The Last of the Mohicans | | Cast : | Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe | | Director : | Michael Mann | | Studio : | Twentieth Century Fox | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | September 25, 1992 | | DVD Released Date : | February 01, 2005 | | Language : | English (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 06, 2005 | | Summary | Last of the Mohicans | Content
 | James Fenimore Cooper could not have done a better job. Daniel Day Lewis's finest performance in my opinion which is complemented nicely with Madeline Stowe in support. The movie does not get old I watch time after time year after year and am always intrigued. An utterly riveting saga of the long carabine/Hawkeye, Daniel Day Lewis, adopted son to Chingachcook last remaining cheif of the Mohican tribe decimated by war and pestilence, actor Russell Means. The movie does a great job of capturing the history of colonial america with Hawkeye caught inbetween natural son of trappers but rasied by native americans. The movie is cinematic masterpiece that sucessfully covers the fractionalization of the native american people forced to either side with the British or the French with its climax revolving around the battle of Fort William Henry. Trevor Jones' soundtrack wins at capturing the exitement of the film, deep and thick while remaining simple and delicate. Really this will be considered a classic in the not so distant future. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 24, 2005 | | Summary | The extended version pulls the movie together | Content
| This DVD has a permanent place in my library. On buying the extended version, I found that the added footage greatly enhanced my overall understanding of the movie. For those who loved the original movie, this one is much nicer to watch. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 13, 2005 | | Summary | Romance and Adventue | Content
| Set in 1757 during the French and Indian War, "The Last of the Mohicans" is based (but does not strictly adhere to) the novel by James Fenimore Cooper. It is a lavish, exquisite production, with Daniel Day-Lewis fantastic as Hawkeye, showing a screen magnetism that is more intense than in any other part he has played. His chemistry with beautiful Cora, wonderfully portrayed by Madeleine Stowe is palpable, and they manage to have one of the most erotic love scenes ever filmed, without shedding a single garment. The film has many battles scenes, and could be categorized as "action/adventure," but I always think of it as being primarily a romance, and it is also an excellent depiction of the early days of the settlers, and their many struggles.
The setting is western New York, with much of the action taking place at Fort William Henry, but it was actually filmed in the lush and scenic wilderness of North Carolina, with superb cinematography by Dante Spinotti, and a lovely score by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman. Michael Mann's direction keeps a terrific pace, and the cast is wonderful, and includes Russell Means, marvelous in his film debut as Chingachgook, Eric Schweig as Uncas, Wes Studi as the revengeful Magua, Johdi May as Cora's sister Alice, and Steven Waddington impressive as Major Duncan Heyward.
VHS vs. DVD: The Director's Expanded Edition, though still a brilliant film, is a disappointment, and I will be keeping my old letterbox VHS, which though worn, actually has a brighter picture than the DVD. The "expanded" portions add little to the enjoyment of the film, and the deletions hurt it. The incomplete conversation between Hawkeye and Cora in the burial ground is left hanging in the air, and the absence of Clannad's song, "I Will Find You", takes much of the magic from the scene where Hawkeye follows the captured Cora.
Total running time for the VHS, 114 minutes, DVD 117 minutes.
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| Rating | | | Date | July 12, 2005 | | Summary | A grand movie | Content
| I saw this on the big screen when it came out and was I ever happy that it came out in DVD! I use this film when I have to cover the French & Indian War in my class. It really helps in visualizing what it must of been like "Back in the days" and what people look like who live in the field. My students have always had a positive view of this film. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 29, 2005 | | Summary | A master at work | Content
| You don't have to look very hard to recognize when someone is a master of his or her craft. Saying that, for example, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays were masters of their craft is not a risky venture and neither is an assertion that Shakespeare was a master playwright. But when it comes to directing motion pictures, that assertion is a bit harder to make. For one reason, it is fair to argue that, in the moviemaking hierarchy, direction ranks at best, third in order of importance behind acting and writing. But when the actors and writers differ yet a catalog of movies is populated mostly by excellent examples of the medium, it goes without say that any common denominator should be looked at as a reason for the consistent excellence of the same. By that rationale, it can be said that Michael Mann is a master of his craft. His resume certainly indicates a preponderance for great directing. "Thief", "Heat", and "The Insider" are all excellent films; so is "The Last of the Mohicans"
New Jerseyan James Fennimore Cooper's novel of the same name has been translated to the screen many times, with varying levels of success. The latest version on film is Mr. Mann's 1992 production starring Daniel Day Lewis, Madelaine Stowe, and Wes Studi. I guess it can be said that it is to my detriment that I have not seen most of the prior productions of this classic story. However, I don't believe that prior accomplishments and/or failures in telling this story have very much bearing on the merits of the most modern envisioning of the same. Mr. Mann's realization of his and Christopher Crowe's script is as successful a dramatization of elements in Cooper's story as can be expected from a two hour movie. In short, the plot is fine; it leaves little to be desired.
The performances of the actors, on the other hand, leave nothing to be desired. Yes, the most visible of all the cast, Daniel Day Lewis comes across as over the top at times. The "stay alive" exchange behind the waterfall in the third act of the movie comes to mind as far as this goes. But this minor trifle may be mitigated by shortcomings in the writing; a couple of the other lines Lewis' Hawkeye has in the movie seem to reinforce that idea. Nitpicking aside, Lewis delivers a Hawkeye that is supremely confident, charismatic, and almost haughty in his righteousness. It is a performance akin in it's excellence to Lewis' Gerry Conlon, Danny Flynn, and Will Cutting. It is not the best performance of this movie which is enough of an endorsement of the quality of the whole cast. That honor has to go to Wes Studi. His Magua is so irrevocably evil that you can't help but root against the guy. His cold and disaffected predictions of what he will do to the "gray hair" are indications of a psychopathic nature. Yet, when you hear why Magua hates Munro, you begin to doubt your own feelings against him. Then the revelation during the Huron tribal council scene at the end of the film that revenge is not enough for Magua reinforces your first opinion of the guy.
The other performances in the movie are quite good as well. Jodhi May's mousey Alice Munro serves as an excellent metaphor for what war can do to someone as she spends the vast majority of the movie in a state of perpetual shellshock. It's a performance that also serves to contrast superbly Madeleine Stowe's exceptional depiction of Cora Munro as a strong and fiercely willful woman of the frontier. Steven Waddington is good at portraying Major Heyward, a noble soul buried underneath a warrior blinded by duty. And Russell Means and Eric Schweig are very effective in their roles of Hawkeye's "Indian" father and brother.
Another star not yet mentioned is one that doesn't appear on screen but works behind the cameras. That is Italian cinematographer Dante Spinotti. That this movie's visuals are gorgeous isn't a surprise given the locations where it was shot. What is a surprise is the stark contrast created by the juxtaposition of the beauty of nature and the ugliness of war. The exceptional and comparative visual quality of both in this movie is best exemplified by the ambush sequence in the forest after the surrender of Fort William Henry. It is here that the two are brought together splendidly almost like a real life realization of the "Yin Yang" symbol. Visuals on this level are no accident just as the fact that Mann has worked with Spnotti on a number of other films is no coincidence.
Which brings this review full circle. All the individual elements of a movie can be excellent but if they're not brought together effectively, then the final product will be muddled. But Mann is a master of his craft. He brings in the right cinematographer. He consults on and writes the right script. He directs talented actors to say and do the right thing. Finally, he blends all the elements into an excellent example of how a movie can always serve, at the very least, the purpose of great escapism.
8.5 stars of 10 |
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