The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Based on the Director's Expanded Edition

The Last of the Mohicans is based on the novel by James Fenimore Cooper and depicts the war-time love story of Cora Munro (played by Madeleine Stowe), daughter of Colonel Munro (Maurice Roëves) , and Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis) whose English name is Nathaniel Poe.  The storyline also focuses on the battle bewteen the French and British at Fort William Henry.

Cora has been asked by Major Duncan Heyward (Steven Waddington) to marry him but decides not to let anyone decide for her who she should marry and tells him no.  Duncan is reporting to duty at Fort William Henry, where Cora's father is the commanding officer, and is escorting Cora and her sister, Alice (Jodhi May), to the Fort as well.  Along the way their party is ambushed by a Huron war party and the three are rescued by Hawkeye and his adopted Mohican father and brother, Chingachgook (Russell Means) and Uncas (Eric Schweig).  Hawkeye and the Mohicans take them the rest of the way to the Fort.

The Fort they find under siege of the French army under the command of General Montcalm (Patrice Chéreau) and in desperate need of reinforcements.  But reinforcements are not available, so the Fort is surrendered and the French allow everyone to leave fully armed.  Again the British are attacked by a war party, this time Mohawk.  Only Hawkeye, Cora, Alice, Duncan and a couple other British soldiers escape.  The Mohawks eventually capture Cora and Alice and take them to their encampment, but the Hawkeye and Duncan come to the rescue.

I don't want to spoil the end of the movie, so I'll leave the storyline at that.  The historical accuracy is quite impressive with the costumes, weapons, battle techniques, and other props. But having been based on a literary work of fiction the accuracy goes downhill from there.  The story is set in upstate New York, but the movie was actually filmed in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

I detected several flaws.  The first when Hawkeye said he faced north then turned left to head west to Kentucky (which is only possible if you're in North Carolina, not in New York), the second when they came upon the burned out cabin and the woman that was supposed to be dead breathed just before the camera was taken off of her. The last was in a scene near the end where Hawkeye is running between some rocks and he bumps one as he runs past it.  The rock actually ripples if you look carefully.  Otherwise I didn't notice any other flaws in the production.


Memorable Quotes:

Duncan: "There is a war on, how is it you are headed West?"
Hawkeye: "Well, we kinda face North then real subtle like turn left."

Chingachgook: "The frontier moves with the sun. Pushes the red man and his wilderness forests in front of it.  Until one day there will be nowhere left.  Then our race will be no more or be not us.
Hwkeye: "That is my fother's sadness talking."
Chingachgook: "No, it is true.  The frontier place is for people like my white son and his woman and their children.  One day there will be no more frontier, then men like you will go too.  Like the Mohicans.  Then new people will come and work and struggle some will make their life. But once, we were here."