The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
I t’s often said that James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans is a tale many are familiar with, but a novel only few have read. Significantly the script for Michael Mann’s 1992 screen adaptation owes more to the screenplay of the 1936 film adaptation starring Randolph Scott than to the source novel. For those who do not know: The Last of the Mohicans is set during the so-called French and Indian war (1754-1963) when France and Britain battled for the control of the vast North American colonies. Both sides were supported by various native tribes (hence the name ‘Indian war’). The Last of the Mohicans is above all the story of Natty Bumppo, knick-named Hawkeye , a white boy who was raised by Natives. He is unwilling to choose sides, but is drawn into the conflict when he saves the lives of two young women, Cora and Alice Munro, the daughters of the British officer responsible for the defence of Fort William Henry. After the successful siege of the fort by the French arm
