Jump to content

The Grey Fox

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Alaney2k (talk | contribs) at 20:24, 3 May 2018 (→Cast: add castlist tpl). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For other uses, see Gray Fox (disambiguation).
The Grey Fox
Film poster
Directed byPhillip Borsos
Written byJohn Hunter
Produced byPeter O'Brian
StarringRichard Farnsworth
Jackie Burroughs
Wayne Robson
Ken Pogue
CinematographyFrank Tidy
Edited byFrank Irvine
Music byMichael Conway Baker
Paddy Moloney (main theme)
Distributed byZoetrope Studios
Release dates
  • 16 December 1982 (1982-12-16) (Canada)
  • 18 March 1983 (1983-03-18) (U.S.)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
BudgetCDN$4,500,000

The Grey Fox is a 1982 Canadian biographical Western film directed by Phillip Borsos and written by John Hunter. It is based on the true story of Bill Miner, an American stagecoach robber who staged Canada's first train robbery on September 10, 1904. The film stars Richard Farnsworth as Miner. The cast also features Jackie Burroughs, Ken Pogue, Wayne Robson, Gary Reineke and Timothy Webber.

Plot

Stagecoach robber Bill Miner is caught and sent to prison for 33 years. He is finally released in 1901. He wanders around, a man out of place in the new century, until he sees one of the first films, The Great Train Robbery, and is inspired to copy it in real life. After a couple unsuccessful attempts, he successfully robs a train and hides from the law in a mining town in British Columbia, becoming a respectable resident. There, he meets and falls in love with early feminist and photographer Katherine Flynn. He considers settling down with her, but one last robbery proves to be his downfall. True to his nickname, the Grey Fox escapes from prison as the ending credits start.

Cast

Production

According to Farnsworth, the "picture company" was the only one ever allowed to film at Fort Steele, British Columbia, a heritage site.[1] The Grey Fox was also filmed on the British Columbia Railway / Pacific Great Eastern Railway, now run by Canadian National Railway, between Pemberton and Lillooet, British Columbia.[citation needed] The capture sequence was shot a quarter of a mile from where Miner was actually caught.[1]

Miner's gun, "a .41 Bisley Colt", was obtained from a collector and used by Farnsworth in close-ups.[1]

Awards

The Grey Fox has been designated and preserved as a "masterwork" by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of Canada’s audio-visual heritage.[2]

At the 4th Genie Awards in 1983, The Grey Fox was nominated for thirteen awards and won seven:

  • Best Picture
  • Best Director (Borsos)
  • Best Foreign Actor (Farnsworth)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Burroughs)
  • Best Original Screenplay (Hunter)
  • Best Art Direction (Bill Brodie)
  • Best Musical Score (Michael Conway Baker)

Further recognition for Farnsworth included a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama".

It has also been listed in the Toronto International Film Festival's TIFF List of Canada's Top Ten Films of All Time in 1984 and 1993.

Critical reaction

Roger Ebert praised the film as "a lovely adventure" and gave it 31⁄2 stars.[3] Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rare 100% fresh rating.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Tibbetts, John C. (September 16, 2015). Those Who Made It: Speaking with the Legends of Hollywood. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 63. ISBN 9781137541925. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  2. ^ "Masterworks: The Grey Fox (1983)". avtrust.ca.
  3. ^ "The Grey Fox". rogerebert.suntimes.com. January 1, 1982. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
  4. ^ "The Grey Fox (1983)". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Grey_Fox&oldid=839495944"