Last Of The Mohicans

[suffragette]

I watched the Daniel Day Lewis' film recently and decided to give the Fenimore-Cooper novel another try after failing hopelessly to comprehend its language when I was about thirteen. I was hoping to be swept away by the underlying devotion of Hawkeye for the dark haired Cora, only to discover there is not a hint of sexual chemistry between them at all in the book. Have you ever preferred a film to the original book source? I have to admit this was a first for me.

[Clanad]

I've found that viewing movies or even plays made on the basis of classics, expecially novels, such as The Last of the Mohicans before reading the source material, usually produces an expectation that can't be fulfilled when reading the books... The content of Cooper's novel is, in many ways, subtle and very indicative if it's time setting. For example, the soliquy by the girl's father, Munro; from this we learn that Cora is a Mullato produced from the union with his first wife at a duty station in the Caribbean. This was absolutely ground breaking to have a relationship, even through marriage, between races for an English officer of the day. (Munro does describe, in tender terms, the death of that wife and his return to Scotland and subsequent marriage to his first love and the birth of his second daughter). This is only one example of the subtle but dynamic relationships Cooper attempts to develop. In fact the movie, as good as it was, doesn't touch on this sub-story nor does it include the view of Magua's tribe, the Huron's as being mean and vicious to the core, which is and was at the time of the movie, not politically correct. A good read, but obviously dependent on one's expectations... in my opinion...

[suffragette]

Thank you for your answer, Clanad. It was partially on your recommendation from a previous question and answer about The Last of the Mohicans that I gave the book another try. I did enjoy it and, as you have mentioned, Cora's role must have been a cultural shock to the society of the times, in a similar manner to the first Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre. However, being a romantic fool, I wasn't expecting Hawkeye's dedication to friendship and his conflict with his cultural duality to completely replace the films love interest with Cora.

[robbo82]

I have yet to see a film or stage version of a book which I prefer to the original novel. Everyone raves about films like The Shining and A Clockwork Orange, but neither are a patch on the books. Rebecca and To Kill A Mockingbird are the closest I've seen, but both films are still not quite as good as the books. The pen truly is mightier than the camera.