The film I always go back to: Last of the Mohicans

Taking on The Kid in the Front Row movie blog's challenge of blogging about the movie we always seem to go back to when life is not treating us well, for me that would be THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.

Not just the recent version in 1992 starring Daniel Day Lewis and Madeleine Stowe, but also the 1936 version...

 starring Randolph Scott...

having watched it in black and white as a kid when I would hole up on Saturday's and watch movie marathons- humm kind of doing that today- since Daughter #1 and Grandpa are horseback riding and Jon and Daughter #2 are mountain biking. I am still in my sweats and well, the dogs in the back yard are whining and will probably force me to get outside and enjoy the spring weather that at the moment has descended over the San Juan Mountains.

Last of the Mohicans is one of the premium classic American tales- set in 1757 during the battles between France and England to claim the frontier of what would be New York State, with all the local native tribes taking up alliance to try and save their claim to the land.

 I read James Fenimore Cooper's novel , 1826, back in school but have sense concluded it must of been an abridged version since picking up the original novel to read to my girls and seeing that it's a hard book to get through in its old English style and with a much more complicated story line.

The movie plots center around Hawkeye, a white man, but rescued as a small child by one of the last of the Mohican tribe, Chingachgook, who raises him with his own son- Uncas.

The three men help the daughters of the English General Munro get to Fort William Henry after an Indian attack lead by Magua, who is seeking revenge again Munro, who lead an attack that killed Magua's wife and children and sent him into slavery to the Hurons.

The rugged war torn setting of the story, upstate New York- in the 1992 film version was actually filmed in the Blue Ridge mountain of North Carolina brings such power to the story- the sheer rock mountains, rivers and waterfalls adding to the wildness of the story.

This is the classic boy meet girl story- my favorite. Hawkeye falling for the prim and poper, but brave older sister, Cora, played by Madeline Stowe....

 and Uncas loving and protecting to death the weaker younger sister Alice.

I think I love the rawness and simplicity of the Last of the Mohicans. For love, Hawkeye and Uncas changed their course- ( just reviewed the new Matt Damon movie The Adjustment Bureau), one to the point of death.

Does love concur all- yes! and thus why I love Boy Meets Girl stories- some of my other favorites-

AVATAR

JAMES BOND: CASINO ROYALE

COLD MOUNTAIN

GLADIATOR ( yes it is a love story)

and it doesn't matter if the outcome isn't always peachy.


THE CRAZIES...

 with Timothy Olphant happens to be on Stars Edge right now, didn't change  the channel in my Saturday movie marathon and though it is no less than a Zombie movie- it has a pretty sweet love story of Oplhant the local sheriff- going back into the Zombie infested town to rescue his wife...

 Almost free, they stop at a deserted truck stop where his wife's spirits fall and here is the great line that expresses that "love conquers all" that brings me back to movies again and again

DAVID

You want to give up...you want to sit here and die...tell me

and I will sit here and die with you.

David and Judy kiss passionately across  the truck stop resturant booth and table.

JUDY

You gonna go get that truck?