The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
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The Last of the Mohicans
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just put in a hold for the movie with our library. Could be an interesting discussion. I'll break my normal habit of not watching films that are based on classic books.
This is one I haven't seen either. Looking forward to a "group" screening!
I'm glad (so far) people like the idea.I really like the film, but warning, it does take Hollywood liberties with the story.
Lynnm wrote: "I'm glad (so far) people like the idea.I really like the film, but warning, it does take Hollywood liberties with the story."
Sigh. I used to have enough hair that tearing some out at such Hollywood antics didn't matter much. But at my age, it's starting to matter.
Sigh.
Just started the movie. Won't discuss book specifics in order to avoid spoilers before the book discussion formally begins, but I have to say that I am awed by the fact that in the middle of the wilderness a woman could greet unexpected guests with perfectly coiffed hair and a clean, pressed gown showing no signs that its owner has just prepared a meal or even has ever performed any manual labor in it, and that a respectable and even upper class young woman staying at a fort in the wilderness being surprised by the unexpected arrival of a young man has not only perfectly groomed hair and a clean and pressed gown, but also, in frontier 1757, has perfectly lipsticked lips. Wikipedia records the history of lipstick in the US as:
"In the 19th century, lipstick was colored with carmine dye. Carmine dye was extracted from cochineal, scale insects native to Mexico and Central America which live on cactus plants. Cochineal insects produce carminic acid to deter predation by other insects. Carminic acid, which forms 17% to 24% of the weight of the dried insects, can be extracted from the insect's body and eggs. Mixed with aluminum or calcium salts it makes carmine dye (also known as cochineal).[11]:36
This lipstick did not come in a tube; it was applied with a brush. Carmine dye was expensive and the look of carmine colored lipstick was considered unnatural and theatrical, so lipstick was frowned upon for everyday wear. Only actors and actresses could get away with wearing lipstick. In 1880, few stage actresses wore lipstick in public.[12][13] The famous actress, Sarah Bernhardt, began wearing lipstick and rouge in public. Before the late 19th century, women only applied makeup at home. Bernhardt often applied carmine dye to her lips in public.[11]:36
In the early 1890s, Carmine was mixed with an oil and wax base. The mixture gave a natural look and it was more acceptable among women. At that time, lipstick was not sold in screw up metal tube; it was sold in paper tubes, tinted papers, or in small pots.[12] The Sears Roebuck catalog first offered rouge for lips and cheeks by the late 1890s."
If this were a college course, I suspect the teacher would be expected to issue a trigger warning about the film. I've only watched the first half hour of it so far, but there is a lot of quite graphic violence and killing, including several instances of killing animals. Not for the fainthearted.
Lynnm wrote: "I really like the film, but warning, it does take Hollywood liberties with the story. "Liberties? So far it's about as close to the original as Saving Private Ryan is to the Iliad!
Hahaha! Now I can't wait to finish the book so I can watch this movie!
Mod
We watched it once or twice in high school, but then this was the 90s, when trigger warnings didn't exist.
Great line, Eman!!! "It's about as close to the original as Saving Private Ryan is to the Iliad!"True, enough. But, I still think it is worth the watch and comparison. We'll see if people agree or not.
And I think Daniel Day Lewis is good as Hawk-Eye.
Well, I finished the movie. Will save substantive comments, but my earlier comment stands, in spades.As does my warning that there is a lot of violence, quite graphic violence, in the movie. If that disturbs you, be advised. It's rated R, which I assume is for the violence. I didn't find any bad language, and no treatment of sex beyond PG at worst.
One other thing I would note, the director certainly saved on lighting costs. It seems as though well over half the movie is filmed in near darkness. Watching on a DVD on a computer screen, much of it is hard to see. Might have been better in a movie theater.
And in terms of Political Correctness, it's clear that 1992, when it was made, is a lifetime ago. The stereotyping is beyond extreme. Which is one of the few things true to the book, but the book was written back when nobody cared about stereotyping (even as recently as the 1950s even very liberal parents had no problem with their children playing cowboys and Indians with their cap guns). But it's pretty shocking, at least to me, to see today.
January 10-January 16 - Chapters 9-16
January 17-January 23 - Chapters 17-24
January 24 - January 30 - Chapters 25-33
Also, in the last week, I'm going to open a thread for the most recent The Last of the Mohicans film with Daniel Day Lewis. We can consider the differences between the novel and the film. We can also consider the mythology of early American life for both the settlers and people of the First Nations and as depicted in other novels and film.