Tuesday, March 11, 2025

“Last of the Mohicans” (TV) - 1956


 In 1956, the people in charge of the children's television of the DFF intended to delight their young viewers with an Indian play. This was realized when Horst Born dramatized a story from James F. Cooper's "Leatherstocking Tales" and was staged by Hans-Joachim Hildebrandt. The story led back to the year 1756 and described an event that took place in the north of America, today's Canada. The war between the English and the French had already lasted five years, which was bitterly fought over large areas of this region against the actual inhabitants, the Indians. In the process, the Indians got caught between the fronts of the hostile European nations. The foreign troops tried to play off the individual Indian tribes against each other, and unfortunately this was successful: the once peaceful people of all Indians began to fall apart. There was only one glimmer of hope for the so-called "redskins": the great chief Pontiac. He resisted the disintegration of the Indians as a unit, tried to bundle the forces of the Native Americans in order to drive the aliens out of their land. But in the end, this plan was doomed to failure. To commemorate this just fight of the Indians, the DFF showed the play of the last of the Mohicans, not with the figure of Pontiac, but with reds and whites who selflessly stood up for the rights of the Indians, such as the legendary Pontiac.


Der letzte der Mohikaner – German title

The Last of the Mohicans – English title

 

A 1956 East German television production [Deutscher Fernsehfunk (DFF)]

Producer: Heinz Fülfe

Director: Hans-Joachim Hildebrandt

Story: James Fenimore Cooper

Teleplay: Horst Born

Photography: [black & white]

Music: ?

Running time: ?

 

Cast:

Colonel Munro – Hans Fiebrandt

Cora Evelyn Lazar

Alice – Key West

Major Herward – Joachim Hoyer

Psalm singer – Willy Krause

Falcon Eye – Willi Narloch

Chingachgook - Walter Richter-Reinick

Inkas - Gerhard Rachold

Magua - Herbert Malsbender

Tamenund - Frank Michelis


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