The Last of the Mohicans

A commendable translation to the small screen of the novel - i am assured that it is a more faithful adaption than other tv series or movies - and i believe it - while i never read the novel - i had it at hand to check that the scenes were in order - they were - and much of the novel's dialog was inserted into the script

as an american indian - i was not bothered by the use of white actors in the indian roles - it was common in american tv shows too at the time - i doubt many american indians were strolling around Britain available for casting - and the pitiful budget for this production couldn't afford to import and provide for the real thing

originally the BBC series extended over 6 hours - in 8 episodes - which is more time than movies can afford - which allowed it to contain more of the novel - tho even then - it was condensed - but that's to the audience's advantage - only the really pertinent scenes remain

while much of the series is shot on small sets - and they were forced to use 10s of extras - they had one nice advantage - they were able to utilize the wild landscapes of Scotland - which stand in pretty well for the forests of the american east coast - and the dutiful costuming and makeup comes across even better than many american productions - which had a stereotypical look for indians

as could/should be expected from the BBC tv shows - they cast some lesser known yet highly skilled actors - for me - Kenneth Ives as the rangy & confident Hawkeye - and Philip Madoc as the dark & sinister Magua - were the most charismatic - but all performed at a high level

if only they had the budget to match the positive facets of this production

Filmed in the Scottish Highlands, this rendition of LOTM is the most faithful to the Cooper novel of all of them (and there have been many including the popular 1992 Hollywood version which was markedly different from the novel in many places). Perhaps the next most accurate LOTM is the 1920's B&W version - though not nearly as faithful as this Masterpiece Theater piece.

M/T originally presented in in their first year, 1971, as a series of 8 episodes of 45 minutes each and later had a non-M/T version of 13 episodes of about 30 minutes played by a few public TV stations in the mid-'70s. The main difference was the M/T version had an introduction (somewhat flawed as I recall) by Alastair Cooke.

The 13 episode version (same as M/T except for intro) does exist - we are watching it currently on DVD. The double Emmy award-winning producer of this '71 version (John McRae) says that the BBC destroyed the production masters in about the mid-'70s but he feels it was one of his best efforts and also says that it was nominated for the Emmy at the time (but didn't win).

I remember this miniseries on Masterpiece Theater during the early 70's . I was 11 or 12 yrs old. I have never seen it run again. Can someone tell me if it is available on VHS? I have a reel to reel tape of the chase seen where Hawkeye says "Chingachgook, lay an oar on the land and we will double on the dogs". There was a teriffic drum beat to this. I recall the indoor scenes being rather low budget. There was a lot of blood and cleavage.

I have read the Leatherstocking Tales several times over the years. This is my favorite book from that collection. I have seen several versions of this story adapted for film. This is by far the best. It follows the story line better than any other version. I grew up in the Lake George - Glens Falls area of New York where this story is set. I'm also a member of the Boy Scout of America Order of the Arrow. This story is part of my heritage. I first saw this film series in the early 1970's, broadcast on PBS (WMHT). I immediately found it to be enthralling. Unfortunately, it was in a time before home VCR's were available. If I had been able to, I would have saved it to view again in the future. I have been looking for it on VHS for several years. I hope that it will be released on DVD. I would certainly buy it and I would recommend it to everyone that I know.

This remains for me the best film version by far of Cooper's improbable tale. I have vivid memories of it from its first airing. The somewhat stilted script was very much in keeping with Cooper's writing, as were the artificial situations, and melodramatic acting. "Dr. Who" veteran Philip Madoc brings real malice to his role as Magua. Uncas, beautifully acted by Richard Warwick (blue eyes and all)is a genuine leading character, as in Cooper's book, not a mere prop for Hawkeye.

I have been looking for a recorded version since first seeing it without success. I notice that an early comment on this board mentions a 13-part version on DVD. If anyone has any information on how to obtain copies, please post them here or email me!