In the climax of 1992’s Last of the Mohicans, the hero (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) chases the villain up a mountain. In the shot captured above, Lewis’ right arm brushes the rock wall, which sways suspiciously as he passes.
Now, you might think this “rock” was a poorly-constructed prop—a testament to the film’s limited budget. Not so. Obviously, the cave is composed of flexigranite, a little-known mineral that bends just like a flimsy, painted piece of canvas.
Kudos to the filmmakers for going the extra mile, committing to authenticity, and recreating this classic North American geological feature. Undoubtedly, it was painstaking work, since flexigranite went extinct over a century ago.
What’s that you say? “Rocks can’t go extinct”? Or “flexigranite isn’t even a word”? Ha! Then how do you explain the GIF above?
EDIT: There is one other possible explanation. Maybe Day-Lewis’s method acting is so good, even the rock believes it.
Matt Hauger 