Last of the Mohicans Cinema Study Guide

Film Title: The Last of the Mohicans, Release Date 1992 Director: Michael Mann

Brief Plot Summary: Time Period: 1757 (French and Indian War) Based loosely on the James Fenimore Cooper novel of the same name (1826), The Last of the Mohicans tells the story of Hawk-eye, a colonial settler adopted by a Mohican family at the death of his parents, as he aids a British military party through the forests of upstate New York during the French and Indian War. In the war for control of the American colonies, the British, with Colonial militia and Mohican allies, take on the French, allied with the Hurons. A budding romance between Hawk-eye and Cora Munro, the daughter of a British colonel, is interwoven into this political story of war and colonialism on the early American frontier.

Concept This film is an adaptation of an 1826 novel by James Fenimore Cooper. The original novel depicts a time before the American Revolution and attempts to carve out ideas about American identity and the frontier. Historian Michael Kammen tells us that “Cooper was the first major American writer to create a complex myth of white-Indian relations and of life under frontier conditions.” Cooper’s ideas on these issues were not only important to myth-making in the first half of the nineteenth century but have been adapted time and time again through the twentieth century as well.

Previewing Class Discussion Questions These will be discussed in class. Share your thoughts and experiences as we discuss.

1. What kinds of films do you prefer to watch: romance, comedy, romantic comedy, slapstick/satirical comedy, thriller, action, horror, documentaries, independent films, art films, classics, historical, epic, other? 2. How often do you watch movies? 3. List the last two movies you have seen. List the title, description, actors /characters they played and any historical references. What did you think about the films? 4. Do you think “Hollywood” type historical movies can teach you about history?Why? How? 5. Can Hollywood historical films ever be accurate? In what ways? 6. How can you tell if a film is historically accurate? 7. What is the difference between a fictional feature film, a docudrama and adocumentary? 8. What are some of the differences between a Hollywood blockbuster and an independent film? 10. What do you know about this particular film? 11. Before watching the film, what do you think the significance of the title is? 12. How can you determine the accuracy of a feature film set in or about history? 13. Have you seen any films on this particular historical topic we are about to study?

Post-viewing questions: These will be discussed in class. Share your thoughts and experiences as we discuss.

1. What message(s) is the filmmaker trying to convey? 2. Whose point of view is expressed in the film? Whose is missing? 3. Were the characters believable? Why or why not? 4. Are the setting, décor and costuming believable? 5. Who is the target audience? 6. Provide a plot summary. 7. Which scene(s) stick(s) in your mind? 8. Did you like the film? Why? Why not? 9. What did the movie teach you? 10. Ask some history questions – such as how events or people were portrayedin the movie. 11. Is this a true story? How can you tell if it is or not? 12. Ask students to imagine they are a woman or a minority living during the particular era that was shown in the movie and have them describe their feelings or reaction to a particular event. 13. How does this scene make you feel? What techniques did the filmmaker use to make you feel that way? 14. Are there any other questions that came to mind about what you saw? Questions to Answer as you View the Film Select 1-2 of the following sections (10 or more questions) and write answers to the questions on your own paper. Make your answers thorough and complete. Have them ready to turn in when we finish viewing the film.

Points to Ponder When Viewing Movies… • Who made the movie? Who is the director and what do you think about this director? • Whose perspective is being shown and whose is not? • How might I learn more information on this topic? • Does this seem accurate? • Were there any moments that felt out of place? Why?

The Frontier Questions Raised:  What are the motivations for fighting for Britain?  What are the particular experiences of the frontier settlers? Why might they not see it as in their interests to ally themselves with Britain?  How do feelings and allegiances change? How are terms such as loyalty and sedition defined? Are they debated?  How can we begin to map out here what is to come 20 years down the line in the American colonies?  How do Native Americans figure their own interests and allegiances with the British? French? Colonials?  How are political arguments about revolution discussed?

Literature/What’s an American? Questions Raised:  How are Hawk-eye’s loyalties formed?  What are his notions of savagery and civilization? What are Cora’s? Who/What is savage to  him? Why?  How do we define civilization and/or savagery?  How is his outlook similar or different to: A. American settlers. B. English C. Mohicans  D. Hurons?  With whom does he most closely identify? Can he be seen as a composite character?  Who in this film could we classify as an American? Why? What are his/her qualities,  characteristics?  (Optional) How does he compare with the Hawk-eye character from Cooper’s novel?

Symbols of Group Identity Questions Raised:  How is European national identity symbolized in the colonies?  How does it visually compare to Native American and Colonial identity? Look at costuming (dress or lack of, wigs, war paint) flags, foodways and rituals.  What are the complex ways in which savagery/civilization is depicted?

Picturing Native Americans Questions Raised:  What are some stereotypes of the Indian?  What is the concept of “The Noble Savage”?  How does this movie rely on or disrupt long-standing visual conventions or stereotypes?