Small House of Everything

Small House of Everything

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

OVERLOOKED MOVIE: THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1920)

James Fenimore Cooper's classic tale of Natty Bumpo, Chingachgook, and Uncas has been filmed nine times in America alone and at least three times in Germany.  There may have been other foreign adaptations as well.  In addition, The Last of the Mohicans has been  adapted for a television series, a miniseries, a television movie, and an animated series, as well as two two-part radio series and an opera.  It has been the basis of several comic books and one manga.  The story has been firmly embedded in our culture.

Cooper's book -- the second in his "Leatherstocking" series -- is considered to be the first great american novel.  The 1920 film version linked below is the second adaptation of the novel (the first was in 1912 and starred James Cruze) and has been selected for preservation by the National film Registry and has been deemed "culturally significant" by The Library of Congress.

This version stars Harry Lorraine as Natty "Hawkeye" Bumpo, Theodore Lorch as Chief great Serpent (Chingachgook), Alan Roscoe as Uncas, and the great Wallace Beery as the evil Magua.  Barbara Bedford and Lillian Hall are the imperiled sisters, Cora and Alice Munro.  The film was directed by Maurice Tourneur and Clarence Brown, with a scenario by Robert Dillon.

Travel back to 1757 and the upper New York frontier and enjoy this great film.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-LYCxEB0JM

No comments:

Post a Comment