A visually spectacular film of an equally beautiful romantic-tragic story. Last of the Mohicans is made on the basis of the often-filmed, famous and classic boys’ book The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, but this version is regarded as the best. The film is also counted asone of the best films made by Maurice Tourneur in the United States.During the festival, the only tinted version of this film in existence will be screened. This was discovered and restored by the Netherlands Film Museum. The film will be accompanied live by Adrian Johnston, who has written a special score for the film. Peter Delpeut (Skrien) about Johnston’s musical interpretation: ‘He found the right balance between the expressiveness of the violence (the synthesizer conjures up a battalion of trumpets) and the intimacy of the impossible love between the “wild” Indian and the “civilised” paleface officer’s daughter.’ In Holland the film was released at the time under the title Stervende volkeren (Dying Peoples) and praised as ‘a hit and one of the highest quality, because it is a film for every audience’.The story is set in 1757 during the war between the British and the French for the territory which would later becomes the United States and Canada. Indian tribes are divided by the war; some take sides with the French, others with the British. The film focuses on the love of the young Indian Uncas, with his father the last two of the Mohican tribe, and Cora Monro, the beautiful daughter of a British colonel.Legend has it that Boris Karloff played a minor role as a plundering Indian.
