Last of the Mohicans

In the film, General Munro speaks of the French “pounding the fort into the ground” with mortar fire from slowly approaching trenches. It was recorded that the Huronian natives, who were acting as allies to the French, attacked the English regiment without authorization from General Montcalm and were fully responsible for the bloodbath that ensued . We only see a couple battles from the Seven Year War in America, but the film still gives us a general idea of the violence and conflict that epitomized the ordeal. In the film, the fictional character of Magua leads this ambush on the English troops, slaughtering many of them while they marched in rank away from the fort. This eye for realism is within all of the film’s characters, but is most evidently seen through the soldiers and militia shacked up at Fort William Henry. When it comes down to it, “Last of the Mohicans” is a war story, and the film has done a terrific job of [finish this sentence and the paper is done]

. This is clearly seen in the negotiations between General Munro and Montcalm at the surrender of Fort William Henry. This is in fact true, as according to several accounts of the battle the persistent French cannon and mortar bombardment eventually lead up to the full surrender of the fort on August 9th, 1757 . n Fort William Henry, and the battle that Hawkeye and his companions stumble into. Although there is no official historical documentation supporting these slightly odd terms of surrender, it is well known that the troops from the fort were seen heading away from the fort days later, during the infamous Huronian ambush. It is true that they might not have been an actual Hawkeye or Magua involved in these situations, but all of the historical events are recreated so accurately that it leads us to believe not only could this have happened, but that it actually did happen.

Another great achievement of this film is in its ability to cast aside Hollywood ideals, and give us a realistic depiction of the general attitude of the war. The militia is made up of settlers and farmers, who are only really fighting due to their forced loyalty to the crown. The attitude of the soldiers (of all rankings) is surprisingly refreshing and realistic, as it turns out all of the troops are not fully dedicated to defeating the enemy “at all costs”. This is, however, just a small marring in what is otherwise a well represented, historically accurate attempt to capture the essence of the Seven Year War in the New Americas.