Bruce Loeb on Piano Tourneur's adaptations of Conrad and Stevenson established him as a master of rugged adventure and outdoor spectacle. Perhaps most impressive is this version of Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans, shot on location at Big Bear Lake and Yosemite Valley. While on location Tourneur suffered illness and accidents so his assistant, Clarence Brown, took over the bulk of the location shooting. Seen today, The Last of the Mohicans still registers the excitement of its story-and the ingenuity of its making, so typical of the early years of filmmaking. Brown described to Kevin Brownlow in The Parade's Gone By the creation of the film's most enduring quality, its expressive use of natural lighting: "We made much use of lighting effects and weather atmosphere. We used smokepots to create the suggestion of sunrays striking through woodland mist. The rainstorm in the forest was simply a fire engine and a hose. We got clouds because we waited for them, and used filters...."