Last Of The Mohicans (1992/Fox Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: B-     Film: A-

 

 

Based (loosely) on the classic 1826 James Fenimore Cooper novel of the same name, this 1992 film became an instant classic.  The film was directed by Michael Mann and starred the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Steven Waddington, Jodhi May, Wes Studi, Eric Schwieg, and Russell Means.  The film garnered much praise and even earned an Academy Award for Sound.

 

The film is set in 1757 during the French and Indian War.  At this time the British and French were battling for control of North America and by the laws of the time all American citizens were required to join the British cause; though many were reluctant to leave their homes, due to threatened attacks.  The audience is introduced to Chingachgook (Russell Means) and his two sons Uncas (Eric Schwieg) and Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis); Hawkeye being Chingachgook’s adopted white son.  The Indians are visited by Jack Winthrop who is looking for men to volunteer for the British Militia; soliciting mainly Hawkeye’s help.  We soon are introduced to sisters Cora (Madeleine Stowe) and Alice Munro (Jodhi May) who are on a journey to meet up with their father, Colonel Edmond Munro, at Fort William Henry.  The ladies are led by an Indian named Magui (Wes Studi) and the British troop led by Major Duncan Heyward (Steven Waddington) to their destination, but sadly they are ransacked by The Hurons (Indians) deceitfully led by Magui himself.

 

Just as all is going wrong Hawkeye and a group of companions intervene to save the sisters and Heyward, in turn scaring off the Hurons and reluctantly agreeing to take the survivors to Fort William Henry.  The battle against the Hurons becomes more personal for Hawkeye as he discovers his home and family have been destroyed.  The team arrives at Fort William Henry to find it under attack by the French.  The Munro sisters also discover that they had been deceived by Magui (even more than they had thought) as their father had no intention of them meeting up with him.  Hawkeye informs the men of the fort that their homes are under attack by the Hurons and with that they demand to be released of their contract with Colonel Munro.  Munro refuses to keep his word and Hawkeye finds himself helping the men to escape.  Hawkeye decides to stay behind to stay with Cora, but is sentenced to be hung for treason.

 

They film is simply fascinating from beginning to end.  The basic story structure is taken from Fenimore Cooper, but takes many Hollywood liberties.  From beginning to end the costumes, scenery, and music are breathtaking.  The audience feels fully engaged in the story as you are whisked across the country side and in the heart of battle.  It exemplifies (in a very romanticized way) the uncertainty that existed for America at that time in our history.  The world was still battling to see who owned what and it came down to the will and power of very select individuals to make it to where we are today.  The film holds up well and the acting is out of this world as Daniel Day-Lewis is at his best.

 

The picture is presented in a 2.40 X 1, 1080p MPEG-4 AVC @ 38 MBPS encoded transfer that reflects the hard work that Michael Mann put into creating this very romanticized tale.  The colors burst from the screen with brilliant reds, blues and greens; but retains the natural light perspective that Mann intended.  Mann and cinematographer Dante Spinotti attempted to capture the art of the period when producing this film; embracing a lot of natural light and even murkier images.  With that said the film demonstrates itself on Blu-ray just as Mann had intended, even if it is not exactly demo quality.  The sound is a nice DTS-HD Master Audio but oddly comes heavily from the front.  The sound is prioritized toward the dialogue and though directionality is nice, the surrounds are not utilized for this battle ridden film as I would have thought.

 

Whereas previous DVD releases of this film did not have many supplemental materials to view, this Blu-ray release has a few exclusives.  Included in this set are the following:

 

Audio Commentary

Features Michael Mann (alone) discussing the ins and outs of the film in a very informative commentary track

Making of Last of the Mohicans

Almost an hour long this featurette finally offers fans a behind the scenes look at an amazing film.

Trailers

BD-Live

Bookmark Favorite Scenes

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II