| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| James N. |
Posted - November 10 2007 : 6:23:41 PM
I have just completed Part VI of "My Adventures...", and posted it to Rich. Failing any electronic glitches, I trust he got it; and if the last is any indication, will soon have it up with the remaining photos. I hope you have enjoyed reading it so far, as much as I have had writing it, and thereby remembering all these places and people now so long in the past. As I've said before, if you have any specific questions, I'll be glad to try to answer them. |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| susank2 |
Posted - November 13 2007 : 09:19:07 AM
Maybe it was less than 10 pounds, but felt to him more like 12 pounds  |
| Hawkeye_Joe |
Posted - November 13 2007 : 08:45:49 AM
susan, be very leary of a magazine article about anything historial. DDL's rifle was more than likely somewhere around or below 10 lbs. We can get in touch with Mark Baker to confirm this since he handled it a great deal. Mel's rifle was around 10 lbs in "The Patriot" and he did not like carrying it so he carried a rubber one every chance he got. Many a time you would see him riding around with it in his teeth. |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - November 12 2007 : 11:37:06 PM
So Steve Abolt was in LOTM. Well, what do you know! He was at Fort Jackson last weekend with the 7th. Of course, I was at Fort Toulouse with the French. For those of you who may not know, they are on the same site, a few hundred yards apart. |
| Little Lady of Fire |
Posted - November 12 2007 : 7:10:25 PM
All I know is there is a weight difference from a twenty gauge shotgun and a thirty ot six. (sorry about spelling). |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - November 12 2007 : 3:20:01 PM
I would be very surprised to find that the gun weighed 12 lbs. The barrels are swamped and produce a well balanced gun even though they have a long barrel. They are a pleasure to shoot and carry. |
| susank2 |
Posted - November 12 2007 : 2:02:11 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Fitzhugh Williams
quote:
Originally posted by susank2
James, nicely done!  A very good read.
I do have another question for you...which may have already been answered in the forum somewhere but I don't remember seeing it. The guns that Hawkeye and Uncas carry around the whole movie from what I've read weigh about 14 pounds. Were the actors carrying around the real things when they were running and climbing and doing very physical stuff, or were they using lighter "dummy" guns?
A Brown Bess, one of the heavier guns that the Brits would have used, weighs about 10 lbs. The kind of gun that Uncas carried, a Centermark copy of a Tulle, would weigh about 6 or 7 lbs. Hawkeye's gun would have been somewhere between the two. This is not much to carry. Reenactors do it all the time. As a reference, a WWII M-1 weighes 9.5 lbs.
Ah, I found where I just read about the weight of the gun. It was that New York Times Sunday magazine article about DDL. It says:
During “Last of the Mohicans,” he built a canoe, learned to track and skin animals and perfected the use of a 12-pound flintlock gun, which he took everywhere he went, even to a Christmas dinner.
okay...I was 2 pounds off! It's still a heavy gun to lug around when you're running. |
| James N. |
Posted - November 12 2007 : 11:27:28 AM
First, for Rich: "Back to One" is briefly defined in Part II, talking about my photos of the "ambush"; it's the director, assistant, or PA's order for everyone and everything to place themselves and/or their property ( "props" ) back where they were at the beginning of any scene for the next "take". This is done over and over, until the director is satisfied with whatever has been filmed, directs "That's a wrap."; and moves on to the next scene. Of course, when the final scene is complete, that too is a "wrap"; but signifies the end of the entire production. ( The filming, at least. )
For susank2 - As far as I know, the only time "dummy guns" ( usually foam rubber exact replicas ) were used was in scenes where the real thing would be a hazard to the ones carrying them: When Heyward or Munro fall with their horses, for example. If memory serves me right, both those falls were done by stunt doubles; I know Cora's and Alice's were. Also in a very few scenes of hand-to-hand combat, the replicas might be used to deliver direct blows. ( Like Hawkeye and the Huron getting ready to slit Cora's throat! )
Working on "Glory" and "The Alamo - The Price of Freedom", we made some use of the notorious rubber bayonets; which generally look VERY fake, since they tend to wobble and flop around, being only rubber around a thin wire form. Naturally they bend and get broken VERY easily! I don't remember them here, but it's likely we had some. I DO remember rubber/plastic knives and swords used for melees.
The actors and extras tended to use, carry, and run with their usual weapons, though. One thing I'll add to Fitzhugh's explaination is that the weight of one of these rifles is distributed very differently from that of a musket, though the weight is about the same. The rifle is much heaver in the barrel; because of this, it's far easer to balance it by carrying it in the middle - note especially how Hawkeye has it anytime he's running. Soldiers are more likely to carry their muskets sloped across in front, since its weight is more toward the butt. |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - November 12 2007 : 09:30:35 AM
quote:
Originally posted by susank2
James, nicely done! A very good read.
I do have another question for you...which may have already been answered in the forum somewhere but I don't remember seeing it. The guns that Hawkeye and Uncas carry around the whole movie from what I've read weigh about 14 pounds. Were the actors carrying around the real things when they were running and climbing and doing very physical stuff, or were they using lighter "dummy" guns?
A Brown Bess, one of the heavier guns that the Brits would have used, weighs about 10 lbs. The kind of gun that Uncas carried, a Centermark copy of a Tulle, would weigh about 6 or 7 lbs. Hawkeye's gun would have been somewhere between the two. This is not much to carry. Reenactors do it all the time. As a reference, a WWII M-1 weighes 9.5 lbs. |
| richfed |
Posted - November 12 2007 : 08:16:07 AM
I've got one, too, James:
Explain, "Back to One" --- |
| susank2 |
Posted - November 12 2007 : 08:12:54 AM
James, nicely done! A very good read.
I do have another question for you...which may have already been answered in the forum somewhere but I don't remember seeing it. The guns that Hawkeye and Uncas carry around the whole movie from what I've read weigh about 14 pounds. Were the actors carrying around the real things when they were running and climbing and doing very physical stuff, or were they using lighter "dummy" guns? |
| Kirachi |
Posted - November 12 2007 : 07:56:20 AM
Thanks very much again James! |
| caitlin |
Posted - November 11 2007 : 11:18:17 AM
Bravo! |
| Little Lady of Fire |
Posted - November 11 2007 : 12:23:02 AM
this is so cool of you. i love the accounts so far. they are educating. |
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![The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]](images/wwwboard.gif "The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]")
