Posted by MMMMarcia on March 04, 2001 at 10:17:28:
In Reply to: Re: Am I Just 'Nitpicking'? ... The Scene At Cameron's Cabin II posted by Rich on March 04, 2001 at 05:05:19:
Rich writes:
: Well ... To me that scene is one of the very best in the movie, ESPECIALLY when Hawkeye chastises Cora!
>Yes, Rich! I just LOVE that moment when he comes striding back down to her, as if to bop her across the head for not moving out when told to.
Rich:They were in a hurry, in a life or death situation, there was nothing they could do about having 3 Englishmen with them, they HAD to stop & investigate - these were their friends, after all - yet, these considerations to better judgment aside, actually pausing to bury them would have been a dead giveaway that they were foe, not friends ... not to mention Bill's point about time ...
>Absolutely agreed, and well said. It all makes perfect sense to me, especially the way Hawkeye addresses her. It's like he's thinking to himself, "I can't believe my good friends have been butchered, and I'm still burdened with this TWIT who doesn't have a clue about what we need to do now!" He's trying his best to be patient, but so saddened by what he has just seen that he's NOT in the mood for more discussion at that moment. It works beautifully for me, every time.
Rich: It's, in my opinion, a classicly beautiful scene, from the setting, the characters' stances, the lighting, to the eerie sound, to Uncas' tender touch of Alexandria, to Chingachgook's forcefulness, to Hawkeye's lump (in his throat!), to Cora's backing away ...
>Perfect description, to me. Couldn't have said it better myself, unless, of course, I spent a bit more time stressing how absolutely gorgeous DDL looks striding UP that hill at the end, as they depart. Or how brilliantly done his small gestures are, such as the gentle touch for Uncas, who is so obviously devastated by the Cameron's deaths. And then there's his...well, you get the picture, eh?
Oh, one more thing...as for Chingachgook's outlining the mocassin print in the sand, I've always "understood" that he would have obliterated that before they left. MANY things in this movie are left for us to intuit, sometimes because of filmed bits that were cut out. If the entire Duncan's Diversion scene could be cut out, after being specifically mentioned by Colonel Munro, then a quick swipe of Chingachgook's hand could certainly have fallen by the wayside, or just been left to our imagination/assumption.
And one more quick thought: Cora & Alice are both standing away from the cabin, out in the grassy area where footprints would have been much less noticeable. This is not to say an expert tracker wouldn't have "sussed" them out (as Kate would term it), but still, not nearly so obvious to anyone looking for them as a group of fresh graves.
A CHAMPION JOB OF NIT-PICKING YE'VE DONE, MISS KATIE!! But I think many of us have risen to the challenge (BAIT?) and expressed enough ideas here to at least cast "reasonable doubt" on all your nits!! (Sorry, Chris!)
*me, sprinkling Nit-Be-Gone in every direction, with wild and reckless abandon!!!*
MMMM