The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

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

Director:

Michael Mann

Writers:

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

Stars:

Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means

Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

The last members of a dying Native American tribe, the Mohicans -- Uncas, his father Chingachgook, and his adopted half-white brother Hawkeye -- live in peace alongside British colonists. But when the daughters of a British colonel are kidnapped by a traitorous scout, Hawkeye and Uncas must rescue them in the crossfire of a gruesome military conflict of which they wanted no part: the French and Indian War.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | french and indian war | colonial america | seven years' war | woman in jeopardy | 

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Taglines:

An epic adventure and passionate romance unfold against the panorama of a frontier wilderness ravaged by war.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Montcalm orders a "Capitaine de Bougainville" to read the captured dispatch from Gen. Webb to Col. Munro. This is almost certainly Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, a French nobleman, soldier, diplomat, and explorer. After serving as Montcalm's aide-de-camp during the siege of Ft William Henry during the Seven Years' War, Bougainville went on to distinguish himself by organizing the relocation of the Acadians to Louisiana, commanding the first circumnavigation by a French fleet, and serving with distinction in the French Navy during the American Revolution.

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Goofs

At Cameron's Cabin, Uncas says they saw fields belonging to Chief Joseph Brandt. This was supposed to be set in 1757, so Chief Brandt would have been about 16 years old and wasn't a war Chief yet. In fact he would have been in Connecticut at Wheelock's school.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: 1757 / The American colonies. / It is the 3rd year of the war between England and France for the possession of the continent. / Three men, the last of a vanishing people, are on the frontier west of the Hudson River.

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Alternate Versions

A new sequence, which was shown on the CBS version in 1996, shows the previously talked about but never shown, Major Heyward's diversion. It shows the British Army in perfect formation shooting French soldiers and Huron Indians.

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Connections

Referenced in Cleanflix (2009)

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Soundtracks

THE HOUSE IN ROSE VALLEY
Written and Performed by Phil Cunningham
Courtesy of Greenlinnet Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Fierce, bold, and beautiful - "The Last of the Mohicans"

"The Last of the Mohicans" was one of the most popular and acclaimed films of 1992. Its vision of early America, as it was during the French and Indian War, is captured in its utter brutality and beauty, complete with the many driving ambitions and clashing cultures of everyone involved.

This movie has a bit of everything, including action, romance, war, and passionate drama. The director, Michael Mann, knows the story well and does all but completely discard James Fenimore Cooper's source material, which some have dubbed as being racist and totally unfair in its portrait of Native Americans.

The story (and what a story) is all over the place, with three frontier scouts - Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis), Chingachgook (Russell Means), and Uncas (Eric Schweig) - escorting a British colonel's daughters - Cora and Alice Munro (Madeleine Stowe and Jodhi May respectively) - to safety at the besieged Fort William Henry. Major Duncan Heyward (Steven Waddington) rivals Hawkeye for Cora's affections and a vengeance-driven Huron named Magua (Wes Studi) seeks to have both daughters killed in retribution for the loss of his own children.

This is by far Mann's best film yet (it ranks #15 on my all-time favorite movies list) and he uses the lush wilderness settings to great effect. He also makes good use of the editing, which actually comes in handy when showcasing the brutal violence that dominates much of the film's action sequences. The film's last 20 minutes are a definite stunner that can only be described as classic and vicious.

This is a great movie that shows America in its infancy, complete with the rivalries, intrigue, and violence that I'm sure was an everyday part of life during this hectic time period.

10/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French North American Indian

Release Date:

25 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last of the Mohicans

Filming Locations:

DuPont State Forest, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,976,661, 27 September 1992

Gross USA:

$75,505,856

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$75,505,856

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 117 min (DVD extended cut)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1