the last of the mohicans movie review essay

“The Last of Mohicans” by Michael Mann Film Analysis Essay

Introduction, movie outline, fight for freedom, love and romance, violence and revenge.

Freedom is very invaluable because it cost many lives so that the United States of America could have its freedom. Being a superpower North America, like many countries also went through some tough times in history. This essay will discuss the movie,’ the last of Mohicans’ in relation to captured social attributes in the movie and their relationship with the present situations. These include experiences, Social cultural aspects, racism, and violence in search for power and freedom by different social groups.

The setting of this movie is amazing: the forest in the mountain and river flowing through it displays a clear picture of people who would not count the cost to pay for their freedom. It gives the viewer a good imagination of the past and gives him a chance to compare it with the present. This movie was set to explain the events during colonization of North America by Britain and France.

It shows how a father, Colonel Munro is re-united with his daughters Alice and Cora Munro. During this process, there is a lot of violence which lead to brutal killings of many people by the opposition sides. The movie captures the culture of Britain, leadership, love and romance, altruism, revenge and violence.

Freedom is something that everyone values. It is more to those who have at one point of their lives found themselves behind bars. It is a privilege that most don’t often realize but it gives us the ability to make choices and decisions that one can implement.

The blood shedding scenes in the movie are characterized by skilled French and Indians, slavery and violent fighting to dominate the continent and the world trade. At the present time, colonization probably is taking another form. This is an indirect colonization whereby the colonizer strategizes to use a target person or country to position themselves in their territory with hidden agendas. For instance, the US war in Vietnamese has often been said to have served some US interests.

The costumes worn by the characters of this movie, such as the heavy and long dresses in ladies in contrast with modern dressing but their beauty is equally appreciated. Men are half dressed and wear feathers as part of their attire.

The choice of weapons used in this movie such as the battle axe and Cora’s bodice are a good presentation for historical accuracy. The British culture is also expressed by their actions such as a tea party in Albany with Cora, Duncan and Alice which were not common in America. It is a clear representation of the British culture.

This is clearly captured throughout the movie because people tend work very hard to protect their own. The father of the daughters Munro thinks that Duncan does not probably love Cora as much as Alice because of her origin since her mother was from West Indies. This is a common aspect in many societies whereby it is always true that one is discriminated because of his or her origin. This is mostly the case since in many societies discrimination is on basis of race, tribe or place of origin.

There are many instances that clearly express how men take care of women. The care and the tenderness given by men and in return the response by women is a good indication that keeps the viewer glued to the screen. The dancing in the background and the background music between couples is amazing. This is followed by characters marching in rhythm with the drums at the middle of tall buildings and later in the forest while riding on their horses.

For example, the movie captures an encounter of two people Hawkeye and Cora Munro falling in love even in the midst of violence. Love is powerful and keeps people going on. No matter the time and season, love has not just started and neither is it going to end soon. Love and relationships is a discussion that gets attention of many people regardless of their gender, age or society. There is always a way love thrives even in hard and difficult situations. It affects people’s behavior, their moods and even the output in their work.

The movie strikes extreme violence. The brutal and massive killing of the characters demonstrates people without mercy. Some characters are shot dead; others are stabbed and even burned. Magua has threatened to revenge for his family upon Munro. Magua pretended to be a friend to the Hunros family and fortunately won the trust of the British.

Revenge brings destruction even to the innocent who do not deserve the punishment. Many people today find themselves in problems that are a result of other people’s mistakes. A good example is those in jails or poor because of injustice.

Life in history and culture is an interesting topic in the modern world. It represents many human values that have been modified over generations. It is therefore an important tool in planning and development of societies. Drawing the good values and the strength of characters in the movie helps us in achieving more than the predecessors and obviously not ignoring their weaknesses to avoid their failures.

The curiosity of knowing ones origin and how they fought for their freedom creates the relevance of this movie, ‘The last of the Mohicans’. Only the strong willed, the bold and courageous are known for their actions and they will be forever appreciated even if it cost them their lives. In social circles quality leadership is very crucial together with love and relationships for the development of society. Vices such as revenge, brutality and violence only lead to destruction and are a great hindrance to development of the society.

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Last Of The Mohicans Review

01 Jan 1992

122 minutes

Last Of The Mohicans

Michael Mann's earliest movie memory is of seeing Randolph Scott in The Last Of The Mohicans made in 1936. Its whole-heartened sense of pioneering Americana really tickled Mann Jr. Indeed, so much so that he returned to the oft-told story (12 times and counting), determined to breathe new life into the old dog. With a script (written by both Mann and Christopher Crowe) based in part on Philip Dunne's 1936 screenplay as well as the stodgy old tome by James Fenimore Cooper, The Last Of The Mohicans is a stirring, wonderful film encompassing an old-time splendour in storytelling boasting grand principles of heroism and character and loads of thunderous action.

Hawkeye, a settler adopted into the Mohawk tribe as an orphaned child, is a hunter-warrior ecophile, educated and refined with British sensibilities (hence he speaks perfect English) but harbouring a purist sense of the wild. Characterised by his extraordinary 18th century muzzle-loading rifle and unerring aim, he is wise enough to see through the transparent treachery of the British, yet is irresistibly drawn to the refined eloquence of Cora Munro (Stowe), the daughter of a Scottish general who falls under his protection. As much as this is a story about colonial warfare and hand-to-hand combat with rapacious Indians over a rugged wilderness, there is a stirring love affair at its centre which through all its fierce romanticism never comes across anything but authentic. There is nothing silly or sentimental about the attraction both Cora finds in the striking Hawkeye, and he in the beautiful, self-reliant heroine.

Reclusive and pathologically self-contained, Day-Lewis was never going to be an easy catch for a good old-fashioned yarn featuring much in the way of running around North Carolinan forests in moccasins, a raven mane flowing fetchingly in the summer wind. But catch him Mann did. Perhaps, Day-Lewis recognised in the obsessive director (a Zen adept), a soul akin to his own — the commitment is absolute or not at all. And in a kind of double-top Method fest both director and star camped out in the Alabama wilderness, cutting firewood with authentic tomahawks, learning to survive native-style while sleeping under the stars. Day-Lewis, under the calming eye of Mann, literally transformed into Hawkeye.

"Daniel would carry his gun around all the time," claimed Stowe, somewhat bemused by the boys' antics. "When he went to lunch he'd have that gun with him, when he went to the bathroom he'd have that gun with him. He's sort of not of this world, Daniel."

That is not to say that this is Hawkeye's show alone. Stowe does her finest work to date as the strong-willed, impulsive and entirely alluring Cora — making a mockery of the claim Mann cannot handle strong female roles. And for every hero you need a villain. Magua, a Huron, is a mesmerising, scowl-faced nightmare, motivated by a thirst for vengeance against the Munro family. Wes Studi fills him with bitter pride and grim resolve.

Casting Russell Means as Mohican Chingachook carries with it a real credibility. Means is a renowned Native American activist for the American Indian Movement: he famously occupied both Mount Rushmore and Wounded Knee in the early 70s and castigated both Dances With Wolves (1990) and Thunderheart (1992) for their fatuous depiction of the Native American plight. His acceptance of the role adds a knowing endorsement to Mann's delivery of tribal conflict in the burgeoning Americas.

It is this attention to detail that sets The Last Of The Mohicans apart. Each and every native was meticulously decked out in historically accurate make-up; the guns, the costumes, the language and the entire life-pattern of the leading man were the genuine article. Most spectacular is Fort William Henry, a monolithic wooden edifice, battered, bruised and finally smashed under a French siege, that was built from scratch to original specifications. The ensuing battle a graphic essay on the 18th century blitzkrieg.

Shot with an eye-boggling beauty by Dante Spinotti (after Doug Milsome was " let go "), the film substitutes North Carolina's Burke County in the Blue Ridge mountains for the Northern New York State of Fenimore-Cooper's books. America seems primal under his lens, an untamed wilderness into which modernity is forcing its own strain of corruption. Hawkeye straddles both zones: he is a man inducted into the native fellowship with the earth but a champion of the pioneers (his true kin). Mann also incorporates a subtext that looks toward impending rebellion — the British are an oppressive, legalistic force; the idealistic farmers are seen making signals for independence and self-rule.

The Last of the Mohicans: Love and Beauty in a Brutal World

In 1992, Michael Mann brought us an epic tale of brotherhood, love, and the enduring will of the human spirit in the shape of the Daniel Day-Lewis lead The Last of the Mohicans . Mann was not the first to adopt the 1826 novel The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 , that honor belongs to George B. Seitz’s 1936 film of the same name; Mann’s inspiration came more from Seitz movie instead of the original source material. When you watch Mann’s version it is clear to see that its roots find themselves deeply implanted in the more classic aspect of cinematic storytelling.

The way The Last of the Mohicans is shot, looks as though it was pulled straight from the old western storybooks. The color palette Mann uses is so deliberate; everything pops right off the screen. The aesthetics make it look as if it is an old pastel drawing come to life. The frontier looks harsh and lived in but Mann also makes sure to catch the beauty of it all; The Last of the Mohicans feels like an artist’s rendition of the real world. The darkness of its way of life is put in contrast with the bright colors that are used to bring it to life.

It is this balancing act of beauty and brutality that will form the backbone of The Last of the Mohicans. There so many scenes of the rawness of the world that are peppered with mesmeric slow-motion shots, it is as if Mann wanted to show that there is always the smallest iota of majesty even amongst the manic massacring that is taking place. He wants to keep you aware of the reason why Nathaniel (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his family are fighting. The beauty of their world and their struggle to protect it is encapsulated in Nathaniel’s love for Cora (Madeleine Stowe.)

Nathaniel makes it plainly clear from the off that he has no interest in entering the fray on either side of the divide. He does not want to fight for any military, what Nathaniel fights for are the ones he loves, that being his father Chingachgook (Russell Means) and his brother Uncas (Eric Schweig.) He sees Cora as an extension of this; he is immediately besotted by her as she is by him and their infatuation soon turns to a deeply intense love for one another. This is why Nathaniel stays in the war, to fight for their love, feeling that to save them is to win the war.

I think what Mann may be trying to convey here is that on a grand scale of something as such as the French and Indian War that there a myriad of small stories that run alongside events of such magnitude. There are no pitched battle scenes. Instead, the story focuses on the outskirts of the war. Concentrate on how small militia were faced with the decision to either lose all that they hold dear or instead face the wrath of the British Empire; knowing that any opposition will be viewed as sedition and end in their summary execution. It shows the weight of the cost that is more often than not put on the poorest of shoulders.

Mann went a long way to show the conflict these men felt when faced with the duty to protect the ones they love or the nation they swore to defend. This is what sets Nathaniel and his family apart. They claim no allegiance except to one another. That is why they don’t focus their attention on the French; their focus is firmly fixed on Magua (Wes Studi); the Huron, who was adopted by the Mohawk clan when he was a boy. They see him as more of a threat because he looks not only to take Cora and her sister, but he is also as much of a threat to their way of life as the British or the French.

Magua wants the Huron to abandon their old ways, instead favoring a more western way of life. It is his greed and anger that fuels him, and it is also what makes him a perfect juxtaposition to Nathaniel. If you look at it, they should have much in common. Native American tribes adopted both men after they suffered a personal tragedy, the difference being that Magua does not fully adapt to his new setting as Nathaniel did. Magua just waited, allowing himself to be consumed by rage but Nathaniel shed his former self, becoming one with his new station in life. He became liberated by this but Magua created a prison around himself, just waiting to be unleashed on his enemies.

The contrast between the two men shows us the different ways this world molds people. Some give in to the harsher sides of this existence like Magua but others like Nathaniel seek out its beauty, whether that be the wildlife, the land, or the people that live in it. They both represent the opposing sides of the same coin of creation and destruction. Magua is destruction, wanting nothing but death, revenge, and is led by not just his lust for blood but also his lust for gold. Nathaniel wants to protect life, fighting for nothing but love, he desires to save not to hurt, his life is all about the sanctity of life, doing everything he can to shield it from the dangers of this world he calls home.

The struggle between the two comes to a beautifully shot conclusion, but it is actually Nathaniel’s father that strikes the killing blow on Magua. It is an incredibly powerful scene that is underpinned with a hypnotic score, in a short sequence. It contains everything that is represented throughout the narrative of The Last of the Mohicans. Uncas death shows us the brutality of the world. When Alice (Jodhi May) jumps to her death, it shows the futility of it all, how some can not face the dangers; instead, only seeing freedom in the release of death.

Mann, shows us once again that this world is filled with tough choices and even harsher realities. Even when Chingachgook gets his swift revenge on Magua, it is not a moment of triumph; it is a moment filled with sorrow, that is soon followed by his revelation to Nathaniel that he is now the last of his people. The end of this story is the same end that many Native people had to endure, looking out on a land of plenty, but knowing that there will be no place for him or his people. It is a bittersweet ending to an epic tale, in a brief moment, Mann is able to layout the future of not just Chingachgook’s people but also the future of the Native American people as a whole.

Upon looking back on The Last of the Mohicans , it is a reminder of how adept Michael Mann is at crafting a world and telling personal stories on an epic stage. He is a meticulous auteur that always adds a layer of style on top of rugged tales. What he did in this entry is just that, he constructed a rugged world with a touch of the old fashioned American tale just sprinkled on top for good measure, using an old-world to tell a story for a modern-day audience, in doing so he created an instant classic.

Written by Vincent Greene

Daniel Day-Lewis Eric Schweig Jodhi May Last of the Mohicans Madeleine Stowe Michael Mann Pete Postlethwaite Russell Means Steven Waddington Wes Studi

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This is a beautiful tribute to a beautiful film. Thanks!

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“The Last of the Mohicans”: a Critical Exploration of Cooper’s Historical Novel

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“The Last of the Mohicans,” authored by James Fenimore Cooper and released in 1826, is frequently regarded as an American literary classic and a turning point in the history of science fiction. Contextualized in the American wilderness in 1757, the novel skillfully interlaces anecdotes of romance, conflict, and exploration that transpire amidst the French and Indian War. This essay critically analyzes the novel’s themes, narrative style, historical context, and lasting influence on American literature and culture.

Despite being the second book in the Leatherstocking Tales series, “The Last of the Mohicans” is the most well-known and extensively read.

Cooper paints a vivid and nuanced portrait of the American frontier and Native American existence. Two English sisters, Cora and Alice Munro, are accompanied to their father, Colonel Munro, by a company of colonial soldiers. However, they encounter unforeseen perils along the way. Hawkeye, the protagonist of the novel, Natty Bumppo, is a European frontiersman who was reared by the Mohican tribe. He is accompanied by two Mohican companions, Chingachgook and his son Uncas.

Cooper’s narrative exhibits a profound depiction of the American wilderness, which assumes the same personification within the novel as the characters. The evocative and detailed descriptions of the forests, rivers, and landscapes convey both the allure and peril of the untamed terrain. The novel additionally provides an examination of the intricate political and social dynamics that characterized the era, encompassing the interconnections among various Native American nations, the colonial settlers, and the French and British forces.

“The Last of the Mohicans” explores a multitude of profound themes. Cooper examines the conflict between civilization and wilderness through the interactions of his characters with the natural world as one of the novel’s central themes. Additionally, themes of honor, loyalty, and the tragic repercussions of cultural and territorial conflicts are explored in the novel. Particularly exemplifying the theme of a conduit between cultures is the Caucasian man Hawkeye, who is adopted by a Native American tribe.

Nevertheless, Cooper’s depiction of Native Americans and the idealization of the “noble savage” archetype have garnered considerable disapproval, particularly within the context of modern criticism. Although progressive for its era, the novel’s idealized portrayal of Native Americans is viewed through a Eurocentric prism, which can misrepresent and oversimplify the complexities of Native American cultures and experiences.

The influence of “The Last of the Mohicans” on American literature and popular culture has been substantial. It critically influenced the development of the historical fiction subgenre and was among the first American novels to achieve global recognition. Numerous literary and cinematic adaptations, in addition to television series and films, have been inspired by the novel, demonstrating its enduring allure and influence.

In summary, “The Last of the Mohicans” by James Fenimore Cooper stands as a seminal work in American literature, renowned for its compelling narrative, historical depiction of the American frontier, and examination of intricate themes. Despite the critical scrutiny it has received in recent years regarding its portrayal of Native Americans, the novel continues to be a significant piece of literature that contributes to our understanding of the early American literary tradition and the historical milieu in which it was produced. “The Last of the Mohicans” remains a timeless work of literature lauded for its narrative prowess, nuanced character growth, and astute depiction of the burgeoning American identity during the early 19th century.

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PapersOwl.com. (2023). "The Last of the Mohicans": A Critical Exploration of Cooper's Historical Novel . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-last-of-the-mohicans-a-critical-exploration-of-coopers-historical-novel/ [Accessed: 8-Nov-2024]

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