Hawkeye, the Pathfinder

One o the very first MASTERPIECE THEATER serials I ever saw was back in 1971...the 8-part miniseries THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS with Kenneth Ives as Hawkeye, John Abineri as Chingachgook, Richard Warwick as Uncas and the incomparable Philip Madoc as Magua. I later heard that a sequel, THE PATHFINDER, had been made, but I never had the opportunity to see it.

Now, 52 years later, I have had the opportunity (thanks to the Internet) and the pleasure of seeing that sequel, HAWKEYE, THE PATHFINDER, in its entirety (all 5 episodes). As always, the BBC did a fantastic job in crafting so faithful an adaptation, and I'm even more delighted to see that David Maloney returned as director after the wonderful job he did guiding the 1971 THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.. I'm also delighted that John Abineri (who I remember mostly for his role of "Herne the Hunter" in the ROBIN OF SHERWOOD series) returned to the role of "Chingachgook" and that DOCTOR WHO himself (Patrick Troughton, The Second Doctor) has a major role in this production (I've always considered him a magnificent character actor). As for the title character, I thought that Paul Massie's interpretation was an interesting one; his "Pathfinder" is a mature, more thoughtful Natty Bumppo, passing through middle age and more conscious of the passing of time...and perhaps somewhat regretful that he may never settle down to hearth and home, wife and child. As for the main villain Arrowhead (played by Gilbert Wynne)...while he plays the part well, I don't get the same menace from him that Philip Madoc brought to the role of "Magua"; Arrowhead here has a more outward single-minded hate. I must admit to being a little disappointed with Mabel "Magnet" Dunham (played by Jan Francis); she comes across as the typical maiden-in-distress type, without any of the strength or redeeming qualities that Cora and Alice Munro had back in 1971. Her (eventual) love interest Jasper Western (played by William Ellis) comes across as equally colorless, and I couldn't muster much sympathy (or even liking) for him. The technical aspects and photography were, however, first-rate (although I can understand the feelings of some critics who disliked Native Americans being played by Caucasian actors).

All in all, I would like to echo the sentiments many critics said about the 1971 THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS in speaking of this production...that it is "the most faithful and the best of the various film and TV adaptations", and I would highly recommend it for viewing.

I still fondly recall this excellent BBC classic serial which was shown in the days of regular classic children's serials in the Sunday teatime slot. I've always been quite a fan of Fenimore Cooper's heroic but quite complicated character Natty Bumpo, more commonly known as Hawkeye. Sadly, most US depictions of the character have been shallow, merely portraying Hawkeye as an action man of early American pioneer life, and most of the US feature films/TV films are disappointing. Although I enjoyed Daniel Day Lewis' interpretation of Hawkeye as a dramatic piece, this was still not the character I identify with. This BBC serial, however, remains faithful to Fenimore Cooper's original novel. It is therefore, naturally, a far more leisurely piece than the US adaptations and Pathfinder's idealistic personality is fully revealed as the courageous and fair-minded frontier scout as he protects Mabel, the young woman he loves. Paul Massie's portrayal of Hawkeye, to my mind, is the most memorable that I have come across, the definite depiction of Cooper's character on screen. Credit here is also due to Alistair Bell and Allan Prior's fine script, which fully captures the original feel of Cooper's Leatherstocking novels. One wonders if the serial is still languishing on tape in the vaults of the BBC...how wonderful it would be to see it once again!

I was the provider of the boat in the set but I never saw the finished product which I would now like to do since I am retiring after a life at sea. I met all of the actors and most became much bigger celebrates. Where can I get a copy of the series and any outtakes because there were some excellent stunts which would not have been used? There were a large number of London stunt men posing as red Indians and those who had to speak or make a noise did so in a cockney accent which the natives of Inverness found difficult to follow because they all speak perfect queens English. I particularly remember the expertise of the gunsmith who worked for the BBC with his small truck in which he checked and set the triggers of the rifles being used on the set. Regards Neil McKie