Hollywood vs. Cooper

In the great literary pieces of our time, content, depth of character development and uniqueness are the driving forces in creating a classic work; but in Hollywood, sex, famous Hollywood names, and big money making schemes dictate the development of a project. James Fenmore Cooper created the character of Magua as the important antagonist of his novel Last of the Mohicans, portraying him as a strong, violent, cunning, yet extremely seasoned and weathered villain. Director …

…reader satisfied that Magua had been defeated, but not to the same extent as the audience is satisfied when Hollywood allows Chingagook to get the final kill over Magua as revenge for the death of his only son. No matter what the changes made, from Cooper to Hollywood, the reasons were clear, big, elaborate action/love story equals big revenue. Scenic frontier adventure with more than one action hero calls for a big budget flop.