The 1992 film version of The Last of the Mohicans has one of the best and well-known musical scores ever done for a movie.
"Hidden History" is a diary series that explores forgotten and little-known areas of history.
Put on some headphones and turn up the volume:
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James Fenimore Cooper was born in New Jersey in 1789. When he was only a year old, his family moved to upstate New York, where they founded the town of Coopersville and his father was elected to the US Congress. James proved to be a remarkably intelligent young man, entering Yale University at age 13. But he also had a deep rebellious streak, and was kicked out of the University after three years, after pulling a number of pranks involving donkeys and exploding doors. In 1806 the 17-year old Cooper joined the crew of a sailing ship, and five years later enlisted in the US Navy. When his father died, Cooper inherited a substantial sum of money, and also married a wealthy heiress.
Returning to upstate New York, Cooper became interested in the area's historical sites, which included battlefields from the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812. He also heard several stories firsthand from one of his neighbors, the statesman John Jay.
Inspired by these stories, in 1820 Cooper wrote his first novel, titled Precaution, a historical romance in the style of Jane Austen. Written under a female pen name, it was a commercial failure. Undaunted, Cooper tried again a year later with The Spy, a historical novel set during the Revolutionary War. This was a success, and Cooper went on to begin a five-part series of novels, set in the frontier towns and wilderness of northern New York. The series was called "The Leatherstocking", and centered around the character of Natty "Hawkeye" Bumppo and his Native American companion Chingachgook. The first volume, titled The Deerslayer, was a success, but it was the second volume, titled The Last of the Mohicans, which made Cooper an international best-seller. Written in 1826, the novel centered its fictional love story around the French and Indian War, and especially the siege of Fort William Henry in 1756. It remains one of the classic American novels.
In 1991, Hollywood director Michael Mann was looking for a new project. After the success of his 1986 film Manhunter, Mann had been given virtual carte blanc by 20th Century Fox to make whatever movie he wanted. Mann settled on a film version of Cooper’s classic story, and began working on a screenplay. A stickler for detail and “authenticity”, Mann was meticulous: Native American actors, including former American Indian Movement activist Russell Means, were cast for all of the major roles, dialogue was written in authentic Mohawk and Mohican language, and all of the costumes and props were crafted using genuine materials and period methods. The movie starred Daniel Day Lewis and Madeleine Stowe.
After principle photography was finished, though, Mann ran into a problem. Initially, the composer Trevor Jones, well-known for his soundtracks to Excalibur, Labyrinth and Mississippi Burning, had been asked by Mann to produce an electronic-music score for Mohicans, and Jones was almost finished with this. During editing, however, Mann changed his mind and decided that an orchestral score would be more appropriate. As a result of this last-minute change, and with the movie’s release date rapidly approaching, a second composer, Randy Edelman, was added to write a new score for all of the minor scenes while Jones focused on the main theme and the important scenes. At the same time, Mann told Jones that he had just heard a musical piece that he definitely wanted incorporated into the film—a violin piece from Scotland.
Scottish musician Dougie MacLean had been an established composer and folk singer for twenty years, and had already enjoyed tremendous success with his song “Caledonia”. In 1990, he wrote a new song which was, he later explained, inspired by a vision of a Scottish clan camped on the shore of Loch Ness, with all of its mystery and excitement. The new song was titled “The Gael”.
At some point, one of the Mohicans production crew called Mann and told him “You have to hear this song” — and Mann decided that “The Gael” was a perfect match for the mood and tone he wanted for his movie. Jones rewrote several versions with different instruments for different key scenes in the movie as well as the “Main Theme”. The powerfully haunting score instantly became a pop culture hit, and even people who don’t remember any of the movie, or who have never even seen it, instantly know its theme song.
At Oscar time, however, there was another twist. Because of Mann’s last-minute rush and the need for a second composer, The Last of the Mohicans, with perhaps the most memorable movie score ever recorded, became ineligible for the “Original Score” award, since the Academy rules specified that original movie scores must be of a single “unified” composition. The movie did win the Oscar for “Best Sound Mixing”.
Today, YouTube is filled with a million different versions of the song, performed by everything from full orchestra to harp to bagpipes. And every version, with every instrument, sounds great.
So, what’s your favorite version?