The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film)

Based on the novel by James Fenimore Cooper and the 1936 film by George B. Seitz and screenwriter Philip Dunne, The Last of the Mohicans is the story of two sisters who are accompanied by a major during the French and Indian War where they’re saved by a white Mohican warrior who accompanies them to a fort where their father is stationed at. Directed by Michael Mann and screenplay by Mann and Christopher Crowe from an adaptation by John L. Balderston, Paul Perez, and Daniel Moore, the film is a thrilling adventure film set during the French and Indian War in the Adirondack Mountains in the then-British colony of New York where a man tries to help two sisters reach their father while dealing with all sorts of foes. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Jodhi May, Russell Means, Wes Studi, Eric Schweig, and Steven Waddington. The Last of the Mohicans is an exhilarating and gripping film from Michael Mann.

It’s 1757 during the French and Indian War between the British and American colonials against the French and various Native American factions where a trio of Native Americans save a major and two women following an ambush by Huron warriors on their way to a fort that is the home of the women’s officer father. It’s a film that play into three men who live a life of peace and generosity as they decide to help these two women to be with their father yet things would get complicated once they arrive at their destination during this conflict that is happening. The film’s screenplay by Michael Mann and Christopher Crowe that was also based on Philip Dunne’s screenplay for the 1936 film by George B. Seitz does play into the world that its protagonist Nathaniel Poe/Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis) lives in with his adopted father Chingachgook and adopted brother Uncas (Eric Schweig) as they live to hunt and be good company to other colonial settlers.

The first act is largely about Major Duncan Heyward (Steven Waddington) wanting to accompany his lover Cora Munro (Madeleine Stowe) and her younger sister Alice (Jodhi May) as their father Colonel Edmund Munro (Maurice Roeves) who is stationed at Fort William Henry. Major Heyward and his entourage is accompanied by the Huron warrior Magua (Wes Studi) unaware that he’s leading them an ambush by his own tribe as he has a hatred towards Colonel Munro over events from the past that related to his family. It would be Hawkeye and his family that would save the Munro sisters and Major Heyward where Cora isn’t sure about trusting Hawkeye yet realizes what is at stake. The film’s second act that takes place at Fort William Henry during a battle with the French army led by General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm (Patrice Chereau) where the Munro sisters learn that from their father that they weren’t supposed to come.

The screenplay wouldn’t just play into this developing relationship between Hawkeye and Cora but also revelations that would plant the seeds of what is to come in this shaky alliance between the British forces and the colonial militia. After witnessing what happened to a family that Hawkeye and his family knew and Colonel Munro’s dismissal over the incidents due to lack of evidence. Cora realizes that even someone like her father is more concerned with maintaining his position rather than have the militia return to defend their home and families. The film’s third act which has everyone leaving the fort is about survival as well as the ideas of war where one group of people want to do what is honorable but another has personal reasons to wage war.

Mann’s direction is definitely astonishing in terms of its visual presentation and intense approach to action. Shot on location largely on the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina as well as various locations in the state as upstate New York and the Adirondack Mountains. Mann would use the locations as characters in the film as it play into a world that is peaceful only to be ravaged by war as it opens with Hawkeye and his family hunting and bringing food to eat and share with a family. The simplicity in Mann’s direction is key to the relationship Hawkeye would have with Cora later in the film with its usage of close-ups and medium shots as well as the brief moments between Alice and Uncas with the latter being protective of her from danger. The usage of hand-held cameras would play into the action as well as Hawkeye and his entourage trying to get to the fort and later hide from Magua and his tribe.

Mann’s usage of the wide shots would play into the scope of the battle scenes as well as the attention to detail of the French digging trenches and getting closer to the fort as well as the distance of cannons firing toward their target. Mann’s usage of tracking and dolly shots add to the detail of the landscape and chaos of war while he would also aim for precise compositions to play into the suspense as it relates to Magua ambushing the British army. Mann knows when to break from the action and suspense as its climax where Hawkeye meets with the Huron sachem Ongewasgone (Dennis Banks) in a plea for peace and mercy despite Magua’s need for revenge. Mann would know when to keep things engaging but also play into the drama. Overall, Mann crafts a riveting and adventurous film about a white Mohican who help two British women and officer find safety during the French and Indian War.

Cinematographer Dante Spinotti does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography with its natural approach to lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes as well as some scenes at night including one beautiful scene in a cave with the waterfalls and the usage of fire as it is a major highlight of the film. Editors Dov Hoenig and Arthur Schmidt do brilliant work with the editing as it has elements of style with its usage of slow-motion and rhythmic cuts as well as some other stylistic moments that play into the action, suspense, and drama. Production designer Wolf Kroeger, with set decorators Jim Erickson and James V. Kent plus art directors Robert Guerra and Richard Holland, does excellent work with the look of the homes of some of the characters as well as the interior of the fort and tents as well as the design of the Huron tribe camp. Costume designer Elsa Zamparelli does fantastic work with the costumes from the rugged look of Hawkeye and his family as well as the militia to the period dresses that Cora and Alice wear as well as the uniforms of the soldiers and officers from both the French and British.

Special makeup effects/prosthetics designer Vincent J. Guastini does amazing work with the look of the Huron tribe through its makeup as well as their Mohawks and other hairstyles of the times. Sound designer Lon E. Bender does superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as the sounds of guns and cannons that help play into the action and its impact. The film’s music by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman is incredible for its bombastic music score with its usage of heavy percussions, woodwind arrangements, and other instruments that play into the drama and suspense while music supervisor David Kershenbaum would use a traditional Scottish piece performed by Dougie MacLean as one of the film’s music themes along with a piece performed by Clannad as it’s a highlight of the film.

The casting by Bonnie Timmerman is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Jared Harris as British lieutenant early in the film talking with militia, Colm Meaney as an officer in Major Ambrose, Pete Postlethwaite as one of Colonel Munro’s officer in Captain Beams, Dennis Banks as the Huron sachem Ongewasgone, Tracey Ellis and Terry Kinney as a couple in the Camerons that Hawkeye and his family are friends with, and Patrice Cheraeau in a terrific performance as General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm as the French general who is a man of principle as he is also someone that cares about the rules of engagement and humanity as he tries to get Magua to honor these ideas of war.

Maurice Roeves is superb as Colonel Edmund Munro as a British officer who is the father of Cora and Alice as he is dealing with being trapped as well as trying to maintain his position only to be indifferent towards the situations that colonial militia are dealing with. Steven Waddington is fantastic as Major Duncan Heyward as an officer who is hoping to marry Cora as a man trying to protect them as well as maintain his own position in rank while dealing with the chaos of the ambush from the Huron. Russell Means and Eric Schweig are brilliant in their respective roles as the father-son duo of Chingachgook and Uncas as two Mohican warriors who are family to Hawkeye as they help the Munro sisters find safety with the former being a master warrior while the latter becomes a source of comfort for Alice. Jodhi May is excellent as Alice Munro as Cora’s younger sister who is dealing with the ambush and terror of war where she befriends Uncas whom she becomes close to.

Wes Studi is amazing as Magua as a Huron warrior who harbors deep hatred towards Colonel Munro as he is revealed to be a double-agent for the French where he is hoping to get his revenge and bring honor back to his tribe. Madeleine Stowe is incredible as Cora Munro as a woman who deals with the ambush and situation that she and her sister are encountering while getting an understanding about Hawkeye and what she sees as she would gain a completely different perspective from what her father sees about what is really happening in the war. Finally, there’s Daniel Day-Lewis in a phenomenal performance as Nathaniel Poe/Hawkeye as a white man raised by the Mohicans since he was a boy as he is someone that knows what is happening as he is doing what he can to protect the Munro sisters while falling for Cora as it’s a charismatic and thrilling performance from Day-Lewis who proves he can be tough and heroic.

The Last of the Mohicans is a tremendous film from Michael Mann that features a great performance from Daniel Day-Lewis. Along with its ensemble cast, Dante Spinotti’s gorgeous cinematography, its immense music score, beautiful locations, and themes of war and honor. It’s a film that play into a group of people caught up in a deadly conflict as well as see things that would complicate the ideas of war forcing them to survive and evade the horrors of war. In the end, The Last of the Mohicans is a magnificent film from Michael Mann.

Michael Mann Films: The Jericho Mile – Thief - The Keep – Manhunter – L.A. Takedown – Heat – The Insider – Ali – Collateral – Miami Vice – Public Enemies (2009 film) – Blackhat - Blackhat - Ferrari - (Heat 2) - The Auteurs #73: Michael Mann Pt.1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2019

Ginger & Rosa

Written and directed by Sally Potter, Ginger & Rosa is the story of two young girls living in the 1960s as they cope with the threat of nuclear holocaust during the Cold War as well as a growing divergence between the two. The film is a coming of age tale set entirely in the year of 1962 Britain during the period of the Cuban Missile Crisis as a young woman fears about the concept of no future. Starring Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks, Timothy Spall, Oliver Platt, Jodhi May, and Annette Bening. Ginger & Rosa is a compelling and touching film from Sally Potter.

The film revolves around the lives of two 17-year old girls in 1962 Britain as they cope with the idea of nuclear holocaust as they both diverge into different paths where one of them tries to do something about it while the other falls in love. It’s a film that is a coming-of-age tale set in the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis where two girls are trying to have fun but certain events in their lives would change things. While Ginger (Elle Fanning) and Rosa (Alice Englert) have many similarities in their personalities and adventures as they were both born on the same day to young mothers. The latter would find herself be drawn to Ginger’s free-spirited father Roland (Alessandro Nivola) in his views of being independent and wild as he encourages Ginger to do so. Yet, Ginger is becoming interested in poetry as she also tries to find herself through activism.

Sally Potter’s screenplay doesn’t just play into the relationship between the two girls but also the events that would drive them apart. Notably Rosa’s actions as she likes to drink and smoke while make out with boys while Ginger is confused if she wants that as she becomes more passionate about activism as well as poetry. While Rosa isn’t exactly a bad person but rather someone who does bad things, her lack of a father figure and need for one in Roland would create a schism in her friendship with Ginger who would also lash out over the state of the world. The film’s second half would have Ginger live with her father but it becomes clear that it’s not ideal where she turns to family friends including an experienced activist in Bella (Annette Bening) who knows what Ginger is dealing with but also tell her there is still a solution to the chaos of the world.

Potter’s direction is quite simple in terms of the compositions she creates yet does manage to create some dazzling visuals as it relates to the world that Ginger and Rosa are living in. Shot largely in locations near Kent in Britain, the film does play into a small-town yet post-war feel in a world that is changing but grounded as much of the film is set in a working class environment where kids are listening to jazz and rock n’ roll. While Potter uses a lot of wide shots to capture the scenes set on Roland’s boat and in some location shots, she maintains an intimacy with the medium shots and close-ups. Especially as it plays into Ginger’s own growing pains and confusion as it would culminate into the third act where she begins to realize that the world she is in as it relates to her father is just as complicated as what is happening around her. Even as Rosa becomes a more complicated person to the point that Ginger has no clue how to comprehend everything around her. Overall, Potter crafts a mesmerizing coming-of-age film about two teenage girls diverging into different paths amidst the growing threat of a nuclear holocaust.

Cinematographer Robbie Ryan does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography to create some very vibrant and colorful looks for many of the exterior scenes set in the day and night along with some low-key lighting for some of the interior scenes in the film. Editor Anders Refn does nice work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward with a few stylish bits such as an opening montage on Ginger and Rosa‘s lives as well as some scenes that play into Ginger‘s emotional turmoil. Production designer Carlos Conti, with set decorator Liz Griffiths and art director Andrea Matheson, does fantastic work with the look of Roland‘s home with its somewhat-Bohemian look that is a sharp contrast to the simplistic yet more spacious home that Ginger lives with her mother. Costume designer Holly Waddington does excellent work with the costumes with the look of early 1960s fashion including the turtleneck sweaters the girls would wear.

Hair/makeup designer Tara McDonald does terrific work with the hairstyles of Ginger and Rosa with the former having dyed red hair as well as the look of young men in Teddy-boy haircuts. Visual effects supervisor Martin Madsen does some fine work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects which is just essentially bits of set dressing for some of the locations. Sound editor Eddie Simonsen does superb work with the sound in not just capturing some of the moments in the locations but also in the way the reports on the radio about the Cuban Missile Crisis is being presented. Music supervisor Amy Ashworth creates a wonderful soundtrack that features different kinds of music from classical, jazz, and rock n’ roll as it features contributions from Franz Schubert, Little Richard, Chubby Checker, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Sidney Bechet, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Miles Davis, the Shadows, Les Paul, and Django Reinhardt.

The casting by Irene Lamb and Heidi Levitt is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Andrew Hawley as the lead activist Tony that Ginger befriends, Luke Cloud as Rosa’s father who is only seen briefly early in the film, and Jodhi May in a wonderful role as Rosa’s mother Anoushka who deals with her daughter’s behavior as well as the activities she is doing. Oliver Platt and Timothy Spall are excellent in their roles as two family friends named Mark who help Ginger in dealing with the chaos of the world as well as provide their own insight into the way things are. Annette Bening is fantastic as Bella as an activist friend of the American Mark who would help Ginger in answers about the ways of the world while calling out on some of Roland’s own bullshit idealism.

Christina Hendricks is amazing as Ginger’s mother Natalie as a former artist turned homemaker who becomes overwhelmed with her daughter’s activities and her husband’s infidelities where she struggles to maintain some sanity over what is happening in her family life. Alessandro Nivola is superb as Ginger’s father Roland who is this free-spirited pacifist who encourages his daughter to be independent and free but often does a lot of bad things as it includes sleeping with other women and students where one of them would be too much for Ginger to deal with. Alice Englert is remarkable as Rosa as a 17-year old girl who becomes more fascinated by boys rather than the reality of nuclear holocaust as she starts to dress more stylish and act a certain way where she would make Ginger feel uncomfortable. Finally, there’s Elle Fanning in an incredible performance as Ginger as a 17-year old girl dealing with the reality of what is coming as she leans towards her poetry to cope with not just that reality but also the one close by as it relates to her disintegrating friendship with Rosa and her relationship with her father.

Ginger & Rosa is a marvelous film from Sally Potter that features a mesmerizing performance from Elle Fanning. Along with a great supporting cast as well as a compelling premise that play into real world situations from the views of a young lady. It’s a coming-of-age film that plays a lot into what happens when a bomb will drop and two young girls different reaction to that reality. In the end, Ginger & Rosa is a rapturous film from Sally Potter.

Sally Potter Films: (The Gold Diggers) - (Orlando) - (The Tango Lesson) - (The Man Who Cried) - (Yes) - (Rage)

© thevoid99 2016