The Production of Michael Mann's 'The Last of the Mohicans' Was a Hot, Sticky Mess

September 2024 ยท 6 minute read

The Big Picture

Filming on-location is demanding, but the end result is often more rewarding and visually rich than a movie that tries to replicate picturesque locales with technology or set dressing. This is seen clearly in Michael Mann's hit historical epic, The Last of the Mohicans, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, and Wes Studi. The film is set during the French-Indian War, and follows Day-Lewis as Hawkeye, an adopted son of a Mohican tribesman, thrust into the conflict.

The Last of the Mohicans is one of Mann's most commercially and culturally impactful movies. It remains the only movie of his to ever win an Oscar for Best Sound, and is well-deserved for the phenomenal multi-layered translation scene alone. The film was shot primarily in North Carolina, where the expansive Blue Ridge Mountains have their highest peaks. Filming outside can be difficult in any situation, due to the unpredictability of natural lighting and weather, but The Last of the Mohicans was a particularly rough shoot that drove everyone mad. Mann's film makes great use of the striking locations, and ended up being a major success commercially, making a mark as one of Day-Lewis' only traditional "leading man" roles, but the production of The Last of the Mohicans left the crew exhausted.

The Last of the Mohicans
RActionAdventureDramaHistory Release Date September 25, 1992 Director Michael Mann Cast daniel day-lewis , Madeleine Stowe , Russell Means , Eric Schweig , Jodhi May , Steven Waddington Runtime 112 minutes Main Genre Drama Writers James Fenimore Cooper , John L. Balderston , Paul Perez , Daniel Moore , Philip Dunne , Michael Mann Tagline The first American hero. Expand

Michael Mann's 'The Last of the Mohicans' Production Broke Everybody

The film's difficult production is no surprise to anyone familiar with Mann's particular knack for detail-oriented filmmaking, or Day-Lewis' intense approach to acting, but this one pushed things even further than their usual exploits. It was an immersive, expansive shoot that took a lot out of Day-Lewis, and had everyone at their limits. Because The Last of the Mohicans filmed mostly outdoors, and on location in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the crew had to hike nearly an hour uphill for many setups, providing a huge challenge for those mounting heavy equipment. Lugging cameras and sound equipment up and down a mountain every day greatly increased the difficulty of the production for everyone.

Being out in the woods all day proved challenging for other reasons as well. The film features a few large scale battle sequences that necessitate many actors being covered in fake blood. Per reports of a set visit by writer Kate Van Winkle Keller, the fake blood used in the production contained corn syrup, which attracted ants that many extras would be swarmed with. Keller also noted that extras who portrayed various Native warriors in the film required heavy upkeep of hair and makeup, with many of them needing their heads shaved daily for continuity.

The lengthy night-shoots led to a funny, oft-repeated anecdote that Mann had a bit of a blowup about an incessant orange light that crew members would not dim, only to be told it was actually the sun. A wild story, but one that goes to show the strange, intensive nature of making a movie this way, and the tunnel vision that closes in as a result. With long shoots extending from sunset to sunrise and vice versa, ant swarms, and all the cliffside setups, mountain hikes, and hot weather, this crew was really put through the ringer. Mann and Day-Lewis made the shoot a harrowing one, but they were certainly putting a large share of the work on their own backs.

Michael Mann and Daniel Day-Lewis Made for an Intense Set

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The Last of the Mohicans being an arduous, immersive production is no surprise when considering the reputations of both Day-Lewis and Mann. Day-Lewis is one of the most prominent actors to utilize an intense method acting approach in every role, and he put a particularly awe-inspiring effort into playing Hawkeye. Day-Lewis lived out in the woods for weeks in preparation for the film, where he hunted animals, trained with tomahawks, and learned to make canoes by hand. Day-Lewis was so immersed in the part, putting both body and mind into a daze, that he suffered hallucinations and struggled with his mental health during filming. This is Day-Lewis' most conventional lead role, a traditionally heroic and romantic lead in a historical epic, but he still poured everything into the performance. While making Lincoln, he similarly lived like a man of the past, but did not put himself through nearly as much exhaustion. Of all Day-Lewis' most iconic roles, and all the stories of him taking a method approach, this may be the greatest example of him really disappearing into a part.

Mann is a director who is also known for his strict attention to detail. His approach to the setting, language, costumes, etc. in any particular movie is rooted in reality. Making The Last of the Mohicans an authentic experience in terms of the look and feel of the time meant a lot of effort was put into those elements, and it puts extra work on everybody involved, but it is easier to respect when the driving visionary force behind the film is putting the work in alongside everyone else. Mann takes his work seriously, and he wants it to feel more real than your average movie.

The Last of the Mohicans is a great kind of sweeping, epic movie that we don't get so often anymore. It took itself seriously, required a lot of craft and effort to get right, and it looks absolutely beautiful. The romance is compelling, the action is thrilling, and features great work from all the main players, especially Wes Studi. For an accessible genre movie of this kind, having two extremely devoted, intensive artists working together pushes it to another level. Day-Lewis and Mann working together is a match made in movie heaven, as both view their artistic work as a craft more than anything, and they are craftsmen through and through. Working with them isn't going to be a walk in the park, it will be a hike up a mountain. But the view is worth it once you get there, and the movie is all the better for it.

The Last of the Mohicans is available to watch on Tubi in the U.S.

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