Plus scenes from the movie didn’t match up properly with what Cooper had written. In the beginning of the novel the character David Gamut is introduced. He was a wandering young man in the forest who loved poetry. David was attempting to carry Christianity to the frontier through the power of his song. He was totally out of place in the wilderness, plus he was a subject of Hawkers mockery. He eventually became close with Hawker and helped him throughout their Journey.
But for some reason he was of no relevance in the movie.
David Gamut is a “ghost” to Michael Duns movie, he simply doesn’t exist. Plus in the movie the eldest daughter Cord Munroe was castes and portrayed far differently than what Cooper had described. Cooper described his character Cord Munroe as an interracial child with an African American background. That is why they referred to her as the “dark one”. But in the movie she was played by an actress who was Caucasian, and the only thing that was dark about her was her hair.
Cooper also made Coral’s love interest Uncaps, who is the full blood Monica son of Chicagoan.
But the relationship ended tragically and there would have been no way possible for t to occur. Due to Cord and Uncaps being both of different nationalities. In Michael Dun’s movie Cord and Uncaps relationship didn’t exist. The character Cord was played by the Caucasian actress Madeline Stows.
She ended up falling in love with the story’s hero Hawker. Both characters got to be together in the end of the movie. This is dramatically different than what Cooper had in his novel. Both Hawker and Cord could be together in Dun’s movie because it created no controversy over race.
On another note, the movie showed that the younger sister Alice Munroe was in love tit Uncaps. When Magma was given Alice in the end of the movie to bare children with it sends Uncaps into a rage. As he tried to rescue Alice he was killed by Magma and thrown off the cliffs. Alice then commits suicide by slowly falling back off the mountain after her deceased love Uncaps. In comparison the novel and movie are wildly different. Characters in the movie are entirely different than what Cooper had created. They also are engaging in complete opposite roles.
Important details in the novel made the story truer to its time. I suppose changing those important aspects of he novel made the movie more interesting, more action packed and to the point. Leave the storyline with a somewhat happy ending. In Coopers novel Hawkers relationship with the Musicians isn’t as friendly as it is in the movie. In the movie when Hawker and the Musicians are introduced they act as if one another is family. Hawker refers to Chicagoan as his father and Uncaps his brother. Chicagoan Hawker and his adoptive family are close friends with Englishmen in the colony.
They actually go to a gentleman’s cabin that night and have dinner with this British colony family. Everyone interacts with one another very closely. Even the natives are eating dinner at the table and playing with the Englishmen son. In the novel Hawker doesn’t share that same type of relationship with the Musicians, also continuously talks about how he is not of Indian blood. In the book he even states “l am not a prejudiced man, nor one who vaunts himself on his natural privileges, though the worst enemy I have on earth, and he is an Iroquois, adrenal deny that I am genuine white” .
Hawker’s adoptive background breeds both productive alliances and disturbingly racist convictions. He shows how the history and cultures of the people of the frontier influence one another. Regardless of the divide that the English, French etc want to create, everyone is going to somewhat intermix. But Hawker has a confliction wanting to state that he is white and has much more privileges than his friend. Yet he feels more comfortable in the wilderness with the native people. Hawker demonstrates that he’s almost obsessed with proving he’s not a native.
Throughout Cooper’s novel he constantly brings up his white background to prove it. Scenes throughout Michaels Dun’s movie are so completely efferent than Cooper’s novel. In the beginning of the movie Hawker is hunting in the woods with the Musicians. Hawker shoots the deer with his long rifle with no worries at all. However, in Coopers story the Musicians keep Hawker from shooting the deer. They feared he would give up their location to their enemies so Uncaps kills the animal with a bow and arrow and finishes it off with a knife. Another part of Dun’s 1997 movie was definitely portrayed much different Cooper’s novel.
Uncaps went to the tribal grounds of Magma to rescue Cord and the others. Demanded ends p letting Uncaps and Hawker go, but Magma takes Cord. Uncaps is so enraged he goes back to rescue Cord. When a native of Magma tribe gets impatient he stabs Cord in the heart. Uncaps and Magma battle it out but Magma slips off of the side of the mountain. As he slips Magma grasp hold of some trees and holds on for his life. But Hawker shoots him, and he falls back into his ultimate death. I truly believe both pieces of work were brilliant and beautiful. Yet it was difficult to understand Cooper’s novel, and was very lengthy.
He emphasized a lot on the battles and showed the influences that all the people in the colony had on one another. But Dunn brought a lot of interesting elements to The Last Monica story. The battles were very realistic and thrilling. He showed that although the people in the colonies had issues there were some bonds and strong relationships among the different races. I personally would had never watched or read the book by choice myself. But I am glad I got to read, and watch two exceptional pieces of work. Although Dunn didn’t tell the same story as Cooper, it was a very well made movie.
The Last Of The Mohicans Essay. (2019, Dec 05). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/paper-on-last-mohicans/