The Last of the Mohicans

For those of us immune to the charms of James Fenimore Cooper's novels this movie is a godsend. I've never understood Cooper's plots, his characters, his appeal, his (apparent) greatness. He strikes me as nearly unreadable. The 1936 movie of Last Of the Mohicans, however, is quite good, though none of it makes much sense. It is set on the American frontier of the 18th century, which then meant upper New York state. Two sisters are involved; as are several British officers; a tribe or so of Indians, some virtuous, others not; and a chap named Hawkeye, who is exceedingly brave and an excellent shot with a long rifle. There are magnificently photographed scenes featuring forests, lakes, rivers and waterfalls. The birch-bark canoes, the costumes, the way the Indians look and act, the fort, the feeling of excitement, alternating with fear, and with it the sense that the Native Americans are quite as proficient at killing one another as the white man is of killing the whole lot of them, and maybe even better, are all conveyed with admirable realism. There is also an air of tragedy in the film, for white and red alike, though this is not dwelt on for long. The entire movie feels like a product of the period in which it is set, not the twentieth century. Many of the Indians are played by white actors, all of whom do an excellent job. Bruce Cabot's performance as Magua is the stuff of nightmares, and one's image of him lingers in the mind long after the film is over.

I will admit that I knew James Fenimore Cooper wrote the classic book, but I never read it. And I knew and loved the excitement of the 1992 film version starring Daniel-Day Lewis, but didn't know that it did not follow the book. And I knew about the Statler Bros song "Whatever happened to Randolph Scott?", but I had never seen one of his movies.

So I decided to watch this version starring Randolph Scott in B/W and of course not as much special effects as today's movies. The acting is really quite well, except for the fake dying when actors are shot.

This version is equally exciting and keeps you on the edge of your seat. And if you, like me, liked the 1992 version, you will like this knowing an idea of the story, but with a different ending.

As a kid, I read all of the JF Cooper's Leatherstocking series, as well as dang near anything else I could get my hands on about Red Indians. I saw this film, which was made and released the year before I was born, while in grammar school. It was revived from time to time as it was already on its way to being a classic. It is just a great film. Randolph Scott whose presentations tended to be a bit wooden seemed to fit the character of Natty Bummpo, AKA Hawkeye quite well. The delightful Bruce Cabot is a villainous Magua and Philip Reed is a romantic Uncus and Robert Barrat, a studio character actor plays the revenging Chingachgook. Henry Wilcoxson who plays the British officer rival is also well known to us buffs as a frequent anti-hero, villain or rival. Binnie Barnes and Heather Angel were studio starlets who were likewise convincing. While this version largely remains truer to the original than the '95 version with Daniel Day-Lewis, it is a very different film. After seeing the later version, I rented this one and saw it again. I plan to watch it again and again. The final scene where Philip Reed crawls to grasp the hand of Heather Angel to die together, gets to me as much today as it did when I was a kid. Randolph Scott's Hawkeye is closer than Day-Lewis's to the original but that shouldn't detract. Both films are wonderful. Anyway, comparisons are not always fruitful. But this film made and released during the final years of the great depression has it all: action, romance and hope.

James Fenimore Cooper's Last of the Mohicans has been an American classic for several years. It's still considered to have set the standard for writing about the French and Indian war period. More people get their knowledge from that novel as opposed to a serious historical study like Francis Parkman's.

Major Duncan Heyward played by Henry Wilcoxon is charged with escorting the two daughters of his commanding officer to their father at Fort William Henry. The daughters are a pair of beauties, Binnie Barnes and Heather Angel. Along to blaze the trail are white scout Hawkeye and a father and son team of Mohican Indians, Robert Barrat and Phillip Reed as Chingachgook and Uncas.

The trip might better never been made because when they get there the fort is under siege from the French army under General Montcalm and from the Huron Indians as well.

The reason why The Last of the Mohicans holds up so well even today is that Cooper invests his Indian characters with dignity and strength. Even the villainous Magua played by Bruce Cabot makes it plain he's an equal ally of the French not a retainer. Of course he shows his independence of them in a most savage way.

Randolph Scott has one of his best early roles as Hawkeye as does Henry Wilcoxon in one of his few non-DeMille screen appearances of note.

Also the theme of interracial love was daring in its time to be written. Phillip Reed and Heather Angel are a pair of frontier Romeo and Juliet types, we really feel for their tragedy.

Though a big budget version with Daniel Day-Lewis is out there and more people are familiar with it, this version of The Last of the Mohicans still holds up well today.

Arguably the best version of the Cooper Classic. Great production values, a fine cast and fast paced direction move this tale of Colonial America along to a breath-taking climax. This one's been done many times, but never done better than this.