Back again
I will deal with the bio war and other questions anon.
The 36version did hew more closely to the original. Hawkeye (Natty Bumpo) is the hero, and the principal players include no Native Americans. It is interesting to note that in the book Munro's daughters come from different mothers. The first daughter, Cora's mother was part Afro?. They married in the West Indies. There is speculation about what %, but the book doesn't answer this question. Randolph Scott plays Hawkeye; Bruce Cabot,you may remember him from "King Kong", plays Magua. The daughter's names are switched. The elder becomes Alice, and the blonde becomes Cora. Her romance with Uncas is given prominence. Jhodi May (Alice 92) complained that most of her story was cut; she's right. 36 is a decent film, but nothing spectacular. Perhaps the most memorable scene is the one where a bare chested Randolph Scott is beaten with sticks by the Squaws prior to burning, this didn't come from the book. The ending is a little strange; Bumpo is cleared of the sedition charges when Major Hayward (Henry Wilcoxin) comes to his defense. He is let off and enlists as a scout. It's off to Montreal.
I'm not sure why Michael Mann decided to make a version in 1992, but I'm happy he did. It was an expensive production $40 million, but you can see the money on the screen. Fort William Henry was built from scratch with historically correct materials. The long rifles are exact replicas of the famous Pennsylvania long rifles. The spectacular killing tool used by Chingachook (Russell Means) is termed a riflestock ;this club supposedly dates back 1,000 years. Principal filming was in North Carolina in and around the Biltmore estate of George Vanderbilt.
North Carolina was chosen because the forest there was more like the first growth forest of the Mohawk Valley and the area around Lake George in the mid 18th century. The 36 film used Native American extras; interestingly they were paid by the Federal government under and NRA program. the 92 film used around 900 Native Americans both in front and behind the camera.. Daniel Day Lewis (Nathaniel Poe) spent 3 months living in the forest in preparation for his role. Casting was very important. Wes Studi (Magua) gave an Oscar worthy performance. It is interesting that the Native American cast members came from many tribes. Studi is of Cherokee descent, Means is Sioux, and Eric Schweig is an Inuit. Most of the extras were Cherokee.
In the mid 18th century there were 3 major tribal groupings in the North East part of North America:. the Iroquois, the Huron, and the Delaware. Collectively the Iroquois tribes supported the British in the French and Indian War. The Hurons were allies of the French. Both the Mohicans (NY) and the Mohegans (CT) are Delaware. The Delaware tried to maintain neutrality. When Magua and Hawkeye appear before the council to argue their case in the book and the 36 film, this is a Delaware village and sachem. In the 92 version it is a Huron village, In 92 it is Major Hayward at the stake. The extensive dialogue in Native languages in the film is most likely a mish mash of several languages. Wes Studi made this point in an interview. This points up the problems of making historical films, how far do you go to maintain historical accuracy? Remember this is fiction, I believe that the film makers must make us accept that we are in a different world. 92 certainly does that.
I should mention the work of the cinematographer, Dante Spirotti, he shot almost always in natural light. Mann took multiple takes. He ended up with over three hours of film. Several versions emerged. they all run just under three hours. Whole passages were lifted from Dunne's 36 script including Chingachook's speech over the grave of Uncas. It is impressive how Mann manages both the romance and action. Technically this is a top flight work. The score uses orchestral elements with traditional songs that fit the period. Madeline Stowe was reluctant to make the film. She couldn't see herself in an action film, the on screen results are excellent. Without Lewis' performance the film wouldn't hold together. This version and 36 are both available on Prime.
On to sedition. Sedition can be defined as aggressive opposition to a government; this includes promoting and/or participating in an uprising. This was a concern of the British Empire. The distance between the Americas and England made it logical to allow the colonies considerable freedom. 92 mentions indentured servitude and Hawkeye argues that the frontier promotes freedom. We also view a friendly relationship between the colonists and the Native Americans. Of course this was a moment in time; the treatment of Native peoples in this country has been pretty awful. Only in the 92 version has Hawkeye been raised as a Mohican. He is Chingachook's white son. There are multiple worlds involved. We have the Old World of the British Army, the New World of the colonists, and the Natural World on the Native Peoples struggling to co-exist in a moment of time.
You could try a brief binge watch viewing all three films. All are worth viewing, but 92 is the most involving. If you haven't seen the 20 silent film, this is a good option. Don't go off the deep end as I did. There are threads I uncovered which could take years to follow. Natty Bumpo Mann thought would make the audience snicker. I really must stop.