Yes the music!! Watched this dozens of times… whenever I want that bittersweet feeling of crying while being hit in the nuts and cheering all at the same time. Love this movie 👍🏻❤️
-Daniel Day Lewis is a method actor, and he refused to do the scenes where he ran and reloaded the rifle, until he could actually run and reload a rifle and fire it. -The dismantling of Magua by Chingachgook was one of the most satisfying beat downs on film. Magua was dead the moment he raised a tomahawk...
@@PapaEli-pz8ff The man has a lot of screen presence. I need to rewatch Heat. It's been forever and I didn't notice he also was in the Michael Mann movie.
@@georgezee5173 Wes Studi has told the story that when he first heard that Heat was being made, he called up Michael Mann and said: "Michael! I heard you're making a movie with Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and me!" He said that he is one of the few people to make Michael Mann laugh. (And it worked, because he was cast in the film.)
Wes Studi is one of the most underrated actors of his generation. In "Hostiles", despite not having a ton of dialogue, his performance (and indeed everyone else's) is superb and he says so much with so little.
Please know that this is based on a book, not a true story, like a lot of people believe. I am a proud member of the Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican Indians. There are quite a few of us still around, but mostly, we now reside in the great state of Wisconsin, near Green Bay. This coming weekend is our annual powwow!
Yes not a true story, a great book of early American Literature. I think there are 5 books in total about Nathaniel aka Hawkeye aka Natty. Love them all. But the story is built around actual events of the war. The Siege of ft William Henry was a real event, Col Monroe and Gen Montcalm were real people. The Ft was rebuilt in the 1950's as a tourist attraction. I remember going there as a kid. The book ends differently but I have seen the movie so many times I can't remember the end of the book.
The romance part is fiction, but the attack on Fort William Henry, slaughter of the released captives, and general Webb's refusal to come to the rescue are very much true.
It floored me to realize the actress that played her was Ciri's mother (the queen) in the first season of Netflix's Witcher. She's fantastic, both in this and that.
@@hadoken95 She also was in Game of Thrones, in a flashback Cersei has, when she encounters a witch/seer in cave. Thought I recognized her from somewhere, but wasn't sure, had to look her up. It was 'Alice' (Jodhi May).
when i was in college, my friend, gretchen, used to get drunk and come up to my room with her vhs copy and ask, "last 30 minutes of last of the mohicans?" my answer was always, "hell yeah!"
@@carstereobandits I honestly came here just to watch the last 30 minutes of the movie's reaction, and see if they agreed that was one of the more epic music sequences on film, and came away disappointed :P
@@infiad1275 Make no mistake, my musical taste has always appreciated variety. That CD was closely followed by those of *NSYNC and The Spice Girls, as well lol. Ahhh, the 90s were a magical time.
Since we're on the topic, for my 12th birthday I got my first radio and I took $10 from my Grandma's gift and bought three cassette tapes, one of them was The Coasters. I still have the radio and that cassette and they both still work.
Daniel Day-Lewis refused to do the running/reloading scenes until he was able to do it himself. He worked, practiced it over and over again. Dude truly is dedicated to his craft. Also, the last 20 minutes is one of the greatest movie scenes in history and barely a word spoken. A perfect mix of scenery, action and music.
Mark Baker was the historic archaeologist/reenactor who taught Danial Day Lewis how to run and reload at the same time. Mark actually had a small line in the film when he greeted them as they entered the fort via the sallyport.
"What is he holding?" Hawkeye approaches the village with a beaded belt that tells his story. It's a sign of respect that he comes unarmed with hands high and showing his honor by presenting his deeds (as he intends to sacrifice himself for Cora).
In the book, Uncas is the guy , all respects him because in his chests they saw the little tattoo of a turtle in blue ink ,the simbol of the mohicans ,the main branch ,the Delaware they thought they were extinted ,the mohicans was a very ancient tribe and the old patriarch Tamenud was shocked
My dad was the same with the soundtrack. We also used to go to Fort William Henry a lot when I was a kid (on trips that included visiting Cooperstown, since they're both upstate New York; which obviously makes sense, since Last of the Mohicans was written by James Fenimore Cooper, whose dad founded the town of Cooperstown). No idea if they still do it, but there was a room in Fort William Henry where they had the old, black and white version of this movie playing on a loop.
it literally took me years to find that soundtrack back before youtube, until eventually i've downloaded it as mp3s from napster and i've listened to it religiously ever since
Duncan is an often misunderstood character. If you put yourself in his shoes, he's just looking out for his best interest and serving his country. He's definitely a thorn in the side of our protaganists, but his sacrifice at the end is admirable. Saving the life of the one he loves even after being rejected and isolated from his side. The ending of the movie is amazing. Sad, tragic and heroic as well. Love the score to this movie and especially the entire climactic chase and fight.
"He's just looking out for his best interest". Exactly the problem. He wants advancement in the Army. He will lie if necessary. He, as men of that time did, though Cora owed something to him. His sacrifice, in the end, was honorable. But the person he was before that crisis moment was not.
Yes, he makes up for being a petty liar in the end. Telling Monroe that the volunteers families were not in danger was a disgraceful lie that surely cost the lives of many innocents, and he did it out of pure jealousy, not very honorable.
The film portraits Duncan Hayward in a very negative way, while in the book he is a good character, just not acquainted to the way of war waged in this land. Hawkeye renounces Cora in the end, knowing that his way of life would be unbearable for a British lady. However, he is sure that Duncan will be a good husband for her. In one of the later books ("The Prairie", taking place 47 years after "The Last of the Mohicans"), Hawkeye, now a very old man, meets the grandson of Duncan and Cora, an officer in the US Army, whose middlename is Uncas.
He's a typical product of his time - a Royal soldier who only knows and recognises the rule of the Crown, and the customs and traditions of English high society, and a very special interpretation of "honour'". Which makes him a very twisted character but not necessarily evil.
Mogua was captured by the Mohawk, different from the Mohicans. The Mohawk were the British's Native American allies in their war against the French and the French's Native American Allies the Huron. Though interestingly enough the Mohicans also fought for the British during the Seven Years War (also known as the French Indian War). And they were far from going extinct as portrayed in this movie. The British later raised taxes in the American colonies in an effort to recoup their losses from fighting the Seven Years War. The British felt that the war was fought in defence of the colonies, so the colonies should pay for the debt accrued due to it. The American Colonists thought differently, which eventually led to a little conflict known the American War of Independence.
The novel is a work of fiction, based on real events. According to Wikipedia: "At the time of Cooper's writing, many U.S. settlers believed and perpetuated the myth that Native Americans were disappearing, believing they would ultimately be assimilated or killed off entirely due to the genocidal structure of settler colonialism. Especially in the East, as Native Peoples' land was stolen and settled on in the name of U.S. expansion and Jeffersonian agrarianism, the narrative that many Native Peoples were 'vanishing' was prevalent in both novels like Cooper's and local newspapers. This allowed settlers to view themselves as the original people of the land and reinforced their belief in European ethnic and racial superiority through, among other rationalisations [sic], the tenets of scientific racism."
That war had terrible repercussions for a lot of people and nations involved, it didn't end up well for the french possessions in Canada and certainly didn't end up well for the Hurons. The Mohawks continued to be allies to the British during the war of american independence I think, and also didn't end up well for the two
@@TheLaFleur Did anything end well for Native Americans after the Europeans came? Every war has terrible repercussions, and it's a tragedy that humans cannot avoid wars. I often wonder if there are civilizations on other planets that do not resort to war to settle their differences--or if they don't now, did they all at one point in their history? Is there something about humans that predisposes us to kill each other for land, money, power, or revenge? Or is that a universal trait for any sufficiently advanced society? Is there any hope that we can ever progress beyond such madness?
@@UnderDriven17 the answer is simple, the need for more land and the will to work and fight for it, that's the main drive for the extermination of a people and the formation of another one. The Hurons did pretty well trading with the french and the British were mostly fair with the Mohawks. The settlers and illegal poachers on the other hand were the main aggressors against the tribes, the coureur des boi which were illegal in french Canada and British settlers in New England were a headache to European authorities which mainly wanted to trade and collect taxes from America, almost every conflict between the tribes and European armies started because of the settlers illegally expanding inland, later those settlers became part of new nations. I don't blame them, though. It's a natural thing to make yourself a home from the land of other people
@@UnderDriven17I m from Argentina and we all read that book in the childhood ,is a classic even in the opposite corner of the continent,in the south of Argentina near Antarctica and in the Canadian border ,but is weird that nobody knows litterateur in our days
The waterfall scene: If they had ALL left, the pursuit would've continued. It was over with the capture of Grayhair's daughters. Nathaniel banked on the hurons not killing them on the spot, so he, Chingachgook and Uncas, apparently being out of the picture, would be able to pursue THEM. Sadly, I think this movie doesn't seem to impress newer, more jaded audiences as much as it did audiences back then. It did have a cultural impact in 1992, back when we weren't flooded with a myriad of bad movies every year and seeing a big one was a shared experience.
My grade 7 teacher was an extra in this movie. A bunch of the local teachers were invited to be extras. We got to watch it in class which was bonkers for grade 7 😂 Unfortunately, one of the extras died on set. While running downhill, he tripped and hit his head on a tree stump. My teacher waited until the movie was over before telling us about that.
Phenomenal perfomances immersed in a most entrancing score. The opening hunt is simply gorgeous. I always cry at Chingachgook's final speech, standing atop a mountain that marks the grave of his son and would-be daughter 😭 And even though he's a villain, Wes Studi makes Magua a very tortured sympathetic character. But after what he does to Uncas it's very satisfying that Chingachgook dispatches him with such ruthlessness.
@@laraq07 - Understandable that a man can be so focused and enraged after suffering evil from an outside tribe, if you will, and it also shows how such a man bent on justice can be distorted by a similar evil as his enemy. ( Yes, Wes Studi did a great job here, a solid job in "Geronimo", and IMHO better job in "Hostiles". )
I SOOOOO miss the absolutely unabashed Romanticism of this movie. This feels like something that escaped the golden age of the 30s and 40s and landed in modern music and FX. Brilliant glorious stuff.
The thing too is that unlike so many movies today, it is not afraid to blend emotions : how you feel about the character of Duncan being only the most obvious case. It also features some of the best sound design and mixing up to MASTER AND COMMANDER : those canons at Fort William Henry were *_INSANE_* in the theatres!
This is a movie from the 1990s based on a book written in the 1820s, about the 1750s, and is also the third film version, both of the other two of which were released in the 1930s.
The unremitting forward momentum of both physical action and emotion, the backdrop of incredible landscapes, the hypnotic soundtrack... the whole thing is like a powerful waking dream. Add in the very specific art direction, fine cinematography, quality acting, and the realism of the seige and combat scenes... I saw this amazing movie in theater and haven't changed my opinion since. It's a bona fide classic, and very re-watchable. It never feels nearly as long as the actual run-time.
It's war. Everyone destroying each other, destroying the land, destroying families. Realistically war means no happy endings. IMO this is a great movie.
@@Anthony-kw4en Not necessarily a privilege. I saw the effect of war on my father who was in the Pacific during WW2. He witnessed atrocities by the Japanese. He never liked the Japanese and thought them extremely brutal.
@@Anthony-kw4en Lost quite a few relatives in various wars along the way and have tried to understand the historical hows and whys of their beginnings and endings. Calling me killer seems a bit over the top for a reply comment on a reaction channel, but whatever. In any case it was good to be reminded of how amazing this movie is.
The braid in Alice's hair was made by Uncas. A sign that they were a couple. They loved each other. The actress mother had a bunch of scenes between Alice and Uncas cut out. The actress was 17 and her mother didn't want her daughter kissing someone on screen.
Yes. Like any book adapted to film, there are changes made and due to run times, you understand why (sometimes), but I always felt they could have worked something in regarding the Uncas-Alice relationship from the book that didn't involve anything inappropriate, because having her being so distraught and taking the death plunge seemed a bit shoehorned in at that point.
That’s intriguing and a bit sad-if l understand you correctly,the actors playing Alice and Uncas were in love,but the mother of the actress portraying Alice didn’t want any photos or footage of the two young lovers getting out.
I feel this film went a bit above their heads in general :) It is a nuanced film and much are not spoken aloud. Some films are best watched alone I think. you also need to experience some tragedy personally, prior to experiencing it fully in film.
@@takuid Its one of those films that you either have to watch alone or watch with someone disciplined enough to not talk through the film or you will miss a lot of the story.
Yes, it's one of the most moving parts of the movie. Ungkus makes himself a protector of Alice and there is a loving connection between them, he gives his life to try to save her and she sees her loving protector killed and a bleak future as the forced wife/slave of Magua. She maybe felt the love and beauty of life disappeared over that precipice and she'd rather follow it.
Nathaniel was his birth name, his White name if you will, and Hawkeye was his adopted Mohican name. John Cameron was one of the other settlers/colonials. This movie is INCREDIBLY good. I'm not especially a fan of DDL but I do love his work here. That last 20-some minutes - from the moment Hawkeye, Cora, Uncas, and Chingachgook leave the Huron camp - are among the most powerful I've ever seen. The way they drop out almost ALL sound from the movie and let the music tell most of the story, the way Uncas goes to rescue Alice but fails quickly, the way Alice throws herself off the cliff to join Uncas, the speed with which Chingachgook dispatches Magua...and that final prayer of Chingachgook's for Uncas...tears every time.
Nathaniel / Natty Bumppo / Deerslayer / Leatherstocking / Hawkeye / Pathfinder / La Longue Carabine / "the trapper". Sheesh! And I thought I'd had a lot of nicknames... 😹😺😸
Epic movie! Makes me nostalgic. I met Russell Means (Chingachgook) when I was a kid, he was extremely nice. And the first CD I ever bought was the soundtrack to this movie.
I remember when I was 17 and this showed on Greek tv one night and then the next day all the men at the factory the next day were talking about it and how exciting it was. Very rare to see a bunch of Greek men talk about an American film like that.
I dont want to offend anyone. But some people dont know history. This is the French and Indian War. It took place before the American Revolution. Some tribes teamed up with the British and some with the French. England still had control of the Colonies.
Many people don't know history, true. But Similarly, many people aren't great at math, I was IT support, and many people aren't good at Computing. But these kinds of movie inspire folks to learn that's a win
The American Revolution actually started as a tax revolt as Britain increased taxes to pay for the Seven Years War. The French and Indian War was a major front of that war. A really interesting footnote is that George Washington was there when the whole conflict kicked off.
@SC-gp7kt Yea I've seen some reactors just not understand the context of this historical time period. TBR and Samantha are really smart though so they understood just fine.
In the Name of the Father is INCREDIBLE. Pete Postlethwaite is so amazing in general, but especially in that film. The final scene - not gonna spoil it in case they watch it - I vividly remember seeing the real-life TV broadcast live when I was a kid, although I had absolutely no idea what it was and definitely didn't have any context. It wasn't until I saw that movie that I was like, "Holy shit, I saw that when I was like 6!"
I would have never watched My Left Foot on my own, thankfully it was assigned for a university film class and I loved it, the dedication of an actor to take method that far is inspiring.
This movie ranked #96 on Entertainment Weeklys list of 100 greatest movies of all time. I saw this in the theater back in 1992, and it was just an amazing experience!
The soundtrack is so haunting. This is a film that you’ll pick up something new on every watch. History is hard to watch but the actors and director created a great movie.
I saw this movie for the first time when I was a small child, and when the music kicks in at the part, all of my hairs stood on end. They still do. After I became old enough to understand, it also made me tear up. A beautiful movie.
Hey, Schmitts! How could anyone feel depressed after seeing this film? It's a pulse-pounding, crowd-pleasing romantic swoonfest that thrilled audiences! This is my second favorite film of all time! Michael Mann's direction is kinetic and immersive. His compositions are painterly. Dante Spinotti's cinematography is atmospheric and lush using mostly natural light sources. The score by Trevor Jones is rousing and sweeping. The screenplay by Mann himself and Christopher Crowe bristles with authenticity, intelligence and ferocity! The action is phenomenal and inventive including a canoe chase! The period detail is assiduous. Colonial America feels rough-hewn and primeval. The chemistry between Madeleine Stowe and Daniel Day-Lewis is electric! The cast is uniformly excellent. Chingachgook, played by Native American activist Russell Means, has a terrific speech at the end of the Director's Cut where he laments being the last of his tribe. He goes on to say that one day his white son, Nathaniel, will also be the last of his kind, a frontiersman, as civilization pushes westward bending the natural world to its will. This is based on James Fenimore Cooper's frontier classic "The Last of the Mohicans" written in 1826 but bears little resemblance to the details of the novel. Cooper wrote a pentalogy of stories about Day-Lewis' character, Nathaniel Bumppo, who went by several names including Deerslayer, Hawkeye, La Longue Carabine, Pathfinder, Leatherstocking and The Trapper. The stories chronicle his life from 1740-1806. "Mohicans" is the second tale chronologically. The French and Indian War was the North American theater of the first global war, The Seven Years' War, from 1756-1763. Battles raged in Eastern colonial North America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Trans-Atlantic and the Far East between England, France, Spain and Prussia. George Washington's military exploits occurred in this war which is one of the reasons he was chosen to lead the Continental Army during the American Revolution. The attack on Fort William Henry and the ensuing massacre are real events. The callous and condescending treatment of the colonials by the British officers show the first stirrings of colonial resentment to the British crown which would ultimately erupt in The Revolutionary War. Native American tribes in North America allied with different colonial powers. Magua is able to infiltrate the British ranks as a guide because the Brits can't tell the indigenous tribes apart. French General Montcalm, a real historical figure, made it a point to acculturate himself with his indigenous allies and show respect to their people in order to secure a loyal bond. Nathaniel advised Cora to remain close to her father and the British officers because the French officers would afford them protection as fellow aristocrats. The enlisted man was considered an unwashed peasant good for cannon fodder. Lol.
I love this movie so much. I think this might be my favorite score in any film, ever. "Promontory" (the piece that plays in the climax) is still on my running playlist, because if that piece of music doesn't fuel your adrenaline and get you wanting to run an extra mile, well... I guess you probably just don't like to run and that's ok. But you know what I mean. It was also used in one of the few commercials I've ever actually enjoyed (it was a Nike ad, and it was epic. It's the "Leave Nothing" commercial and it's widely available on RUclips and it still gives me chills). I also love that you guys are watching this because reactors often jump on trends and watch the same stuff, so I'm hoping some of the other channels I watch follow suit. This movie is *so good*.
The part where Chingachgook sees his son, Uncas, die, and Cora sees Alice go to her death on her own terms, and Cora’s anguishing cry never fails to bring me to tears.
Outstanding movie. Most of it was filmed in Western NC. The last scene was filmed about 45 mins from me near Chimney Rock. If anyone wanting to visit that area i recommend going in the fall when all the leaves are changing....its amazing.
1757: "The whole world's on fire." I think they do a good job of getting you to feel it here. The story was written in 1826, not so distant from the events of the war. These events in the US and Canada took place as the local part of the Seven Years' War, from 1756 to 1763, which is considered by some to be the actual first world war. Some consider it to be just a momentary part of the Second Hundred Years War. Aside from history nerds, most people have very little idea of the terror and suffering the people of the world have endured.
That last scene is one of the most epic things I've ever watched. The cinematography and music that goes along with the fighting and characters' watching their loved ones die gives me chills every time.
Daniel Day-Lewis won 3 oscars, was nominated for 3 more, and nominated for a BAFTA for this movie. So this is maybe his 7th best acting job and he is still great in this.
I would have to disagree about his acting in this. It’s actually outstanding. He perfectly captures Hawkeyes understated confidence and understanding of the situations. And he always goes for what he wants despite the dangers!! It’s an amazing part acted perfectly!!
My university “American Revolution” history class watched this film. It gave a good illustration of the competing alliances that native tribes had with the French and British in the mid to late 1700’s. 👍👍
Both are great but Thief being his first feature film is really insane, all the hallmarks of his future output are there in that film, from his love of crime stories, to nighttime being when everything important happens in the story , to the music choices, Mann had really been consistent over decades.
@@Jon.A.Scholt Great movie too, I got the Heat 2 book that Mann co-wrote but then found out he's making it a movie and now I need to wait to see the movie before reading it, as to not ruin the experience, if it's half as good as Heat it should be worth the wait, hope he can pull it off.
@@RussellCHallthe themes and style are there from the jump, but the way Mann evolved over the years in terms of directing and ESPECIALLY cinematography (with varying degrees of success), as well as the strict adherence to realism, no matter the subject matter, are reasons why he is just as prominent and iconic in the world of cinema. Even at 80 years old!
This may sound silly but I mean this completely as an honor: the whole scene reminds me of the climax of _Empire Strikes Back,_ when Vader holds out his hand to join him, and Luke looks down, a sense of calm comes over him, and he lets himself fall. As Alice makes her decision, she looks as calm as a Jedi despite having not even his slim chance of rescue.
Grew up watching this as a kid with my parents. Moya Brennan of the Celtic Irish group “Clannad,” sang the theme to this movie “I Will Find You,” her sister Enya wrote and sang the theme to Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring “May It Be,” and composed Arwen & Aragorns theme “Aniron.” Peter Jackson saw this movie and wanted Moya to sing the song in LOTR but she turned him down so why came aboard. Love love this movie so much! Soundtrack is gorgeous ❤️❤️
That's really interesting, thanks! I've recently been watching the series "Robin of Sherwood" (on ITV4 in England, UK) and the soundtrack/main theme tune is by Clannad. I bought the LOTM soundtrack on CD back in 2000 but never realised "I will find you" was sang by her.
Just to add (and to echo @FuryOfCalderon on Clannad), I LOVE the Robin of Sherwood theme as much as the LOTM soundtrack so check it out if you can - it's on RUclips: ruclips.net/video/Y8uMvUgnpwI/видео.html
Hawkeye was the name he was called most often in the novels by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This movie is adapted from the second of three books he wrote in the early 1800s about these characters, generally known these days as "The Leatherstocking Tales." I love this movie. Infuriated me when "Braveheart" won all those Oscars a few years later, when this movie did it better but was barely recognized.. Not one of Daniel Day-Lewis's more celebrated performances, but he's still the most compelling person to watch anytime he's onscreen, and he did go full Method on this role, as much as he did any other. Fairly certain he lived as an outdoorsman for a couple of months before shooting the movie. Always love the chemistry between him and Madeline Stowe, the cinematography is gorgeous, and so is the score. Could not ask for much better.
@@DrewD55 James Fenimore Cooper wrote them but Nathaniel Hawthorne was his contemporary and wrote House of the Seven Gables and the Scarlett Letter which were very famous in their own right.
This is an excellent film of the highest quality. Every shot is beautiful. I remember seeing this in the theater when i was like seven years old and i couldnt take my eyes off the screen. Love this movie. And RIP to Duncan because he had the best arc of the story.
I grew up near where this film was shot, and remember being denied passage to a favorite cascade we used to frequent as a family because they were shooting at that location at the time. As a kid I was bummed we missed a day at the river, but as an adult, it's kind of cool knowing a place me and my family loved got to be immortalized in this amazing film.
Based on the American Classical novel by James Fenimore Cooper (1826). Daniel Day-Lewis is a Total Immersion/Method actor. He wore buckskins and carried that long rifle with him everywhere for MONTHS to get the 'feel' and handling of it right (re-watch that opening scene - the man is a consummate Pro). I used to do French and Indian War (1754-63) reenactments and we were as authentic as possible, right down to the wool, linen and leather we wore. British historians would travel to the US to film our reenactments as they said we were more serious about accuracy than groups in Britain at the time. Some in our group later were 42nd Regimental Highlanders in this film. The Adirondacks weren't 'pristine' enough anymore, so it was filmed in N. Carolina. Nathaniel Poe (Natty Bumppo), or Hawkeye, or 'Deerslayer', 'Straight-Tongue', etc. was the adopted brother of Chingachgook (the last of his Mohican band - yet other Mohawk bands remain). Hawkeye was the hero in the Leatherstocking Tales of J. F. Cooper, published between 1826-41 and considered factual fiction or historical fiction as the language, lifestyle, characters and battles were based in fact (Col. Munro, the commander of Ft. William Henry was actually Lt. Col. George Monro who surrendered it in 1757. The next day 185 of his troops were killed in ambush like the film, but Monro survived, dying suddenly 3 months later in Albany - but he had no children).
This was based on a famous, early American novel by James Fenimore Cooper, which was often read in late elementary/middle school in my father’s day and to a lesser extent in my day (1960s). This movie is certainly a grim reminder of the cost of war, especially in colonial America. The cinematography is spectacular, I think. FYI: The Mohawks and the Mohicans are different tribes; indeed, they even fought a war against one another. A wonderful movie with an outstanding supporting role by Daniel Day-Lewis is “A Room with a View” (1986). Based on the novel by E. M. Forster, it is a witty romance that feels like something Jane Austen would write if she had lived in the early 20th century.
I picture Jared Harris as Professor James Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. James father, Richard Harris, is recently best known for his role as Professor Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter.
Cooper was the favorite author of fictional wilderness man Nathaniel King in The Wilderness paperback series by David Robbins writing as David Thompson for the now defunct Leisure Books. Excellent novels of fan worship and nod to the great Cooper.
That's awesome. I I greatly enjoyed reading your great great uncle's Leatherstocking series After taking AP US history and watching this movie. I wish more people would read his works to better understand that period of colonial and American history
When I was bingeing your channel just yesterday I wss so suprized to hear Samantha say she had never seen DDL before Bill the Butcher...then I found out you were gunna review Mohicans Today.... I am soooo excited for you two to see this. When I first saw it I loved it so much that I drove 276 miles to Grand Teton National Park to watch it again in Jackson Hole Wyoming.... I swear to God I saw Duncan driving beside me on the road back home. I can't wait for this reaction. Lets begin :) Edit: you will see this movie again and like it more. Don't know when, where or how but I know I'm right. The words are poignantly sad and beautiful. BTW, DDL in " Lincoln" and "Age of Innocence" are must watch. Scorsese called Age of Innocence his most violent film ( it is not what you may think) Love you guys. Thanks. You are the best outro reviewers there is
One of the most accurate period films ever made. History Majors/buffs, like myself, definitely appreciate it. Human history has always been wrapped in turmoil. So much of the past is romanticized, on all sides. One even gets a glimpse into the tribal conflicts at the time. So well done.
It was absolutely not accurate. It's a fictional story. First of all Webb heard the canon shots. There weren't two daughters in the fort. And Nathaniel, chingachcook and his son didn't exist. Neither did Magua.
@@woodspirit98 I was appreciating that, as a period piece, the attention to historical costume, design, thinking, combat, etc. creates an immersive experience which is appreciated by history enthusiasts. A fictional tale cannot, by definition, be real. Thank you so much for pointing out the obvious.
Yes, this movie is dark. It very successfully portray just how deadly and dangerous life was like in Colonial America. The setting of this movie is upstate New York. While today its an extremely safe tourist destination 260 years ago it was a wild frontier where death and tragedy was an everyday occurrence. It took a great deal of effort and sacrifice to make it safe and civilized.
Simply a great movie,from the set pieces to the cinématographe,the acting. The story is simple but so well executed and that ending is such a masterpiece
They had no choice but to separate at the waterfall. There's no way cpuld drag two women along and be able to move at the speed they needed to move on order to elude capture or a fight. And like you said, they weren't prepared to take on a whole war party by themselves. Everyone would have been killed for sure.
Saw this with my mom when she would watch movies after my bedtime when I was 9. Have loved it ever since. And the soundtrack is always deeply stirring to my blood😊
Love you guys. This is an underrated gem… But, you left out the line of the movie! “Just stay alive! No matter what occurs. I’ll find you!” DDL is the GOAT.
This is a classic movie, based on one of the biggest selling books of all time. The film is reflective of what it was really like in those times. Most people didn't make it to 30yo, and many died violent deaths.
He attended RADA where they teach American accents in anticipation of grads doing American TV & films🎭 How many times have you heard interviews with cast & find their American characters are Brits?😮
Definitely in my top 10. Last 10 minutes is what I would consider the greatest action sequence of all time, because not only does it combine mesmerizing visuals, haunting music and incredible pacing - it also manages to evoke an extremely emotional response, at least if you've invested in the characters on screen and empathize with their situation. Also, the tragic villain of Magua has to be among the most compelling antagonists in film. As for the movie being dark and sad, I guess - but that's not how I feel about it. I find it beautiful, visceral and very true to how precious being truly alive is, especially under such devastatingly fragile circumstances.
The music on this one is truly epic. It gives me goosebumps every time i hear it (specifically 'promentory' and 'the kiss'). The last 30 minutes or so are absolutely devastating to watch. Paired with the song, it just gives me chills.
First time I ever seen my father tear up watching this movie when Alice jumped to her death. I said what's wrong dad and he said "nothin something in my eyes" . LOL
His English birth name was Nathaniel Bumpo. His adopted Mohican name was Hawk Eye. And the Natives are Huron...as in Lake Huron, which is one of the great lakes on he east coast of Michigan and southern Canada, because they lived around there.
So this movie is the most influential movie of my life. I was 6 or 7 when I saw it. The violin solo and scene at the end had such an impact on me I got into music and ended up as a composition and performance major. My strongest instrument, Clarinet, I played professionally in Georgia for 3 years until I got into furniture making but I still play in the local symphony. All because I couldn't get that last scene and score out of my head
@mamalannightshyaman Well that's a beautiful comment. The artists & creators of a work of art like this film will never know the many ways it has affected countless lives. In your case it set your little child's feet on a particular & worthwhile path. And then you later developed a skill/talent that itself would've been practiced by some of the Colonials in this story (although that may not be an actual correlation, it did occur to me). Thanks for sharing a lovely personal story.🩵✨️🩵
It was a Tragic story but what I liked about the movie ( I never have read the book ) but I like how they sort of opened a small window to that time period in the Americas show actual life and how tough it really was and the fact that the FRENCH and BRITISH were fighting each other the Indians were fighting each other and everyone else and just the real difficulties of trying to “ Hack out your own life on the frontier” in those days.
@reservoirdude92 I think because of the actors salaries, maybe the marketing, but I believe that most studios just put so much money in a production and it's not really needed. Hopefully that makes sense
So, on the question of why they didn’t all flee at the waterfall, consider that Nathaniel, Uncas, and Chingachgook can disappear in the wilderness. They are stealthy at a level far beyond any of their protectees, and probably beyond the men Magua has with him. They can simply vanish, and choose a later opportunity to aid the girls and Duncan.
This is one of the best movies EVER! I've seen it at times over the years quite a few times. I saw it in a nearly packed movie theater when it came out. The thing about this movie that y'all seemed to have missed is- It's a budding romance story in the midst of a War. No different than if it took place in one of the World Wars. This is just one that is during Early America. Colonial times had tragedies from many sources. DDL's character was a badass, his adoptive brother was brave and went to go rescue the sister, because he was doing the right thing, but also had feelings for her. Yes her British Beau had issues, he was pretty much the typical man of his day, he loved her but ppl married for status also. He did the big sacrifice to save Cora. The epic fight between Magua and the Father, is awesome. It shows how much better prepared the Father is , than his young son. Anyways, the whole movie was filmed in Western NC. Quite a bit around the many acres that the Biltmore Estate is on. The canoe scene was done at- DuPont National Park, which I have been to. I visited Hooker Falls, which is the moderate Waterfall they went over in the canoes. It's a beautiful area. NC is a pretty state. 😊
My dad took me and my brother to see this movie because he's a huge history buff. I was 7, my brother was 10. Lol I was way too young to see this level of realistic violence lol
The film is set in 1757 during the “French and Indian War (1754-1763) which was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes.
This was the exact cause for the American Revolution. Colonists basically got screwed in this as it was their home. They then get taxed heavily to pay for it.
Weird tidbit about this movie.. the actress who plays Alice, the younger sister, plays Maggy the Frog in Game Of Thrones (the woman who tells young Cersei her future), and Queen Calanthe in The Witcher series. I've been watching this movie for 30+ years so that kinda fck'd me up when I realized that. lol
one of the best movies ever. with possibly the greatest soundtrack.
Some of the best individual shots as well, like the bridge at the beginning.
@@IcanhearClemFandango definitely
All-time favorite soundtrack
Yes the music!!
Watched this dozens of times… whenever I want that bittersweet feeling of crying while being hit in the nuts and cheering all at the same time.
Love this movie 👍🏻❤️
One of the best last 10 of any movie. The chase and the score are so perfect
-Daniel Day Lewis is a method actor, and he refused to do the scenes where he ran and reloaded the rifle, until he could actually run and reload a rifle and fire it.
-The dismantling of Magua by Chingachgook was one of the most satisfying beat downs on film. Magua was dead the moment he raised a tomahawk...
Wes Studi was also excellent as Mugua. His performance was quite a contrast to the detective in Heat
@@PapaEli-pz8ff - Or "Mystery Men". 🤣
@@PapaEli-pz8ffor Sagat from
Street Fighter! 😂
@@PapaEli-pz8ff The man has a lot of screen presence. I need to rewatch Heat. It's been forever and I didn't notice he also was in the Michael Mann movie.
@@georgezee5173 Wes Studi has told the story that when he first heard that Heat was being made, he called up Michael Mann and said: "Michael! I heard you're making a movie with Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and me!" He said that he is one of the few people to make Michael Mann laugh. (And it worked, because he was cast in the film.)
Wes Studi is one of the most underrated actors of his generation. In "Hostiles", despite not having a ton of dialogue, his performance (and indeed everyone else's) is superb and he says so much with so little.
He was great in Heat too.
Underrated comment for an underrated actor.
"Dances With Wolves" - He played the hostile Pawnee leader.
Wes Studi was great in Geronimo
Wes Studi is great but I hated Hostiles. Such a great cast so disappointing.
Please know that this is based on a book, not a true story, like a lot of people believe.
I am a proud member of the Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican Indians. There are quite a few of us still around, but mostly, we now reside in the great state of Wisconsin, near Green Bay. This coming weekend is our annual powwow!
I always took it as he believed he was the last. Have a great powwow.
Yes not a true story, a great book of early American Literature. I think there are 5 books in total about Nathaniel aka Hawkeye aka Natty. Love them all. But the story is built around actual events of the war. The Siege of ft William Henry was a real event, Col Monroe and Gen Montcalm were real people. The Ft was rebuilt in the 1950's as a tourist attraction. I remember going there as a kid. The book ends differently but I have seen the movie so many times I can't remember the end of the book.
People think it's a true story? Huh.
The romance part is fiction, but the attack on Fort William Henry, slaughter of the released captives, and general Webb's refusal to come to the rescue are very much true.
@@BenjWarrant it may have been a lot of hazing I was in high school, but some people truly believed my tribe had been wiped out completely
When Alice chooses death, just an incredibly powerful scene. Takes my breath away everytime.
It floored me to realize the actress that played her was Ciri's mother (the queen) in the first season of Netflix's Witcher. She's fantastic, both in this and that.
and 5 minutes later she woulda been rescued
@@hadoken95 She also was in Game of Thrones, in a flashback Cersei has, when she encounters a witch/seer in cave. Thought I recognized her from somewhere, but wasn't sure, had to look her up. It was 'Alice' (Jodhi May).
Always brings the tears for me.
@@privateer9181 Timing in life is everything.⏳
when i was in college, my friend, gretchen, used to get drunk and come up to my room with her vhs copy and ask, "last 30 minutes of last of the mohicans?" my answer was always, "hell yeah!"
That’s a great memory.
She sounds awesome 😅
Haha the last 30 mins of the movie were burned into my brain as a child, the violence, the acting, the music. Incredible.
@@carstereobandits I honestly came here just to watch the last 30 minutes of the movie's reaction, and see if they agreed that was one of the more epic music sequences on film, and came away disappointed :P
This movie’s soundtrack was the first CD I ever bought with my own allowance when I was 10 years old 😂 Gorgeous
You had such great taste at that age. More than me! First thing I ever bought was a 45 of "Only the lonely" by the Motels. 🤣
@@infiad1275 Make no mistake, my musical taste has always appreciated variety. That CD was closely followed by those of *NSYNC and The Spice Girls, as well lol. Ahhh, the 90s were a magical time.
This soundtrack was always in my car stereo at the time. Great driving music.
Since we're on the topic, for my 12th birthday I got my first radio and I took $10 from my Grandma's gift and bought three cassette tapes, one of them was The Coasters. I still have the radio and that cassette and they both still work.
I was 12 and did the exact same with my profits from selling gum at school 😂
Daniel Day-Lewis refused to do the running/reloading scenes until he was able to do it himself. He worked, practiced it over and over again. Dude truly is dedicated to his craft.
Also, the last 20 minutes is one of the greatest movie scenes in history and barely a word spoken. A perfect mix of scenery, action and music.
He literally lived in the wilderness I don't know for how long and of course trained in weapons and combat.
Mark Baker was the historic archaeologist/reenactor who taught Danial Day Lewis how to run and reload at the same time. Mark actually had a small line in the film when he greeted them as they entered the fort via the sallyport.
@@RandyKuppless Cool. I never knew which one was Mark Baker. I used to read his articles on Longhunting. I had a pretty good kit thanks to him.
'History Buffs' explains while this is practically impossible with an actual musket
@@Hail_To_The_King Firing two muskets at once was the only thing I didn't like about this part.
To truly appreciate this movie, it helps to understand a little about the French Indian War. It puts the entire story into context.
"What is he holding?"
Hawkeye approaches the village with a beaded belt that tells his story. It's a sign of respect that he comes unarmed with hands high and showing his honor by presenting his deeds (as he intends to sacrifice himself for Cora).
these are wampum beads
Wampum is a form of writing with the use of shells able to be read by specialists. It can also be used as a form of currency.
Duncan's insistence, though! He knew Nathan could guide then through the wilderness!
In the book, Uncas is the guy , all respects him because in his chests they saw the little tattoo of a turtle in blue ink ,the simbol of the mohicans ,the main branch ,the Delaware they thought they were extinted ,the mohicans was a very ancient tribe and the old patriarch Tamenud was shocked
"Everyone is suffering and dying." A concise history of the American frontier.
My Dad played this soundtrack for like a month straight 😂
This movie looked so good, it holds up today.
My dad was the same with the soundtrack. We also used to go to Fort William Henry a lot when I was a kid (on trips that included visiting Cooperstown, since they're both upstate New York; which obviously makes sense, since Last of the Mohicans was written by James Fenimore Cooper, whose dad founded the town of Cooperstown). No idea if they still do it, but there was a room in Fort William Henry where they had the old, black and white version of this movie playing on a loop.
lol, my dad did the same thing. it was a time when a 6 disk cd player was a absolute must have.
It must be a dad thing, because mine would play it, too. 😂
Replace "my dad" with me, and that was me. XD
it literally took me years to find that soundtrack back before youtube, until eventually i've downloaded it as mp3s from napster and i've listened to it religiously ever since
Such an epic. The 90s gave us so many great period pieces. Such a sad fact that these movies aren't made anymore.
Duncan is an often misunderstood character. If you put yourself in his shoes, he's just looking out for his best interest and serving his country. He's definitely a thorn in the side of our protaganists, but his sacrifice at the end is admirable. Saving the life of the one he loves even after being rejected and isolated from his side. The ending of the movie is amazing. Sad, tragic and heroic as well. Love the score to this movie and especially the entire climactic chase and fight.
"He's just looking out for his best interest". Exactly the problem. He wants advancement in the Army. He will lie if necessary. He, as men of that time did, though Cora owed something to him. His sacrifice, in the end, was honorable. But the person he was before that crisis moment was not.
Yes, he makes up for being a petty liar in the end. Telling Monroe that the volunteers families were not in danger was a disgraceful lie that surely cost the lives of many innocents, and he did it out of pure jealousy, not very honorable.
The film portraits Duncan Hayward in a very negative way, while in the book he is a good character, just not acquainted to the way of war waged in this land. Hawkeye renounces Cora in the end, knowing that his way of life would be unbearable for a British lady. However, he is sure that Duncan will be a good husband for her.
In one of the later books ("The Prairie", taking place 47 years after "The Last of the Mohicans"), Hawkeye, now a very old man, meets the grandson of Duncan and Cora, an officer in the US Army, whose middlename is Uncas.
He's a typical product of his time - a Royal soldier who only knows and recognises the rule of the Crown, and the customs and traditions of English high society, and a very special interpretation of "honour'". Which makes him a very twisted character but not necessarily evil.
Mogua was captured by the Mohawk, different from the Mohicans. The Mohawk were the British's Native American allies in their war against the French and the French's Native American Allies the Huron. Though interestingly enough the Mohicans also fought for the British during the Seven Years War (also known as the French Indian War). And they were far from going extinct as portrayed in this movie. The British later raised taxes in the American colonies in an effort to recoup their losses from fighting the Seven Years War. The British felt that the war was fought in defence of the colonies, so the colonies should pay for the debt accrued due to it. The American Colonists thought differently, which eventually led to a little conflict known the American War of Independence.
The novel is a work of fiction, based on real events. According to Wikipedia: "At the time of Cooper's writing, many U.S. settlers believed and perpetuated the myth that Native Americans were disappearing, believing they would ultimately be assimilated or killed off entirely due to the genocidal structure of settler colonialism. Especially in the East, as Native Peoples' land was stolen and settled on in the name of U.S. expansion and Jeffersonian agrarianism, the narrative that many Native Peoples were 'vanishing' was prevalent in both novels like Cooper's and local newspapers. This allowed settlers to view themselves as the original people of the land and reinforced their belief in European ethnic and racial superiority through, among other rationalisations [sic], the tenets of scientific racism."
That war had terrible repercussions for a lot of people and nations involved, it didn't end up well for the french possessions in Canada and certainly didn't end up well for the Hurons. The Mohawks continued to be allies to the British during the war of american independence I think, and also didn't end up well for the two
@@TheLaFleur Did anything end well for Native Americans after the Europeans came? Every war has terrible repercussions, and it's a tragedy that humans cannot avoid wars. I often wonder if there are civilizations on other planets that do not resort to war to settle their differences--or if they don't now, did they all at one point in their history? Is there something about humans that predisposes us to kill each other for land, money, power, or revenge? Or is that a universal trait for any sufficiently advanced society? Is there any hope that we can ever progress beyond such madness?
@@UnderDriven17 the answer is simple, the need for more land and the will to work and fight for it, that's the main drive for the extermination of a people and the formation of another one. The Hurons did pretty well trading with the french and the British were mostly fair with the Mohawks. The settlers and illegal poachers on the other hand were the main aggressors against the tribes, the coureur des boi which were illegal in french Canada and British settlers in New England were a headache to European authorities which mainly wanted to trade and collect taxes from America, almost every conflict between the tribes and European armies started because of the settlers illegally expanding inland, later those settlers became part of new nations. I don't blame them, though. It's a natural thing to make yourself a home from the land of other people
@@UnderDriven17I m from Argentina and we all read that book in the childhood ,is a classic even in the opposite corner of the continent,in the south of Argentina near Antarctica and in the Canadian border ,but is weird that nobody knows litterateur in our days
The waterfall scene: If they had ALL left, the pursuit would've continued. It was over with the capture of Grayhair's daughters. Nathaniel banked on the hurons not killing them on the spot, so he, Chingachgook and Uncas, apparently being out of the picture, would be able to pursue THEM.
Sadly, I think this movie doesn't seem to impress newer, more jaded audiences as much as it did audiences back then. It did have a cultural impact in 1992, back when we weren't flooded with a myriad of bad movies every year and seeing a big one was a shared experience.
My grade 7 teacher was an extra in this movie. A bunch of the local teachers were invited to be extras. We got to watch it in class which was bonkers for grade 7 😂
Unfortunately, one of the extras died on set. While running downhill, he tripped and hit his head on a tree stump. My teacher waited until the movie was over before telling us about that.
Phenomenal perfomances immersed in a most entrancing score. The opening hunt is simply gorgeous.
I always cry at Chingachgook's final speech, standing atop a mountain that marks the grave of his son and would-be daughter 😭
And even though he's a villain, Wes Studi makes Magua a very tortured sympathetic character. But after what he does to Uncas it's very satisfying that Chingachgook dispatches him with such ruthlessness.
Magua suffered at the hands of the British and took his revenge in as brutal fashion as he found appropriate for his people.
@@laraq07 - Understandable that a man can be so focused and enraged after suffering evil from an outside tribe, if you will, and it also shows how such a man bent on justice can be distorted by a similar evil as his enemy.
( Yes, Wes Studi did a great job here, a solid job in "Geronimo", and IMHO better job in "Hostiles". )
There no elk in NY. Never was.
This is one of my favorite films. Great writing, acting and a killer soundtrack. Wes Studi as Magua is a fantastic antagonist.
This soundtrack is on repeat everytime I go hiking.
I SOOOOO miss the absolutely unabashed Romanticism of this movie. This feels like something that escaped the golden age of the 30s and 40s and landed in modern music and FX.
Brilliant glorious stuff.
The thing too is that unlike so many movies today, it is not afraid to blend emotions : how you feel about the character of Duncan being only the most obvious case. It also features some of the best sound design and mixing up to MASTER AND COMMANDER : those canons at Fort William Henry were *_INSANE_* in the theatres!
This is a movie from the 1990s based on a book written in the 1820s, about the 1750s, and is also the third film version, both of the other two of which were released in the 1930s.
The unremitting forward momentum of both physical action and emotion, the backdrop of incredible landscapes, the hypnotic soundtrack... the whole thing is like a powerful waking dream. Add in the very specific art direction, fine cinematography, quality acting, and the realism of the seige and combat scenes... I saw this amazing movie in theater and haven't changed my opinion since. It's a bona fide classic, and very re-watchable. It never feels nearly as long as the actual run-time.
It's war. Everyone destroying each other, destroying the land, destroying families. Realistically war means no happy endings. IMO this is a great movie.
Been in a lot of wars, killer?
@@Anthony-kw4en You don't have to be in a war to comprehend its destruction, if you have an imagination and some knowledge of history.
@@catherinelw9365 his point was no happy endings. Waxing poetic about war when having not been in one is a privilege.
@@Anthony-kw4en Not necessarily a privilege. I saw the effect of war on my father who was in the Pacific during WW2. He witnessed atrocities by the Japanese. He never liked the Japanese and thought them extremely brutal.
@@Anthony-kw4en Lost quite a few relatives in various wars along the way and have tried to understand the historical hows and whys of their beginnings and endings. Calling me killer seems a bit over the top for a reply comment on a reaction channel, but whatever. In any case it was good to be reminded of how amazing this movie is.
The braid in Alice's hair was made by Uncas. A sign that they were a couple. They loved each other. The actress mother had a bunch of scenes between Alice and Uncas cut out. The actress was 17 and her mother didn't want her daughter kissing someone on screen.
Yes. Like any book adapted to film, there are changes made and due to run times, you understand why (sometimes), but I always felt they could have worked something in regarding the Uncas-Alice relationship from the book that didn't involve anything inappropriate, because having her being so distraught and taking the death plunge seemed a bit shoehorned in at that point.
That’s intriguing and a bit sad-if l understand you correctly,the actors playing Alice and Uncas were in love,but the mother of the actress portraying Alice didn’t want any photos or footage of the two young lovers getting out.
@@BarryHart-xo1oyThere was a love scene in the original script, but Jodhi May was underage and her mother wouldn't allow it.
I've always felt that they were a couple.
Her character is excited to be here despite the fact England and France are fighting in the colonies.
I think you might have missed the brewing romance between Alice and Ungkus (Nathaniel’s brother) Important plot point!
I feel this film went a bit above their heads in general :) It is a nuanced film and much are not spoken aloud.
Some films are best watched alone I think. you also need to experience some tragedy personally, prior to experiencing it fully in film.
@@takuid Its one of those films that you either have to watch alone or watch with someone disciplined enough to not talk through the film or you will miss a lot of the story.
Yeah it's kinda odd to assume Ungkus had a wife and child and further think so now he's moved on with Alice. Just Damn.
Yes, it's one of the most moving parts of the movie. Ungkus makes himself a protector of Alice and there is a loving connection between them, he gives his life to try to save her and she sees her loving protector killed and a bleak future as the forced wife/slave of Magua. She maybe felt the love and beauty of life disappeared over that precipice and she'd rather follow it.
Nathaniel was his birth name, his White name if you will, and Hawkeye was his adopted Mohican name. John Cameron was one of the other settlers/colonials.
This movie is INCREDIBLY good. I'm not especially a fan of DDL but I do love his work here. That last 20-some minutes - from the moment Hawkeye, Cora, Uncas, and Chingachgook leave the Huron camp - are among the most powerful I've ever seen. The way they drop out almost ALL sound from the movie and let the music tell most of the story, the way Uncas goes to rescue Alice but fails quickly, the way Alice throws herself off the cliff to join Uncas, the speed with which Chingachgook dispatches Magua...and that final prayer of Chingachgook's for Uncas...tears every time.
Nathaniel / Natty Bumppo / Deerslayer / Leatherstocking / Hawkeye / Pathfinder / La Longue Carabine / "the trapper". Sheesh! And I thought I'd had a lot of nicknames... 😹😺😸
Epic movie! Makes me nostalgic. I met Russell Means (Chingachgook) when I was a kid, he was extremely nice. And the first CD I ever bought was the soundtrack to this movie.
This soundtrack is one of my favorites of all time.
I remember when I was 17 and this showed on Greek tv one night and then the next day all the men at the factory the next day were talking about it and how exciting it was. Very rare to see a bunch of Greek men talk about an American film like that.
The ambush scene after leaving the fort is one of the best scenes I've ever seen. Amazing movie!
I dont want to offend anyone. But some people dont know history. This is the French and Indian War. It took place before the American Revolution. Some tribes teamed up with the British and some with the French. England still had control of the Colonies.
Many people don't know history, true. But Similarly, many people aren't great at math, I was IT support, and many people aren't good at Computing. But these kinds of movie inspire folks to learn that's a win
@@Alvan81 For sure.
The American Revolution actually started as a tax revolt as Britain increased taxes to pay for the Seven Years War. The French and Indian War was a major front of that war.
A really interesting footnote is that George Washington was there when the whole conflict kicked off.
Not offended in the least, but grateful you're sharing what you know. Public education has failed alot of us.
@SC-gp7kt Yea I've seen some reactors just not understand the context of this historical time period. TBR and Samantha are really smart though so they understood just fine.
For Daniel-Day Lewis, you MUST see MY LEFT FOOT and IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER.
In the Name of the Father is one of my favorite movies of all time.
In the Name of the Father is INCREDIBLE. Pete Postlethwaite is so amazing in general, but especially in that film. The final scene - not gonna spoil it in case they watch it - I vividly remember seeing the real-life TV broadcast live when I was a kid, although I had absolutely no idea what it was and definitely didn't have any context. It wasn't until I saw that movie that I was like, "Holy shit, I saw that when I was like 6!"
I would have never watched My Left Foot on my own, thankfully it was assigned for a university film class and I loved it, the dedication of an actor to take method that far is inspiring.
@@JeffKelly03 your Pete Postlethwaite take is right on the money, RIP to a real one!
@@JeffKelly03
Pete, AKA: Kobayashi 😎
This movie ranked #96 on Entertainment Weeklys list of 100 greatest movies of all time. I saw this in the theater back in 1992, and it was just an amazing experience!
25:56 Nathaniel and Cora literally had a conversation about why they left and the pros and cons of leaving/staying.
Now this film is a classic. Such great acting.
The soundtrack is so haunting. This is a film that you’ll pick up something new on every watch. History is hard to watch but the actors and director created a great movie.
I saw this movie for the first time when I was a small child, and when the music kicks in at the part, all of my hairs stood on end. They still do.
After I became old enough to understand, it also made me tear up. A beautiful movie.
Hey, Schmitts! How could anyone feel depressed after seeing this film? It's a pulse-pounding, crowd-pleasing romantic swoonfest that thrilled audiences!
This is my second favorite film of all time!
Michael Mann's direction is kinetic and immersive. His compositions are painterly.
Dante Spinotti's cinematography is atmospheric and lush using mostly natural light sources.
The score by Trevor Jones is rousing and sweeping.
The screenplay by Mann himself and Christopher Crowe bristles with authenticity, intelligence and ferocity!
The action is phenomenal and inventive including a canoe chase!
The period detail is assiduous.
Colonial America feels rough-hewn and primeval.
The chemistry between Madeleine Stowe and Daniel Day-Lewis is electric!
The cast is uniformly excellent.
Chingachgook, played by Native American activist Russell Means, has a terrific speech at the end of the Director's Cut where he laments being the last of his tribe. He goes on to say that one day his white son, Nathaniel, will also be the last of his kind, a frontiersman, as civilization pushes westward bending the natural world to its will.
This is based on James Fenimore Cooper's frontier classic "The Last of the Mohicans" written in 1826 but bears little resemblance to the details of the novel.
Cooper wrote a pentalogy of stories about Day-Lewis' character, Nathaniel Bumppo, who went by several names including Deerslayer, Hawkeye, La Longue Carabine, Pathfinder, Leatherstocking and The Trapper. The stories chronicle his life from 1740-1806. "Mohicans" is the second tale chronologically.
The French and Indian War was the North American theater of the first global war, The Seven Years' War, from 1756-1763.
Battles raged in Eastern colonial North America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Trans-Atlantic and the Far East between England, France, Spain and Prussia.
George Washington's military exploits occurred in this war which is one of the reasons he was chosen to lead the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
The attack on Fort William Henry and the ensuing massacre are real events.
The callous and condescending treatment of the colonials by the British officers show the first stirrings of colonial resentment to the British crown which would ultimately erupt in The Revolutionary War.
Native American tribes in North America allied with different colonial powers.
Magua is able to infiltrate the British ranks as a guide because the Brits can't tell the indigenous tribes apart.
French General Montcalm, a real historical figure, made it a point to acculturate himself with his indigenous allies and show respect to their people in order to secure a loyal bond.
Nathaniel advised Cora to remain close to her father and the British officers because the French officers would afford them protection as fellow aristocrats.
The enlisted man was considered an unwashed peasant good for cannon fodder. Lol.
I love this movie so much. I think this might be my favorite score in any film, ever. "Promontory" (the piece that plays in the climax) is still on my running playlist, because if that piece of music doesn't fuel your adrenaline and get you wanting to run an extra mile, well... I guess you probably just don't like to run and that's ok. But you know what I mean. It was also used in one of the few commercials I've ever actually enjoyed (it was a Nike ad, and it was epic. It's the "Leave Nothing" commercial and it's widely available on RUclips and it still gives me chills).
I also love that you guys are watching this because reactors often jump on trends and watch the same stuff, so I'm hoping some of the other channels I watch follow suit. This movie is *so good*.
Apparently Michael Mann directed the commercial too! I guess he felt pretty connected to that song :) Yep that's an all timer.
The part where Chingachgook sees his son, Uncas, die, and Cora sees Alice go to her death on her own terms, and Cora’s anguishing cry never fails to bring me to tears.
Daniel Day-Lewis has been in about 25 films, and has 3 Best Actor Oscars.
Outstanding movie. Most of it was filmed in Western NC. The last scene was filmed about 45 mins from me near Chimney Rock. If anyone wanting to visit that area i recommend going in the fall when all the leaves are changing....its amazing.
The scenery in this movie is amazing. It's a character itself.
Born and raised about an hour from there
1757: "The whole world's on fire." I think they do a good job of getting you to feel it here. The story was written in 1826, not so distant from the events of the war.
These events in the US and Canada took place as the local part of the Seven Years' War, from 1756 to 1763, which is considered by some to be the actual first world war. Some consider it to be just a momentary part of the Second Hundred Years War. Aside from history nerds, most people have very little idea of the terror and suffering the people of the world have endured.
Yeah. It was a bloody war, with deaths on all sides. French, English, colonials and Native Americans.
That last scene is one of the most epic things I've ever watched. The cinematography and music that goes along with the fighting and characters' watching their loved ones die gives me chills every time.
This one always has impacted me right in the heart. The music, the scenery, the epicness, the action, it’s a real real one.
Daniel Day-Lewis won 3 oscars, was nominated for 3 more, and nominated for a BAFTA for this movie. So this is maybe his 7th best acting job and he is still great in this.
I would have to disagree about his acting in this. It’s actually outstanding. He perfectly captures Hawkeyes understated confidence and understanding of the situations. And he always goes for what he wants despite the dangers!! It’s an amazing part acted perfectly!!
History Buffs RUclips channel did an excellent breakdown of the history behind this movie. Highly recommend checking it out.
My university “American Revolution” history class watched this film. It gave a good illustration of the competing alliances that native tribes had with the French and British in the mid to late 1700’s. 👍👍
Michael Mann is another maverick of American cinema. Thief and The Insider, for me, are two of Mann's greatest works.
I'll take Heat over any of his other films
Both are great but Thief being his first feature film is really insane, all the hallmarks of his future output are there in that film, from his love of crime stories, to nighttime being when everything important happens in the story , to the music choices, Mann had really been consistent over decades.
@@Jon.A.Scholt Great movie too, I got the Heat 2 book that Mann co-wrote but then found out he's making it a movie and now I need to wait to see the movie before reading it, as to not ruin the experience, if it's half as good as Heat it should be worth the wait, hope he can pull it off.
@@RussellCHallthe themes and style are there from the jump, but the way Mann evolved over the years in terms of directing and ESPECIALLY cinematography (with varying degrees of success), as well as the strict adherence to realism, no matter the subject matter, are reasons why he is just as prominent and iconic in the world of cinema. Even at 80 years old!
@@RussellCHall Also, maybe I'm the only one but I liked Public Enemies too. Definitely not his best work but it was enjoyable all the same.
Every time Alice stands on the edge of the cliff and looks down, I start crying. I've been watching this movie for 30 years and every damn time😭
This may sound silly but I mean this completely as an honor: the whole scene reminds me of the climax of _Empire Strikes Back,_ when Vader holds out his hand to join him, and Luke looks down, a sense of calm comes over him, and he lets himself fall. As Alice makes her decision, she looks as calm as a Jedi despite having not even his slim chance of rescue.
Grew up watching this as a kid with my parents.
Moya Brennan of the Celtic Irish group “Clannad,” sang the theme to this movie “I Will Find You,” her sister Enya wrote and sang the theme to Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring “May It Be,” and composed Arwen & Aragorns theme “Aniron.” Peter Jackson saw this movie and wanted Moya to sing the song in LOTR but she turned him down so why came aboard.
Love love this movie so much! Soundtrack is gorgeous ❤️❤️
Clannad is a great band, anyone who has even a passing interest in Irish music should check them out.
Not just Moya, the band Clannad performs this song.
That's really interesting, thanks! I've recently been watching the series "Robin of Sherwood" (on ITV4 in England, UK) and the soundtrack/main theme tune is by Clannad. I bought the LOTM soundtrack on CD back in 2000 but never realised "I will find you" was sang by her.
Just to add (and to echo @FuryOfCalderon on Clannad), I LOVE the Robin of Sherwood theme as much as the LOTM soundtrack so check it out if you can - it's on RUclips: ruclips.net/video/Y8uMvUgnpwI/видео.html
Hawkeye was the name he was called most often in the novels by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This movie is adapted from the second of three books he wrote in the early 1800s about these characters, generally known these days as "The Leatherstocking Tales." I love this movie. Infuriated me when "Braveheart" won all those Oscars a few years later, when this movie did it better but was barely recognized.. Not one of Daniel Day-Lewis's more celebrated performances, but he's still the most compelling person to watch anytime he's onscreen, and he did go full Method on this role, as much as he did any other. Fairly certain he lived as an outdoorsman for a couple of months before shooting the movie. Always love the chemistry between him and Madeline Stowe, the cinematography is gorgeous, and so is the score. Could not ask for much better.
The 2nd of 5 books.
@@jackwalsh6758 Huh. Only knew of this one, "The Deerslayer," and "The Pathfinder," but I'll admit when I'm wrong, and Wikipedia backs you up.
@@DrewD55 James Fenimore Cooper wrote them but Nathaniel Hawthorne was his contemporary and wrote House of the Seven Gables and the Scarlett Letter which were very famous in their own right.
@@RussellCHall Goddammit, I am just getting stuff wrong all over the place. My AP English teacher would be very disappointed with me...
This is an excellent film of the highest quality. Every shot is beautiful. I remember seeing this in the theater when i was like seven years old and i couldnt take my eyes off the screen. Love this movie. And RIP to Duncan because he had the best arc of the story.
"When Grey Hair is dead, Magua will eat his heart."
Daniel: *"Damn."* 😂😂😂
Hardcore.
I grew up near where this film was shot, and remember being denied passage to a favorite cascade we used to frequent as a family because they were shooting at that location at the time. As a kid I was bummed we missed a day at the river, but as an adult, it's kind of cool knowing a place me and my family loved got to be immortalized in this amazing film.
Kind of mind-blowing when you realize this is all taking place in New York.
I remember seeing a post on Facebook that said Uncas' death was one of the saddest thing in cinematic history. Especially the women felt that way.😁
Based on the American Classical novel by James Fenimore Cooper (1826). Daniel Day-Lewis is a Total Immersion/Method actor. He wore buckskins and carried that long rifle with him everywhere for MONTHS to get the 'feel' and handling of it right (re-watch that opening scene - the man is a consummate Pro). I used to do French and Indian War (1754-63) reenactments and we were as authentic as possible, right down to the wool, linen and leather we wore. British historians would travel to the US to film our reenactments as they said we were more serious about accuracy than groups in Britain at the time. Some in our group later were 42nd Regimental Highlanders in this film. The Adirondacks weren't 'pristine' enough anymore, so it was filmed in N. Carolina. Nathaniel Poe (Natty Bumppo), or Hawkeye, or 'Deerslayer', 'Straight-Tongue', etc. was the adopted brother of Chingachgook (the last of his Mohican band - yet other Mohawk bands remain). Hawkeye was the hero in the Leatherstocking Tales of J. F. Cooper, published between 1826-41 and considered factual fiction or historical fiction as the language, lifestyle, characters and battles were based in fact (Col. Munro, the commander of Ft. William Henry was actually Lt. Col. George Monro who surrendered it in 1757. The next day 185 of his troops were killed in ambush like the film, but Monro survived, dying suddenly 3 months later in Albany - but he had no children).
One of the best soundtracks ever. Pretty good movie too.
This was based on a famous, early American novel by James Fenimore Cooper, which was often read in late elementary/middle school in my father’s day and to a lesser extent in my day (1960s). This movie is certainly a grim reminder of the cost of war, especially in colonial America. The cinematography is spectacular, I think. FYI: The Mohawks and the Mohicans are different tribes; indeed, they even fought a war against one another.
A wonderful movie with an outstanding supporting role by Daniel Day-Lewis is “A Room with a View” (1986). Based on the novel by E. M. Forster, it is a witty romance that feels like something Jane Austen would write if she had lived in the early 20th century.
This is such a departure from Michael Mann’s other work. It’s such a masterpiece though. Amazing music too.
Other great historical and war films I love : Gettysburg, Zulu, Paths of glory, original all quiet on the western front and the general
I can’t listen to that music without feeling like running up the side of a mountain 😂
The British soldier on the horse in the beginning is Jared Harris! His dad was also in a 1992 movie, Unforgiven.
They probably recognised him as the main lead in the Chernobyl mini series.
I re-watched this show a few month after Chernobyl. It took me a moment to recognize him.
I picture Jared Harris as Professor James Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. James father, Richard Harris, is recently best known for his role as Professor Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter.
The score is one of my favorite of all time. It’s unbelievable that it wasn’t even nominated for the Oscar.
Written by my great great great Uncle on my dads side, James Fenimore Cooper. My dad was from upstate New York
Wow
That's awesome. He was so good at his craft, you should be proud.
Cooper was the favorite author of fictional wilderness man Nathaniel King in The Wilderness paperback series by David Robbins writing as David Thompson for the now defunct Leisure Books. Excellent novels of fan worship and nod to the great Cooper.
That's awesome. I I greatly enjoyed reading your great great uncle's Leatherstocking series After taking AP US history and watching this movie. I wish more people would read his works to better understand that period of colonial and American history
And is buried, where else ?? Cooperstown @ 17:11 - ruclips.net/video/BzAlZScQTnk/видео.html 😊
The Mohican are not all dead. They are alive here in Wisconsin on the Stockbridge reservation
Arguably the best movie soundtrack ever, fantastic, beautifully shot movie……
When I was bingeing your channel just yesterday I wss so suprized to hear Samantha say she had never seen DDL before Bill the Butcher...then I found out you were gunna review Mohicans Today....
I am soooo excited for you two to see this. When I first saw it I loved it so much that I drove 276 miles to Grand Teton National Park to watch it again in Jackson Hole Wyoming....
I swear to God I saw Duncan driving beside me on the road back home.
I can't wait for this reaction. Lets begin :)
Edit: you will see this movie again and like it more. Don't know when, where or how but I know I'm right. The words are poignantly sad and beautiful.
BTW, DDL in " Lincoln" and "Age of Innocence" are must watch. Scorsese called Age of Innocence his most violent film ( it is not what you may think)
Love you guys. Thanks. You are the best outro reviewers there is
One of the best movies ever with an even better soundtrack
13th Warrior!
"Are those tears for me?" I love that voice!
I love that movie!!!
One of the most accurate period films ever made. History Majors/buffs, like myself, definitely appreciate it.
Human history has always been wrapped in turmoil. So much of the past is romanticized, on all sides. One even gets a glimpse into the tribal conflicts at the time.
So well done.
It was absolutely not accurate. It's a fictional story. First of all Webb heard the canon shots. There weren't two daughters in the fort. And Nathaniel, chingachcook and his son didn't exist. Neither did Magua.
@@woodspirit98 I was appreciating that, as a period piece, the attention to historical costume, design, thinking, combat, etc. creates an immersive experience which is appreciated by history enthusiasts.
A fictional tale cannot, by definition, be real. Thank you so much for pointing out the obvious.
Yes, this movie is dark. It very successfully portray just how deadly and dangerous life was like in Colonial America. The setting of this movie is upstate New York. While today its an extremely safe tourist destination 260 years ago it was a wild frontier where death and tragedy was an everyday occurrence. It took a great deal of effort and sacrifice to make it safe and civilized.
Your innocence when starting this movie was so precious. This movie is brilliant and it sticks with you. The first ambush scene is a bit shocking.
It supposed to take place in New York, but it was filmed all around western North Carolina (which is why the scenery looks so good lol)
Simply a great movie,from the set pieces to the cinématographe,the acting. The story is simple but so well executed and that ending is such a masterpiece
They had no choice but to separate at the waterfall. There's no way cpuld drag two women along and be able to move at the speed they needed to move on order to elude capture or a fight. And like you said, they weren't prepared to take on a whole war party by themselves. Everyone would have been killed for sure.
Saw this with my mom when she would watch movies after my bedtime when I was 9. Have loved it ever since. And the soundtrack is always deeply stirring to my blood😊
“This movie was dark.”
“This movie was very depressing.”
Yep, definitely a masterpiece.
One of my faves with one of the best soundtracks ever! Duncan’s character arc, ultimately sacrificing himself… “Did you tell him? “Yes.”🥺
Love you guys. This is an underrated gem… But, you left out the line of the movie! “Just stay alive! No matter what occurs. I’ll find you!” DDL is the GOAT.
This is a classic movie, based on one of the biggest selling books of all time. The film is reflective of what it was really like in those times. Most people didn't make it to 30yo, and many died violent deaths.
I don't know how DDT does such a great American accent. He makes it seem like he does it effortlessly.
Ken-tuck-ee
@@pablom-f8762 Sounded like Kan tuck ee when he said it.
He attended RADA where they teach American accents in anticipation of grads doing American TV & films🎭
How many times have you heard interviews with cast & find their American characters are Brits?😮
Here in Canada this movie is pretty much part of the history curriculum taught in highschool and EVERYONE watches it in class.
Definitely in my top 10.
Last 10 minutes is what I would consider the greatest action sequence of all time, because not only does it combine mesmerizing visuals, haunting music and incredible pacing - it also manages to evoke an extremely emotional response, at least if you've invested in the characters on screen and empathize with their situation.
Also, the tragic villain of Magua has to be among the most compelling antagonists in film.
As for the movie being dark and sad, I guess - but that's not how I feel about it.
I find it beautiful, visceral and very true to how precious being truly alive is, especially under such devastatingly fragile circumstances.
The music on this one is truly epic. It gives me goosebumps every time i hear it (specifically 'promentory' and 'the kiss'). The last 30 minutes or so are absolutely devastating to watch. Paired with the song, it just gives me chills.
Yes! Nice surprise. The ending with the soundtrack ❤.
Last of The Mohicans! Great Choice! Can't wait for Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels!
First time I ever seen my father tear up watching this movie when Alice jumped to her death. I said what's wrong dad and he said "nothin something in my eyes"
. LOL
You guys are on a roll of good movies
His English birth name was Nathaniel Bumpo. His adopted Mohican name was Hawk Eye. And the Natives are Huron...as in Lake Huron, which is one of the great lakes on he east coast of Michigan and southern Canada, because they lived around there.
So this movie is the most influential movie of my life. I was 6 or 7 when I saw it. The violin solo and scene at the end had such an impact on me I got into music and ended up as a composition and performance major. My strongest instrument, Clarinet, I played professionally in Georgia for 3 years until I got into furniture making but I still play in the local symphony. All because I couldn't get that last scene and score out of my head
@mamalannightshyaman
Well that's a beautiful comment. The artists & creators of a work of art like this film will never know the many ways it has affected countless lives.
In your case it set your little child's feet on a particular & worthwhile path. And then you later developed a skill/talent that itself would've been practiced by some of the Colonials in this story (although that may not be an actual correlation, it did occur to me).
Thanks for sharing a lovely personal story.🩵✨️🩵
It was a Tragic story but what I liked about the movie ( I never have read the book ) but I like how they sort of opened a small window to that time period in the Americas show actual life and how tough it really was and the fact that the FRENCH and BRITISH were fighting each other the Indians were fighting each other and everyone else and just the real difficulties of trying to “ Hack out your own life on the frontier” in those days.
It made $143 million dollars against a $40 million dollar budget.
A film like that nowadays costs $180 million 😂
@@reservoirdude92less is more.
@@stsolomon618I know! I meant to imply that I have no idea how period films like this cost so much these days.
@reservoirdude92 I think because of the actors salaries, maybe the marketing, but I believe that most studios just put so much money in a production and it's not really needed. Hopefully that makes sense
And?
"Stay alive, not matter what occurs. I WILL find you." Classic
So, on the question of why they didn’t all flee at the waterfall, consider that Nathaniel, Uncas, and Chingachgook can disappear in the wilderness. They are stealthy at a level far beyond any of their protectees, and probably beyond the men Magua has with him. They can simply vanish, and choose a later opportunity to aid the girls and Duncan.
This is one of the best movies EVER! I've seen it at times over the years quite a few times. I saw it in a nearly packed movie theater when it came out. The thing about this movie that y'all seemed to have missed is- It's a budding romance story in the midst of a War. No different than if it took place in one of the World Wars. This is just one that is during Early America. Colonial times had tragedies from many sources. DDL's character was a badass, his adoptive brother was brave and went to go rescue the sister, because he was doing the right thing, but also had feelings for her. Yes her British Beau had issues, he was pretty much the typical man of his day, he loved her but ppl married for status also. He did the big sacrifice to save Cora. The epic fight between Magua and the Father, is awesome. It shows how much better prepared the Father is , than his young son. Anyways, the whole movie was filmed in Western NC. Quite a bit around the many acres that the Biltmore Estate is on. The canoe scene was done at- DuPont National Park, which I have been to. I visited Hooker Falls, which is the moderate Waterfall they went over in the canoes. It's a beautiful area. NC is a pretty state. 😊
The Mission (1986) great movie. very similiar theme. and another great soundtrack.
Omg yes absolutely beautiful!❤❤❤
Great movie!
My dad took me and my brother to see this movie because he's a huge history buff. I was 7, my brother was 10. Lol I was way too young to see this level of realistic violence lol
Daniel Day Lewis is one of the greatest actors out there. His role as Abraham Lincoln in "Lincoln" was just incredible
The film is set in 1757 during the “French and Indian War (1754-1763) which was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes.
This was the exact cause for the American Revolution. Colonists basically got screwed in this as it was their home. They then get taxed heavily to pay for it.
Weird tidbit about this movie.. the actress who plays Alice, the younger sister, plays Maggy the Frog in Game Of Thrones (the woman who tells young Cersei her future), and Queen Calanthe in The Witcher series. I've been watching this movie for 30+ years so that kinda fck'd me up when I realized that. lol