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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Chingachgook |
Posted - February 19 2014 : 05:54:47 AM
Hello again.
I'm Persefoni from Greece,a new member on this board..As I've been watching the movie a lot lately,there are a few questions I'd like to ask. Surely some might have already been answered in the past but I'd really appreciate it if sb took the trouble to answer.They are a few, some may seem silly, so bare with me..
1. Are we to assume that Uncas and Alice's bodies were burried by Chingachgook and the rest at the end of the movie? Or did they leave them as they lay on the rock?
2. Why were Chingachgook and Uncas the last of the Mohicans? What happened to the rest of their people? As far as I can tell,there are no clues given in the movie.
3. When we first meet our heroes, they are on the move intending to winter among the Delawares in Can-tuck-ee.Is this only for Uncas' sake? That is because Chingachgook wants him to find a Delaware woman and start a family? Or was it a norm for them to move around the country seasonally? Didn't they have a base, like their own proper home?
4. Also on the same matter..In the cabin scene I get the feeling that it's mostly Chingachgook's wish to have Uncas married. Because that is what is expected of him,the norm for men of his age and, in this particular case, his duty to continue the bloodline.But is it sth that Uncas himself also wanted? Plus, would the intended matchmaking be some sort of a deal or based on love? And what about Hawkeye? What kind of woman was he supposed to find?
Thank you..
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| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Robbman |
Posted - February 24 2014 : 08:32:14 AM
You guys are correct, and I'll add that, in my humble opinion, good filmmakers leave it to the viewer to fill in the blanks. If they answer every question, there's no mystery and intrigue. The larger questions are much more interesting.. what happened to the Mohican tribe? Why are they the last? In my mind, it's simply metaphor for the ongoing (and more modern issue for native americans) homogenization of the species.
As for the more specific stuff, I'll add my thoughts on the cabin scene you mention. I think it's nothing more than Mann's commentary on the importance of family to the culture. I don't think it's that Uncas doesn't want a family, per se... it's just getting the idea in there. That whole dynamic between the Camerons, Uncas, Chingachgook, Nathaniel.. all of them.. it reinforces that idea completely and over again many times in that one scene, and not through dialogue alone. The idea that living a simple life full of love and surrounded by family is the best that people can hope for and why they came to America. That's what I get out of it. |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - February 23 2014 : 10:31:15 AM
quote:
Originally posted by richfed
As far as Question #2 goes -- the phrase "Last of the Mohicans", as James Fenimore Cooper makes clear in the preface to his book of the same name, is a figurative representation. It is not meant to be taken as a historical fact, but rather as a metaphor for what Cooper sensed was the disappearance of the native population.
"Then our race will be no more, or be not us." |
| richfed |
Posted - February 22 2014 : 1:13:46 PM
As far as Question #2 goes -- the phrase "Last of the Mohicans", as James Fenimore Cooper makes clear in the preface to his book of the same name, is a figurative representation. It is not meant to be taken as a historical fact, but rather as a metaphor for what Cooper sensed was the disappearance of the native population. |
| SgtMunro |
Posted - February 22 2014 : 07:19:12 AM
And neither the original story, or Mr. Mann's movie, should be confused with historical fact 
YMH&OS,
The Sarge |
| Monadnock Guide |
Posted - February 19 2014 : 2:05:05 PM
Excellent points Fitz, - because NO ONE could ever confuse the original book/story with Mann's movie, ... |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - February 19 2014 : 07:52:02 AM
I think it is important to keep in mind that the original story was written at a time when American history was being romanticized in both literature and art. There were many stories passed down from ancestors which are not necessarily accurate. And Cooper was a writer and used various pieces of information cobbled together to form a somewhat tedious story. Then it was re-written by Hollywood a number of times, most importantly being for the 1936 film version of the movie. Michael Mann bought the rights to this version and altered it as he saw fit to comply with his vision of a romantic action movie. And he did a very good job! But in no way was it meant to be historically accurate. So, with this in mind:
1. Since the disposition of the bodies did not further the story it was not meant to be considered. The viewer is free to make up their own mind.
2. They were far from the "last". The Stockbridge Mohicans fought with the US during the American Revolution. Mohicans are still around today. But it made for a dramatic title.
3. Again, lore and romanticism dictate the story, not actual facts.
4. The viewer is free to read into the scene anything they wish. The movie is about two things, a love affair between Nathaniel and Cora, and the seeds of a future conflict between Britain and the Colonists. Anything else goes to further that story. They were going to Can-tuck-ee so that in the "Riverwalk" scene there would be a conflict between Duncan and Nathaniel. No conflict, no drama. Just like reality TV today.
Also, keep in mind that the movie is only accurate from a very high level. Yes, there was a French and Indian War. Yes, there was an attack on Fort William Henry. There were commanders named Munro and Montcalm. There was the surrender and subsequent "attack" by Indians on the British, but greatly overstated. But beyond that? That's why they call it fiction. |
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