| The Grey Fox | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Phillip Borsos |
| Written by | John Hunter |
| Produced by | Peter O'Brian |
| Starring | Richard Farnsworth Jackie Burroughs Wayne Robson Ken Pogue |
| Cinematography | Frank Tidy |
| Edited by | Frank Irvine |
| Music by | Michael Conway Baker Paddy Moloney (main theme) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists Classics |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4.5 million |
| Box office | $6 million |
The Grey Fox is a 1982 CanadianbiographicalWestern film directed byPhillip Borsos and written by John Hunter. It is based on the true story ofBill Miner, anAmericanstagecoachrobber who staged his first Canadiantrain robbery on 10 September 1904. The film starsRichard Farnsworth as Miner. The cast also featuresJackie Burroughs,Ken Pogue,Wayne Robson, Gary Reineke and Timothy Webber.
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 of unsuccessful attempts, he successfully robs a train and hides from the law in a mining town inBritish Columbia, becoming a respectable resident. There, he meets and falls in love with earlyfeminist 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.
According to Farnsworth, the "picture company" was the only one ever allowed to film atFort Steele, British Columbia, aheritage site.[1]The Grey Fox was also filmed on theBritish Columbia Railway /Pacific Great Eastern Railway, now run byCanadian National Railway, betweenPemberton andLillooet, British Columbia, and the Lake Whatcom Railway between Wickersham and Park, Washington.[citation needed] The capture sequence was shot a quarter of a mile from where Miner was actually caught. Miner's gun, "a .41 Bisley Colt", was obtained from a collector and used by Farnsworth in close-ups.[1]
The film was funded by selling 696 units for $5,000 each to investors, and it was edited in 1981 before a distributor was found.Phillip Borsos was paid $45,000 to direct the film.[2] The film was shot from 7 October to 28 November 1980, and had a budget of $3,480,000 (equivalent to $12,425,182 in 2023), but cost $4,500,000 (equivalent to $16,067,045 in 2023) to make.[3]
The film was shown at theTaormina Film Fest in June 1982, and was released in Toronto on 16 December 1982.[4] It grossed over $6 million at the box office in its first year.[2]
The Grey Fox has been designated and preserved as a "masterwork" by theAudio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of Canada’s audio-visual heritage.[5]
At the4th Genie Awards in 1983,The Grey Fox was nominated for thirteen awards and won seven:
Further recognition for Farnsworth included aGolden Globe Award nomination forBest Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama.
It has also been listed in theToronto International Film Festival'sTIFF List of Canada's Top Ten Films of All Time in 1984 and 1993.
Roger Ebert praised the film as "a lovely adventure" and gave it 31⁄2 stars.[6]Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rare100% fresh rating, based on twenty-nine reviews. The Critics Consensus reads: "The Grey Fox takes liberties with the real-life history that inspired it, but director Philip Borsos' aim is true -- as is Richard Farnsworth's work in the title role."[7]
The film underwent a 4K restoration and was re-released to theatres In April 2020.[8] It also saw its first official release to DVD and Blu-Ray, which included a commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox, interview with producer Peter O'Brian, and a featurette about the restoration.[9]