Posted by Hannah on July 14, 1998 at 14:45:04:
In Reply to: Re: the Alice/Uncas, Hawkeye/Cora debate... posted by Rich on July 14, 1998 at 12:39:09:
: : : : Also, I'm still unclear about why Uncas felt he couldn't wait for his brother and father to help him, thereby increasing the chances for a successful rescue. I THINK I know why, but I'd like to hear from some of you.
: Cooper tells us, and I don't have his exact words handy, that it was Uncas' youthful impetuousness.
: : : I think he probably felt like it was something he had to do himself, for her. Also you guys are forgetting- scenes were cut out! That is one of the reasons everyone is fighting to get the director's cut released so we can see those scenes. She dove off the cliff because she fell in love with him in those scenes that were cut out.
: I'd like to see the "Director's Cut" as much as anyone, but let's remember that the version released tells the story as Mann wanted us to see it at the time. The story we see IS THE STORY. To give too much importance to a "love scene" that wasn't really much of a love scene is fun, maybe, for the imagination, but veers off from the REAL story as Michael Mann presented it. Now, there are indications, most definitely, in the film that SOMETHING is going on between Uncas & Alice, however subliminally. So, Uncas felt protective and used poor judgment in running off ahead of the others.
True,scenes were cut out,and for me as a mere movie watcher to think that I know better than an experienced director is kinda stupid...I understand that the way it was done is probably best...but it would have been kinda nice to see the whole story and not just what was seen--the movie was beautiful tho and flawless...I'm not sayin the movie needs to be changed,but I think an apprach that would've been kool to show the relationship between Alice and Uncas would have been to use the technique that was used in the film--for the two to use mostly facial expression instead of dialogue--but step it up just a little to where they had more interaction,and we saw more of those long meaningful glances--but that's just a what-if...probably overanalyzing on my part,but hey,it's fun and thought provoking ;)...
Hannah