Ep. 54 - The Last of The Mohicans v. The New World with Roseanne Caputi, David Johnson, DMD and Alex Robertson

Happy Belated Thanksgiving, Fabulous Film Fans! 

We meant to get this talk in the can sooner but alas! External forces including the mighty Holiday itself prevented us from discussing two seminal works highlighting the struggles of early colonial Americans, with special emphasis on their relationships to the Native American tribes who either assisted or were rebuffed by them: we’re talking about Michael Mann’s 1992 actioner The Last of The Mohicans, starring Daniel Day Lewis, Madeline Stowe, Wes Studi, Russell Means, Jodhi May, Eric Schweig and Steven Waddington compared to Terrence Malick’s 2005 sweeping, meditative romantic epic, The New World starring Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, Q'orianka Kilcher, Wes Studi once again, August Schellenberg, David Thewlis, John Savage, Jonathan Pryce, confusing lookalikes Ben Mendelshon and Noah Taylor in one movie, Eddie Marsen and Ben Chaplin.  

My guests this week are once again series regulars Dr. David Johnson, Roseanne Caputi and Alex Roberston. 

So here are the synopses, once again, deliciously, achingly simple. 

The Last of The Mohicans takes place in 1757 colonial America as white pilgrim Nathanial Hawkeye and his adopted Mohican relatives, brother Uncas and father Chingachgook continually rescue sisters Cora and Alice Munro from Magua, a vicious Huron warrior hell bent on revenge against the pair’s father Colonel Edmund Monroe who burned Magua’s village and killed his wife and children. 

The New World, catalogues the story of Pocahontas, princess of the Powhatan Tribe in Virginia in the year 1607 as she encounters the British Colonists and falls in love with Captain John Smith. Despite saving his life, the princess  is deserted by Smith and finds true and lasting love in the arms of Tobacco Grower John Rolfe.  

 Both films offer visual and emotional feasts, but which is more refined?

Find out!