Posted by Christie on January 26, 2000 at 00:01:57:
Dear Fellow Mohicanites,
Although I purchased the DVD awhile ago, I couldn't bring myself to watch it after reading all of your posts the last few months. However, since the husband went away on a business trip, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to watch and dissect.
There are several missing scenes that no one has mentioned previously (at least as I could tell) so I thought I'd bring them up. One of the scenes is the surrender of the fort. After Montcalm details the terms of surrender, Munro discusses it with his officer. In the VHS edition, the first thing Munro says is "I've lived to see something which I've never expected, a British officer afraid to support another." GONE FROM THE DVD -- AARGH! I felt that with Munro stating this aloud, it shows his disgust at the betrayal by Webb, and possibly he felt no honor would be lost by his surrender.
The second changed scene I caught is after Magua is killed by Chingachook, in the VHS edition Hawkeye goes back to Cora and they embrace. Again, gone from the DVD -- DOUBLE AARGH! Just those few seconds convey the loss of their families to each other. In the DVD edition, Magua falls down dead, the camera pulls back, and then pans across the mountains to the threesome at the memorial for Uncas and Alice.
As to Clannad's "I will find you", I didn't miss it from the DVD version as much as I thought, until I popped in the VHS edition and then it really bugged me that Mann took it out. I do recall speaking with a friend who's also a professional musician a number of years ago, and he said one complaint about the movie is LOTM was more like an extended music video (I can't remember if this was his opinion or he read it in a review). As you recall with Miami Vice, the music was integral to the show, even if one didn't have to do with the other. I think what MM should have done instead is something Myrrh mentioned previously. Since he changed the film around, he should have played "I will find you" during the credits. Myrrh stated in DVD posts that she felt the ending was flat because the music ends and the credits are still playing. I agree with her 100%! It would have been even better if MM used the extended version of "I will find you." In the last several years, I've noticed that a movie's hit song playing on all the radio stations is at the end during the credits. Now, for those who watch the DVD edition and have never seen the movie, when they see Clannad in the credits they won't know what they've missed, sigh.
So, for my two cent opinion, overall I agree with Rich and I enjoy the DVD edition for the quality of the film and enhanced background sound. Scenes that seem in the dark before are now much lighter and seem much more detailed (example, under the falls). However, I felt Michael Mann did a great disservice by deleting dialogue, scenes, and Clannad's "I will find you." In my humble opinion, our options are to create a bootleg DVD, bringing the old and new together; waiting until MM dies and creating our own master from the raided Fox vaults; or stockpile the VHS editions!
I know it seems disappointing to all of us after our long wait, but I've noticed many studios are changing their movies when they are released on DVD. For example, Warner Bros. removed Bryan Adams music video from the end of "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves" when the movie went to DVD. "Dances with Wolves" on DVD is back to it's theatrical time rather than the extended 4 hours plus. Even "A Bug's Life", which just came out last Spring, has a new DVD extended version that just came on the market. My point is, while the old movies are being converted to a new format, changes will be made, whether it's for the better or not.
The way I see, at least we'll always have our VHS tape, and death to those who try to take it from us!
Christie