The French and The Indian

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The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Written by Caleb Madden

I’m going to be honest. I have only ever seen one  Michael Mann movie. I have watched parts of Ali on AMC, but that doesn’t really count. I’ve seen the movie I am talking about today twice though.

It’s not that I don’t like Mr. Mann. It’s just that I haven’t been around the block long enough to watch them. Big blind spot. But every time I see any scene from any of his movies I am astonished at how beautiful and interesting they are.

The French and The Indian

The Last of The Mohicans is an adaptation of the 1896 novel of the same name. The novel (and the movie) details the events of an actual military siege that took place during the French and Indian war. The French and Indian war took place from 1754 to 1763 and was a war over the territories that would become the U.S. But the twist is that this version of the story has a wonderful romance plopped into the middle of it. 

I haven’t read the book and I am not an expert in the 7 Years War, but I do know that this movie is wild and extremely good. First, let me set the table a bit. This story follows three men, Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis), Uncas (Eric Schweig), and Chingachgook (Russell Means). Hawkey and Uncas are the sons of Chingachgook and decidedly uninterested in the war that France and England are waging. However, they are extremely skilled hunters and very kindhearted men.

The British

Now that we have the table set lets talk about this movie. Historical accuracy aside, this movie is incredible. Every single shot in this movie is just gorgeous. Mann’s ability to set a scene and have every single inch of the screen be visually interesting is unparalleled. What I really love about this movie is the attention to detail. Movies like this that are made today are like cartoons: someone will do something regardless of what has previously happened or how it should have been done.

This movie is all about the details. If a character has a rope around their neck they have bruises later. If a character fires their muzzle loader they don’t just magically have another bullet in the chamber. I think it is so amazing that a movie that is this involved and massive is so consistent.

The Mohicans

Hands down the best thing this movie does is its silence. There is a surprising amount of silence in this movie. There are whole set pieces where all you hear is the sound of the actions taking place. At the end of the movie there is about 8 minutes with no dialogue just the score and the sound of the actors. 

One of the other things that Mann does super well in this movie is the unbelievable wide shots. The scene I chose today is a perfect example, but the film has many choices to choose from. Just beautiful images of the Appalachian mountains and the woods that the mountains hold. Please just enjoy this gorgeous scene.

Today’s Scene