| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| James N. |
Posted - December 19 2008 : 2:19:15 PM
Looking through my copy of the script, I found this deleted scene between Heyward and Magua I thought you might find interesting, especially in view of the recent question involving ransom. At least it makes Magua's attitude clear. ( As if we didn't already know that - that's probably it was left out! )
P.100 - Rev. 6/11/91
488 HEYWARD
badly beaten, bound, staggers ahead to get behind Magua. Then:
HEYWARD If Magua give women to Yengeese soldiers...will recieve
many gifts.
MAGUA ( as if considering ) Gifts?
HEYWARD Three, four oxen...much wampum.
MAGUA Wampum?! Wampum?!
HEYWARD Yes.
MAGUA No. Does Yengeese Major have lands across salt sea?
HEYWARD Yes.
MAGUA Yengese Major give Magua all his lands. And Magua give
Yengese Major much wampum.
Magua looks at Heyward derisively. Does this white man think
he's an idiot?
HEYWARD Gold. Gold could be arranged.
MAGUA For Munro children?
HEYWARD Yes.
CONTINUED
P.101
88 CONTINUED 488
MAGUA How much gold has master of the Yengeese?
HEYWARD The King? The King has mountains of gold!
Long pause as if Magua and King George II were seriously
considering this transaction.
MAGUA Not enough.
Heyward is first realizing with whom he's playing.
HEYWARD What is enough?
MAGUA Give Magua new heart.
Magua totally disdains the Englishman and walks away from him,
starting up a steeper forested hill.
CUT |
| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - December 20 2008 : 09:57:31 AM
That is interesting. I think I am glad that one was cut.
I think that Duncan began talking like that to Magua because he didn't realize at the time that Magua understood French. I can't think of another time in the story where he heard Magua speaking French. He had only heard him speak in his broken English, or an Indian language. Am I right in that? So, as Winglo said, his clueless-ness and his arrogance made him try to communicate with Magua at the presumed lower intelligence level.
It sure did make him come across as an idiot, didn't it?  But, to his credit, he was thinking, even at this point, of trying to save the women and not himself. |
| winglo |
Posted - December 19 2008 : 7:18:16 PM
I had heard/read this dialog elsewhere recently, but I can't remember where. I agree, the fluency of the speech is awful, but it makes you realize how clueless the English could be. |
| James N. |
Posted - December 19 2008 : 6:36:50 PM
That,too, might be a good reason it was a deleted scene! |
| Monadnock Guide |
Posted - December 19 2008 : 4:28:10 PM
Because nobody knows it's decent French, ... ;) |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - December 19 2008 : 3:46:44 PM
So why is it that they can all speak decent French, but their English sounds like it came from a bad "B" western? |
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