Michael Mann
L'Ultimo Dei Mohicani

THE REVIEW

1757. English and French clash over the possession of the American colonies. However, the confrontation takes place on lands where native populations have lived for centuries, and the invaders will also have to deal with them.

The plot of Michael Mann's only "period costume" film, The Last of the Mohicans, is now well known. A plot largely adapted from Philip Dunne's adaptation for the 1936 film version and inspired by the novel of the same name by the great American writer James Fenimore Cooper. As always in these cases, the director takes his responsibilities, expanding the plot to give space to situations more fitting for the big screen. Mann indeed places significant emphasis on the romantic relationship between the protagonist Hawkeye (Daniel Day Lewis) and the young Cora (Madeleine Stowe). A choice that penalizes the progression of the film which ultimately becomes a search/rescue mission for the woman and does not do justice to Cooper's work.

For the rest, the director's work withstands the subject’s challenges well, although it sometimes falters in actions that significantly slow down the film. Mann stages a film preceding the Western and skillfully depicts a reality distant in time combined with the spectacle that, for better or worse, is always present in his works.

The film distinctly shifts towards the personal affairs of the 3/4 main characters, leaving the true core of the film—the French attack on Fort William Henry—in the background. Mann instead dwells on ambushes, forest attacks and recreates, thanks also to the photography of our own Dante Spinotti, a rough and essential landscape. The Oscar could have been easily deserved.

The Last of the Mohicans is a very well-conceived feature film, faithful to the archetypes of adventure cinema with a classical foundation that guides the film along well-defined coordinates. Mann does not rework the historical aspect as much as the purely aesthetic one, drawing a landscape balanced between romantic lyricism and a violent depiction of history. It should be noted that sometimes the film descends into sentimentality that feels heavy, but it is still a minor flaw. Additionally noteworthy is the stunning soundtrack by Randy Edelman. Rating: 3.5/4.

1993 Academy Award winner for Best Sound.