THE 100 BEST WAR MOVIES: 1. Last of the Mohicans (1992)

 Well, I have finally reached the end of my journey that started almost 14 years ago. I watched all the movies on Military History magazine's 100 Greatest War Movies and reviewed them and created this blog. I then moved on to compiling my 100 Best War Movies. After reviewing over 900 war movies, I have decided that the best war movie ever made is a war/romance/adventure movie.

1.  Last of the Mohicans  (1992)

BACK-STORY

“The Last of the Mohicans” was released in 1992. It was the first big budget feature from director Michael Mann. It was very loosely based on the John Fenimore Cooper novel, but actually is closer to the 1936 Randolph Scott film (which inspired Mann when he was a kid). The movie is set in 1757, three years into the French and Indian War. Although the action takes place in upstate New York, it was actually filmed mostly in North Carolina. The production used 1,000 Native American actors and extras. Mann had a frontier farm, a Huron village, and a replica of a British fort built on 40 acres of land in a thick forest. The director’s obsessive quest for authenticity was matched by his star Daniel Day-Lewis who completely immersed himself in his role. Part of his preparation involved a “colonial boot camp” experience in the backwoods. Mann used a respected authority named Mark Baker to vet the film. Baker is an expert on frontier life, Indians, and weaponry. Mann provided him with a copy of the script and in most cases made changes suggested by Baker. It won its only Academy Award nomination for Sound.  It won a BAFTA for Cinematography and was nominated for Actor (Day-Lewis), Costumes, Make-Up, and Original Film Score (Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman).  The movie was a box office success and critically acclaimed. It cost $40 million and made $143 million.

               Three men run through the woods, chasing a deer. Hawkeye (Day-Lewis) stops, takes aim, and kills it, thus establishing that he is not only a frontiersman, but also a crack shot. His companions are his adopted father Chingachcook (played by the famous Indian activist Russell Means) and his son Uncas (Eric Schweig) of the Mohican tribe. Hawkeye is not your typical colonist. They stop at a frontier farm where they are welcomed warmly, implying that Hawkeye is living between two worlds. He learns that the British army is calling out the militia to fight in the French and Indian War. Hawkeye believes the colonists should not risk their families to help the British, but most of the men sign up because the British general promises them they can go home if their homes are threatened by Indians. The trio head off to Kentucky, but end up saving a British officer named Duncan (Steven Waddington) and the two daughters of the commander of Fort William Henry from an Indian ambush. A vengeance-minded Huron named Magua (Wes Studi) is trying to kill Col. Munro and his daughters. The trio get them safely to the fort which is besieged by the French and Indians. Hawkeye falls in love with Cora (Madeline Stowe). Their romance will be fraught with difficulties, but they are meant to be.

ACTING:   A+                

ACTION:   A  (6/10)

ACCURACY:  A

PLOT:  A+     

REALISM:   A

CINEMATOGRAPHY:   A+

SCORE:   A+

SCENE:  the ambush of the survivors of Fort William Henry

QUOTE:  Hawkeye to Cora:  You stay alive! If they don't kill you, they'll take you north up to the Huron lands. Submit, do you hear? You're strong! You survive! You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you! No matter how long it takes, no matter how far. I will find you!

ACCURACY

          For a movie based on a novel, the movie is actually very accurate. Credit has to go to Mann for going beyond the call of duty in making the movie authentic right down to the moccasins. It was interesting to read Baker’s comments on the original script and see how Mann listened to him on most of his complaints. And the ones where Mann vetoed the suggestions were all sensible digressions from historical accuracy. Having an obsessed director may be hell on the actors and the financiers, but it makes for a wonderful movie for us hard core war movie buffs. It was symbiotic that Mann and Day-Lewis were determined to make the movie realistic.

The movie realistically depicts the dynamic between the British, the colonists, and the Indians. Some of the Indians side with the French and some side with the British. The colonial men were forced to choose between their duty to their king and their responsibility to their families. It was a very dangerous life on the frontier which is made clear by what happens to the Cameron family. Magua suffered a similar loss to what John Cameron suffered. The movie is fair towards the Indians. Most side with the French because they know the British will continue to encroach on their lands. The movie accurately portrays the interaction and customs of three groups – the frontiersmen, the Indians, and the British army. In particular, the Native Americans are not all “noble savages” or “bloodthirsty heathens”. A majority of them are anti-colonists, but that is as it should be together.

          There are very few movies set in the French and Indian War. “The Last of the Mohicans” is by far the best. If you know nothing about the war, you will get a good feel for it by watching this movie. The historical centerpiece of the movie is the siege of Fort William Henry and it is handled admirably. The reconstruction of the fort was well worth the time, effort, and funding. The best war movies take you back in time to experience what it was like from the safety of your theater seat or recliner. This also applies to the frontier farm and the Huron village. Both were built with natural materials. There was no CGI used in the film. I know of no other movie that so accurately depicts 18th Century siege warfare. Fort William Henry was reconstructed using historical documents and the effort shows. The sequence accurately recreates the various elements of a siege-- the trenches, flares, fascines, even the little details like covering the touchhole of a cannon with sheepskin. The French were led by Montcalm and his force included Mohawk Indians. The French dug trenches to get their cannons and mortars closer and then pummeled the fort until Col. Munro was forced to surrender. The meeting between the two leaders is accurate and shows the ridiculous rules of formality that the upper class insisted on. Montcalm’s terms were very generous as outlined in the movie.

               Obviously, the column was not attacked because one Indian wanted revenge for his family. In fact, the Indians were upset that the French lenient terms had deprived them of the anticipated spoils of the battle. It is unclear if Montcalm tried to stop them, but the movie is not on shaky ground by implying he gave them the green light. The Indians started by plundering the fort, killing all the wounded that had been left there. When the column began to move. The irate warriors started by taking objects like guns from the survivors and when they did not object, the Indians amped it up. The movie does a great job showing how two Indians could not wait for the ambush to start and they charged in to count coup. This type of individualism ruined many a planned ambush.  The movie inaccurately shows the Redcoats firing at the ambushers because Munro had to agree not to take ammunition with them. Between 70 and 180 were killed when the Indians attacked (about 10% of the survivors). None of them was Munro, who escaped in the forest.

                The rest of the plot is based on the novel, so there was no person named Nathaniel Poe (Hawkeye). In fact, the only actual historical figures in the film were Webb, Munro, and Montcalm. Speaking of the source, Cooper’s book is classic, but does not hold up well as literature. Mann’s plot greatly improves on the novel. That is something that cannot be said of most movies based on famous novels. All the changes Mann made are for the best. And he made a lot of changes! Many of the characters who died in the book, survive in the movie and vice versa. Some of the romantic attachments are different ( e.g. in the book, Hawkeye falls in love with Alice ). Students in American Literature class who are assigned this book - do not watch the movie instead!

CRITIQUE

         This is a magnificent movie. It combines an interesting plot with great acting and a real concern for historical accuracy. Kudos to Michael Mann for getting the little details right. Let’s face it, even war movie nuts do not care if the moccasins are circa 1757. However, when a director insists on accuracy, you get a better movie for purists. The attention to detail reminds me of Peter Weir’s “Master and Commander”.

          Also commendatory was the tampering with the plot of the novel. I admit I get upset when a nonfiction source is changed to Hollywoodize a movie, but I do not think it is hypocritical to endorse what Mann and Christopher Crowe did. Especially since most literary critics are not big fans of the novel. I personally think it is a terrible novel with a lot of silliness. There is no silliness in the movie. As long as you get the historical facts mostly right, why not make the tale better? I have compared a number of movies to their books and this movie improves on the book more than any movie I have reviewed.

The acting is stellar. Day-Lewis is brilliant, no surprise there. He put a lot of effort into the role. Madeline Stowe creates one of the best heroines in war movie history. Cora is a woman who does not meekly obey the men in her life. She refuses to marry the snooty Duncan and defies her father. Unlike her prim sister Alice, she has a survival instinct not found in many women back then. At one point, she shoots an Indian between the eyes. The chemistry between Day-Lewis and her is very strong. There is a scene where Hawkeye boldly tells Cora that he wants her. Stowe reacts by avoiding his gaze, but then composes herself and looks him straight in the eyes. This movie blends romance with action better than any other war movie. We even get a romantic canoe race!

The rest of the cast is fine, especially Wes Studi. His Magua is one of the best villains in war movie history. If you think about it, Magua has legitimate reasons for revenge. Portrayed by Mel Gibson in one of Hollywood’s many revenge pics, he would be the hero. Means and Schweig, both Native Americans, are excellent. No one can accuse this movie of having white actors play Indians. The Indian extras add authenticity to the film. They and the white extras went through one of Dale Dye’s boot camps.

There are several scenes that are memorable. These include the Indian ambush of Duncan and the ladies, the siege, the ambush of the survivors, the under the waterfall. The movie builds to one of the great closing scenes. In nine minutes with no dialogue and a swelling score, four of the principle characters die and each in a gut-wrenching way.
  
             The movie also looks beautiful. The scenery is breathtaking. Parts of North Carolina really do look like the frontier of colonial America. The score is perfect. Interestingly, the music was done by two composers separately – Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman. That might have been a dysfunctional situation, but you can’t tell from the finished product.

CONCLUSION

         Military History magazine had “The Last of the Mohicans” ranked #95 on its list of the 100 Greatest Heroes. That is hard to defend unless the panel felt the movie was not firmly in the war genre. I can see why some would find it to not be a war movie, but the fact that it reenacts a historical battle puts it firmly in the genre. Once I decided it was indeed a war movie, then it rose to the top of the genre. It is a perfect movie. Every aspect of the film is outstanding – acting, plot, villain, action, sound, scenery and sets, music, romance, suspense, realism, historical accuracy. It is one of the few war movies that appeal to men as well as women. The movie has no weaknesses.