There have been numerous screen versions of James Fenimore Cooper's literary classic, which was published in 1826. This silent version, made by visionary filmmakers Clarence Brown and Maurice Tourneur, was released in 1920, at a time when feature-length films of this size and scope were still in their infancy. The film's expansive outdoor locations, sets and costumes, and grand-scale battle scenes remain impressive nearly a century later. The positive portrayal of some Native American characters was also a rarity for the era. In an early unbilled screen role, a young Boris Karloff can be glimpsed among the warriors.
During the French and Indian War of the 1750s, sisters Cora and Alice Munro are desperate to leave Fort Henry to join their father Colonel Munro, the commanding officer of nearby Fort William Henry. Unbeknownst to them, the fort has fallen into the hands of the bloodthirsty Huron Indians and their father is being held hostage. Magua, the Indian scout who agrees to escort the sisters to Fort William Henry, is secretly in league with the Hurons and plans to betray them. Frontier scout Hawkeye and his Indian allies arrive to thwart Magua's plans enabling Cora and Alice to reach the fort and their father. But Magua's treachery (and lechery) knows no bounds, unleashing a fierce, climactic clash between sworn enemies. In the end, only one can survive - and the seeds of a new nation will be sown.