“The frontier moves
with the sun and pushes the Red Man of these 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.”
This month marks the 25th anniversary of Michael
Mann’s THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
Mann’s 1992 film, which was met with universal praise and
commercial success, was based on the 1826 novel of the same name by James
Fenimore Cooper, which was set in 1757 during the French-Indian War and
detailed the exploits of the daughters of a British general and their travels
with Native Americans across the upper New York wilderness.
The novel was first adapted to a film in 1936 by George B.
Seitz and was a modest success. Mann, who was directing his first film since
his MANHUNTER in 1986, based his new version of the story more on the 1936 film
than the novel.
The film was packed with iconic and nearly grand characters
who were required to fight, run, and be a part of the wilderness. For the
important role of Hawkeye, Mann cast Daniel Day-Lewis, who was coming off his
first Oscar win for Best Actor for his performance in MY LEFT FOOT (1989).
Lewis, ever the committed method actor, went deep into character research by
going through rigorious weight training, and learned to live off the land and
forest by hunting and fishing. He learned how to skin animals, carve a canoe,
and carried a long rifle at all times, even when he wasn’t in front of the
camera.
Lewis’ castmates would include Madeline Stowe, Russell
Means, Eric Schweig, and Steven Waddington. Although the film took place in
upstate New York, filming took place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North
Carolina, along with other locations across the state. The score was provided
by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman, with the main theme taken from the tune The Gael by Scottish songwriter Dougie
MacLean.
THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS opened at no. 1 at the box office
in September of 1992, and would finish as the 17th highest grossing
film of the year. It would receive critical acclaim and would win one Oscar for
Best Sound.
THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS may fall under the description of
historical drama, but it is a film which accomplishes a lot; it is an adventure
and a romance, done with a touch of swashbuckling that was perhaps inspired by
the 1936 film. Deeper than style, it boldly yet subtly tackles the thinking of
the times, such as the arrogance of the old, domineering British Empire, the
struggles of 17th century women, and the plight of the vanishing
Native Americans; all told with a hanging melancholy for the unexplored wilderness
at the time…destined for obliteration. As a historical piece, it is a tight
glimpse at early America during the Revolutionary War days, and the often
overlooked happenings of the French-Indian War. With basic storytelling set in
the backdrop of wilderness, war, and blood, Michael Mann taps into primal
feelings in THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, striking a fine balance between being
epic and intimate. It is a unique departure for Mann who has spent most of his
career doing cops-and-robbers movies, and it stands out as his most emotionally
driven. And after 25 years, it’s themes on war, class distinction, and empty
promises ring hard in today’s world. For
this Blogger, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS is Michael Mann’s finest work.
“The whole world’s on
fire, isn’t it?”
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