Considering that this was made only 5 years after sound was added to movies, I think that some of the negative comments is extremely unfair. This is one of the problems in reviewing old movies. Should they be judged by current standards or should allowances be made for age? Personally my answer is that the only fair way to solve the problem is to give two ratings on all movies prior to say 1935, one using current standards and the other allowing for age . This would be particularly important for silent films. Using that approach I would give this serial a five for today but a 7 for 1932. If you doubt this try watching other movies of its day-they do not make very interesting watching today with very few exceptions.
4 Reviews
Better Than Most Reviewers Give it Credit For
stevergy200018 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I was surprised by the overwhelmingly negative tone of reviews of this serial - even the one which was positive qualified the judgment with a 'for its time' proviso.
I thought the acting was fine, the cliffhangers acceptable, and the action pretty good. I've liked Harry Carey ever since seeing him as the sardonic Speaker of the House in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and he doesn't disappoint here. Cora and Alice have little to do other than look scared when the bad Indians are fighting their heroes. (I call this the 'Dale Arden' scenario - once you've seen the Flash Gordon serials, you'll understand how pathetically thin the writing for female leads was in those days - unless, off course, they were villains). The music teacher was a real laugh - especially when he remains completely unseen while taking out two Hurons with his slingshot at a critical point in the story.
All the native Amerindians were played by white actors, and their guttural deliveries and tendency to speak of themselves in the 3rd person {eg: Magwa says 'Magwa will not rest until Colonel Munro pays for what he did to Magwa!) was kinda dumb.
6/10 - a relatively high rating for a serial in my judgment.
The biggest failing was the lack of any clear resolution as to what happened to the real bad guy at the end. It's shown that he's fighting with the Sagamore, then the French bad guy shoots the good Mohican who falls. Then cut to his son hanging on over the edge of the cliff and off to the rescue of the ladies. And no clear resolving of what happened to Magwa!
I thought the acting was fine, the cliffhangers acceptable, and the action pretty good. I've liked Harry Carey ever since seeing him as the sardonic Speaker of the House in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and he doesn't disappoint here. Cora and Alice have little to do other than look scared when the bad Indians are fighting their heroes. (I call this the 'Dale Arden' scenario - once you've seen the Flash Gordon serials, you'll understand how pathetically thin the writing for female leads was in those days - unless, off course, they were villains). The music teacher was a real laugh - especially when he remains completely unseen while taking out two Hurons with his slingshot at a critical point in the story.
All the native Amerindians were played by white actors, and their guttural deliveries and tendency to speak of themselves in the 3rd person {eg: Magwa says 'Magwa will not rest until Colonel Munro pays for what he did to Magwa!) was kinda dumb.
6/10 - a relatively high rating for a serial in my judgment.
The biggest failing was the lack of any clear resolution as to what happened to the real bad guy at the end. It's shown that he's fighting with the Sagamore, then the French bad guy shoots the good Mohican who falls. Then cut to his son hanging on over the edge of the cliff and off to the rescue of the ladies. And no clear resolving of what happened to Magwa!
The Worst Version of this story
antonio19521 April 2000
This antique serial stars Harry Carey as Hawkeye. It is a chore to watch this film because it is as slow as molasses. Some video versions have added some equally dull music. A couch potato may wear out his rewind button on his remote because this version induces sleep. It does not come close to being faithful to the novel. One of the only serials I have bought and erased, one one should stick to the great 1992 version or the good Randolph Scott version.
Worst Version EVER !!!
rbelkie23 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I am an avid collector of serials. I bought this one from a dollar bin and I think I was ripped off. This doesn't seem like a serial. Instead it seems to be an over-long movie chopped up to make a serial. No cliffhanger endings to the chapters, just continued on from where it left off. This movie is so slow that it should be a great cure for insomnia. About as exciting as watching grass grow. The only thing I found interesting was watching the veteran actors do their thing. Don't waste your money on this version. Get a more modern version unless you are teaching a film class about old movies. I keep my version only because it fits in my collection. Watching it once was enough.
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