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Movie: Last Of The Mohicans

Movie: Last of the Mohicans


Last of the Mohicans is set in 1757 in the third year of a war in North
America over land and territory. Mostly, the war is between the English and the
French, but each side has taken up Indian allies to assist them. The main story
in the Last of the Mohicans is the love of an adopted Mohican, Hawk-eye, and
Cora, the daughter of an English general. There are also other stories embedded
in the movie, which are harder to recognize. For instance, a second love story
between Hawk-eye's brother and Cora's sister. The life of Magua is another
story that the movie seems to slightly touch, but doesn't elaborate on.
As for the historical part of the movie, I think it is accurate in the
sense of the fighting style of the English. The "proper" way of war might be
fine in Europe, but against the Indians, standing in a line with bright red
coats is not the way to win. "…the soldiers' uniforms splendid – though (and
that's a historic fact) idiotically ornate and impractical for warfare. It
wasn't until about 1916 that the British and the French saw the light and
stopped wearing all that Day-Glo, easy target colors" (Prof. Jahiel). For
example, at the beginning of the movie, Magua killed one soldier marching in the
line, and the guy next to him didn't even do anything until the commander said
to attack. They would also fire at the same time, leaving the whole squad
vulnerable to attack while they reloaded. By fighting in this manner, it
allowed the Indians to fight much more strategically. They would fire muskets
three at a time, so they could stop an oncoming rush while the others reloaded.
The Indians also took advantage of the English firing scheme. After the whole
squad of English soldiers fired their muskets, the Indians would rush in with
axes and knives, then fall back. This strategy would allow just a few Indians
to take out a relatively large number of English. "The British, we learn by the
proof in the pudding, are...