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Last of the Mohicans Alternate Project for |
Fort William Henry, 2004 |
French and Indian War. Daniel Day Lewis, Madeleine Stowe. Based on the novel by James Fenimore Cooper about the Battle of Ft. William Henry in 1757. This film depicts action and during the French and Indian war in the year 1757. It portrays the battle of Fort William Henry, which was besieged by the French General Marquis de Montcalm. The fort was defended by British soldiers and colonial militia under the command of Colonel Munro, and was supposed to be supported by British General Webb, stationed at nearby Fort Edward. Following the surrender of the Fort by the British, the garrison was offered parole by a gracious General Montcalm, and were aloowed to leave in peace. The Indian allies of the French, however, feeling that they had not received the booty to which they felt entitled, ambushed the retreating British and conducted a bloody massacre, killing many and taking captives whom they later sold in Canada. The history in the film is reasonably accurate. Many of the characters—General Webb, Colonel Munro, the Marquis de Montcalm—were real people, and the massacre occurred more or less as depicted in the film. a complex relations among the Indian tribes, the colonists, and the British are also generally reflective of the conditions that prevailed in North America in 1757. Some critics have had problems with this film; for example, some complain about the lacrosse game shown early in the film, saying it was not accurate. Much of that strikes me as nit-picking, however. I think the interplay among the three cultures—Indian, colonial American and British—is revealing. The massacre did happen as shown. I have visited Fort William Henry and found it quite impressive. Although it was destroyed by the retreating French, it was later rebuilt according to the original plans, which somehow survived. |
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Project. When using parts of the film in class I always ask students to see whether they can detect the coming revolution. If you would like to use this film for your first project, use the topic summaries and documents for background, do some research on the story and prepare an essay on your findings. If you could manage a site visit, that would be excellent, but Fort William Henry is about 100 miles north of Albany, New York. It would be a good idea to read my “Intro essay” and “More about history and film” and “How to Critique” before you start. This assignment asks to you respond to the film as a historic document, recognizing that it can also be entertaining. Back to Assignments | Projects 1 & 2 |
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