MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS

This weeks read is the belting historical epic THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.

Plot in a nutshell: Hawkeye and his adoptive Mohican family traverse the war between the French and the English in 1757 America. Hawkeye falls for the daughter of an English general and Magua, a particularly nasty Huron warrior (and temporary ally to the French) wants revenge on her and her family. So ensues epicness.

This has many elements for me that make it an essential read for a screenwriter; it’s an historical epic, it’s based upon a book, it’s a shooting script and Michael Mann is one of the writers, so lots to see and learn!

This is a masterful script with both writers channeling the book admirably. You feel the world, the characters driving objectives and the tenseness of the warring world these characters inhabit. It does not let up or relent, but keeps us engrossed as well as any book would. No wonder Daniel Day-Lewis wanted to get involved.

So what did I learn from THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS?

Several things I think;

1) This is historical research in action. You feel the world and don’t doubt it for an instant. Every costume, every scrap of shrapnel, every plant is given its due diligence. So if I’m going to write a historical piece, get the world right. Not just for accuracy, but to honour the feel.

2) To describe what a character is feeling in the moment (in the action directions) can help with momentum (when the writer feels they need it). I’ve been advised before that writing what a character is thinking can be off-putting to actors when reading the script, but for the purposes of a shooting script, this really helped me see the characters journeys. Interesting.

3) The sex scene between Alice and Uncas was written respectfully, believably and with feeling for the two characters and their situation. With Intimacy Coordination becoming a welcome part of filmmaking now, well written intimacy scenes can definitely help the coordinator’s achieve the right way of creating these moments. This reminded me of just such an example of intimate scenes being written with respect and guidance (as to what is required for the scene), that an intimacy coordinator I spoke to recently hoped there will be more of. So solid example received and stored!

I’m not a fan of historical epics normally, but when the story is this good, it’s a masterclass and another hearty recommend for those of you thinking about writing one.

Link to the script;

https://thescriptsavant.com/movies/Last_Of_The_Mohicans.pdf