August 10, 2020
'The Last of the Mohicans'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan try to stay alive no matter what occurs as they rewatch the 1992 American epic 'The Last of the Mohicans' starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe and directed by Michael Mann.
Cast
Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye (Nathaniel)
Madeleine Stowe as Cora Munro
Wes Studi as Magua
Russell Means as Chingachgook
Eric Schweig as Uncas
Jodhi May as Alice Munro
Steven Waddington as Major Duncan Heyward
Pete Postlethwaite as Captain Beams
Directed by: Michael Mann
Written by: Michael Mann
Music by: Trevor Jones, Randy Edelman
Notes
- A 'collaboration between two lunatics' – Daniel Day-Lewis and Michael Mann, perfectly matched maniacs.
- $40 million budget (went $7 million over), grossed $75.5 million.
- DDL went into the wilderness for months to prepare – hunted, fished, lived off the land, trained with a US Army colonel, carried his rifle everywhere including Christmas dinner.
- Mann screamed 'What's that orange light?' on set – it was the sun.
- The 'Stay alive, I will find you' waterfall scene was a reshoot done 9 days before the premiere.
- Trevor Jones was fired/replaced by Randy Edelman for the score; Jones still gets credit on the iconic main theme.
- Filmed in North Carolina because the actual Adirondacks were too built up; spent $6 million just to build Fort William Henry to historical specifications.
- Costume designer James Acheson (multiple Oscar winner) left the film and had his name removed due to artistic differences with Mann.
- 900 Native Americans employed, notably from Cherokee tribes.
- DDL and Stowe had an escalating prank war culminating in a fake bloody car crash.
- Three different cuts exist: original theatrical, a version with 2 extra minutes, and a director's cut with 3 extra minutes.
Categories
Roger Ebert's review
Quote from Rog's review:
“Not as authentic and uncompromised as it claims to be, more of a meta fantasy than it wants to admit, but it is probably more entertaining as a result.”
Most re-watchable scene
- The final cliff sequence – Uncas vs. Magua, Alice jumping, Chingachgook's 360-degree tomahawk kill of Magua.
- The first ambush scene (~20 min in) – Magua leads British soldiers into a trap.
- The waterfall scene: 'Stay alive. No matter what occurs, I will find you'.
- Magua presents the women to the Sachem; Hawkeye trades Cora's life for Duncan's.
What aged the best?
- The music/score – 'It's the music. And then it's the music. And then it's the music'.
- Daniel Day-Lewis's performance.
- Wes Studi's performance as Magua.
- The romance between Hawkeye and Cora.
- The dialogue: 'Face north, turn left, and walk'.
What aged the worst?
- A lot of info to take in during the first hour; confusing political/historical context.
- Alice and Uncas's relationship is underdeveloped; needed a scene to set it up.
Casting what-ifs
- Brian Cox was offered Colonel Munro, turned it down.
- Andie MacDowell was in the mix for Cora.
- Jean Reno was offered the role of General Montcalm.
- Val Kilmer as worst-case scenario lead actor – Mann would have liked him.
Over-acting award
- General Montcalm – 'the bow that he does, the little curtsy'.
- Colonel Munro 'dialed it up a couple times'.
Best "that guy"
- The Sachem (Mike Phillips) – only ~5 minutes of screen time but great demeanor and lines.
- Pete Postlethwaite (Bill's pick for 'Joey Pants award').
- Terry Kinney (from Oz) as John Cameron the settler.
Best "heat check" performance
The Sachem (Mike Phillips) – great in his ~5 minutes, likes his demeanor, his lines, and how he brokers the trade.
Half-assed (internet) research
- Mann does at least 20 takes per setup.
- Budget went $7 million over; Fox sent a rep to keep it on track.
- Mann's 3-hour cut forced Fox to postpone from summer to September release.
- Russell Means was an activist; first movie role; ran for VP as Larry Flynt's running mate in 1984.
- DDL avoided modern technology and rolled his own cigarettes during prep.
Apex Mountain
- Daniel Day-Lewis – this is his mainstream Apex Mountain, but overall it's 'There Will Be Blood'.
- Wes Studi – yes.
- Madeleine Stowe – yes.
- Jumping off a giant cliff into a waterfall – yes, peaked in '92-'93 range ('The Fugitive' was next year).
- Colonial frontier movies – yes, can't think of a better film tackling this era.
Picking nits
- Alice and Uncas's romance comes out of nowhere; needed a setup scene.
- The courier system – no backup plan?
- Outdoor tea scene between Cora and Duncan – a table and tea set in a giant field in 1757.
Sequel, prequel, prestige TV or untouchable?
Yes, could be a 10-episode Netflix show – would solve confusion over context and Alice/Uncas relationship, but Mann would tinker with it forever.
(Probably) unanswerable questions
Bill still doesn't know who you're supposed to root for between the English and French.
Who won the movie?
- Daniel Day-Lewis (Bill's pick).
- Michael Mann (Chris's pick).