Review
The first of many feature film versions of the James Fenimore Cooper novel about the travails of the American Mohican Indians during the French and Indian Wars was characterized by its innovative use of color and its brutal battle scenes. The Native American parts are all played by Caucasians, as was the custom in those days. The great silent film star Wallace Beery plays a traitor to his own people, the villain Magua. Barbara Bedford is the fetching female lead. Director Maurice Tourneur was incapacitated after three months on the set and turned over the reins to the younger Clarence Brown. Color tints enhanced the film's photographic quality, especially during the bloody, unflinching scenes from the climactic fight at Fort McHenry. Though the film has its share of stereotypes, it's generally sympathetic to the plight of the Native Americans, who were used by both sides in the war. This American classic was filmed again in 1932, 1936, 1960, 1977, and 1992. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
On the DVD
Optional English subtitles
