace Beery of all people to play the lead evil Indian--and he looked pretty convincing!! A tight script and excellent direction all helped to make this a dandy bit of entertainment--well worth seeing even today.

By the way, in some ways the film may seem pretty offensive (calling the natives "savages"), but for the most part it tried to convey them in a three-dimensional way. Sure there were plenty of bad Indians, but some decent ones as well and the movie tried very hard at times to humanize them--something you rarely saw in contemporary films or even those in the 1930s, 40s or 50s.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

None English

Release Date:

21 November 1920 (USA)

Also Known As:

Az utolsó mohikán

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Maurice Tourneur Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min (1993 alternate)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1