The CLIFFS

To Read JAMES FENIMORE COOPER'S TALE ... The Cliffs

[EXTERIOR PROMONTORY - UNCAS - DAY

half-way up the rock face. He's approaching an overhang. He climbs with a reckless desperation ...

EXTERIOR STREAM - HAWKEYE & CHINGACHGOOK

pound across the (sic) to the meadow towards Magua's path ...

CORA

trying to stay with them, scrambles up ...

EXTERIOR PROMONTORY - UNCAS

reaches the overhang. It juts away from the face six feet.

THE CEILING OF THE OVERHANG

Uncas' hand jams into a crack in the granite, forms a fist and twists, making a wedge. He swings out, dangling in space by the hand wedged into the rock. His right hand reaches out and up, searching the vertical face for ...

UNCAS' HAND

... a rock flake. An indentation. Anything ... His fingers find a diagonal crevice and ...

UNCAS

swings out, now hanging by the vertical face above the overhang. His features are distorted with determination. Nothing will stop him. His right hand grabs another rock. His arms snap him up. Then push. He's on the ledge. Moving fast ...

CUT TO ...

EXTERIOR PROMONTORY - HURONS - DAY

on point are approaching the path above the promontory. Five warriors are ahead of Magua. One behind him drags Alice.

FIRST

Huron starts up the narrow path. Suddenly ...

UNCAS

slams him off the rock with the butt of his musket.

WIDE ANGLE

Two's musket coming up. Uncas swings. FIRES. Before he's fallen, Uncas bayonets Three.

FOURTH

FIRES, misses, swings. Uncas slips the swung musket, but it catches his elbow. Uncas' musket falls. Before it hits the ground his tomahawk is out and hacks Four over the edge ...

MAGUA

running forward past Five, confronts Uncas head on. It's incredibly fast.

UNCAS'

three tomahawk swings are dodged by Magua whose own knife streaks like silver flashes. Uncas, gashed on arms and chest, feints right and slams Magua with an open hand, closes and the men are intertwined steel and muscle ... and Magua throws Uncas. Going with him and rolling off Uncas, Magua's knife flashes into his armpit. Uncas' right arm is useless. He scrambles up. Next to the expertise of a mature warrior like Magua, Uncas' raw, young determination may not be enough.

EXTERIOR - MEADOW - CHINGACHGOOK

freezes.

EXTERIOR PROMONTORY - UNCAS

closing, swings. Magua moves inside, stabs Uncas twice, turns him to face the edge, ripping his head left to expose the right underside of his throat.

CLOSE: MAGUA'S

knife arm punches forward.

WIDE: PROMONTORY

Uncas falls down the face onto to the rocks.

CHINGACHGOOK

seeing his boy killed, CRIES out and is charging up the path, Hawkeye following.

EXTERIOR PROMONTORY - ALICE

backs to the edge.

MAGUA

moves on Alice. His knife is low, about to strike. She stares at him. Her eyes are like pools of deep water, calm, open, almost beatific. It stops Magua ...

MAGUA

inexplicably, drops his knife hand. He's riveted by her. About him, there's a glimmer of something else. He wears a human face for this one moment. He reaches out with his other hand to offer her safety. To bring her back from the edge ...

ALICE

looks down at Uncas, her lover, dead on the rocks below. She turns to Magua with enigmatic calm. Her eyes seem to see into him. She steps off the edge. She falls to her death next to Uncas ...

EXTERIOR MEADOW - CORA

collapses to her knees on the ground and her face falls forward into her hands ...

HURON WARRIORS

are running down the path to intercept Chingachgook, charging uphill, fueled by a father's rage, and Hawkeye. One Huron aims at the center of Chingachgook's chest ...

HAWKEYE

FIRES past his father's side. The Huron's blown off the path. Hawkeye races to reload on the run ...

EXTERIOR PROMONTORY - MAGUA

sees the approach of Chingachgook.

TO CHINGACHGOOK

Huron warriors are an irrelevance. He slams one aside with his musket.

HAWKEYE

FIRES.

HURON

with tomahawk, about to blindside Chingachgook, is SHOT DOWN.

MAGUA

charging Chingachgook.

VERY WIDE

Two men, like dots, race to collide at the center of the promontory. Now the others fall back ... It's one-on-one. Hawkeye slows ...

COMBATANTS

Magua - confident, pumped up - feints with his left, his tomahawk appearing in his right, sweeping backhand, while his left, magically holding his blade, is jamming up to gut Chingachgook. Chingachgook's dead. Except ...

CHINGACHGOOK

isn't there. He rolled and, on one knee with his back to Magua, his arm slams rearward. The massive war club crashes into Magua's back.

MAGUA

stunned, turns to hatchet Chingachgook ...

CHINGACHGOOK

- now up and towering - slams his club right into Magua's assault ... destroying it, breaking Magua's right arm. And ...

CHINGACHGOOK

... with his momentum, spins like a shot-putter and the next blow cripples Magua's left side and crushes part of his chest.

ANOTHER BLOW

destroys Magua's collar and shoulder.

MAGUA

amazed. His body is broken and crippled, but he still stands. He looks into the eyes of the last warrior of the Mohicans.]

CHINGACHGOOK: UNCAS!!!

[And he spins and swings. The blade side of the war club punches into Magua's chest, caving him in two.

WIDE

Magua dies in the dust.

HAWKEYE

watching Chingachgook's heaving back. It's over.

CORA

alone, kneeling in the meadow. Her eyes downcast ...

FADE OUT ...]

The LAST OF THE MOHICANS ... the Final Scene

To Read JAMES FENIMORE COOPER'S TALE ... The Cliffs