Hollywood Stereotypes In The Last Of The Mohicans
Submitted by lefouffe on 06/30/2008 05:21 PM
- Category: History Other
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Hollywood Stereotypes In The Last Of The Mohicans
Hollywood has usually either shruggd off blame for being politically incorrect or when it suits them accepted the mantle of justice and inequity and flaunted themselves as politically correct yet at the same time bounder pushing artists concerned with the world around them. Hollywood rairly concerns itself with right and wrong except in monetary matters. It doesn't seem to concern itself with serious matters except when it benefits them to. The film "The Last of The Mohicans" based on the novel by James Fenimore Cooper follows the story of a white man raised by Mohicans struggling against warring Hurons as well as being caught in between the French and English fighting at that time. Essentially its the grand sweeping love story that Hollywood and box office viewers love so dearly. However what differentiates it from most and harkens back to the archtypal Hollywood western, is its portrayal of natives as either noble or ignoble savages. As well it is worth mentioning that while Michael Mann was clapping himself on the back for creating such a realistic and uncompromised authentic look at that time period and region natives were being persecuted around the globe in places such as Canada in the Oka crisis.
James Fenimore Cooper's novel "Last of The Mohicans" was written in 1826 and remained his biggest success. Based in part on his popular Natty Bumpo character. Much if not all of Fenimore's experience with natives came from stories recounted to him by missionaries. The noble and ignoble savage stereotypes seem to be played out perfectly as one critic put it, "His (Fenimore) public was simultaneously touched romantically at the doomed indians fate and justified in abetting their extermination". Several facts can be taken from this statement. Firstly the idea that prevailed for quite awhile in western culture was that Natives and their culture were dying out. Mainly because they were seen as unable to adapt to modern European life. It...
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