Produced under the auspices of Zoetrope Studios in 1982, "The Grey Fox" offers an unforgettable character portray of the real-life Bill "The Gentleman Bandit" Miner. This is a rare instance of a film western that actually strives to recreate the historical West and the gritty people who inhabited it.
Stunt man and character actor Richard Farnsworth is perfect as the historical Bill Miner, who, starting in 1863, robbed stage coaches for eighteen years, then spent thirty-three years incarcerated in San Quentin penitentiary. When he was released on June 17, 1901, he must have felt like Rip Van Winkle in awakening to a new world.
A stroke of genius on the part of the filmmakers was to incorporate footage of Edwin Porter's silent film "The Great Train Robbery." The dawn of the railway era coincided with the time Miner spent in prison. After he serves his time, he is enthralled by the Porter's film that fills him with ideas for adapting his skills to the robbing of trains.
As opposed to focusing on action scenes, the stroke of genius of the filmmakers is to develop extended placid scenes where Miner is hiding out in Canada, laying low after one of his train robberies. In a small community outside of Calgary, Miner becomes a fixture in the town and even strikes up a romantic relationship with a liberated woman, photographer Kate Flynn.
Of the many detailed portraits of small characters, one of the most memorable is that of the local Mountie, who takes a liking to Miner and even shields him from the authorities, including the Jean Valjean of Pinkerton agents stalking Miner from the United States. Another touching relationship is that of a little boy who looks up to Miner and offers him an orange at the time of his arrest at Monte Creek.
The film played loose with the historical facts of Miner's life, especially in the ending. But the greater achievement of the film was to capture a world in transition with an old way of life giving way to modernity.
"I've got ambitions in my that just won't quit," Miner quietly informs his sister before setting off on his new life as a railroad thief. Miner always had a way with words. After all, it was Gentleman Bill Miner who coined the expression "Hands Up!" prior to robbing poor, unsuspecting stagecoach passengers.
Stunt man and character actor Richard Farnsworth is perfect as the historical Bill Miner, who, starting in 1863, robbed stage coaches for eighteen years, then spent thirty-three years incarcerated in San Quentin penitentiary. When he was released on June 17, 1901, he must have felt like Rip Van Winkle in awakening to a new world.
A stroke of genius on the part of the filmmakers was to incorporate footage of Edwin Porter's silent film "The Great Train Robbery." The dawn of the railway era coincided with the time Miner spent in prison. After he serves his time, he is enthralled by the Porter's film that fills him with ideas for adapting his skills to the robbing of trains.
As opposed to focusing on action scenes, the stroke of genius of the filmmakers is to develop extended placid scenes where Miner is hiding out in Canada, laying low after one of his train robberies. In a small community outside of Calgary, Miner becomes a fixture in the town and even strikes up a romantic relationship with a liberated woman, photographer Kate Flynn.
Of the many detailed portraits of small characters, one of the most memorable is that of the local Mountie, who takes a liking to Miner and even shields him from the authorities, including the Jean Valjean of Pinkerton agents stalking Miner from the United States. Another touching relationship is that of a little boy who looks up to Miner and offers him an orange at the time of his arrest at Monte Creek.
The film played loose with the historical facts of Miner's life, especially in the ending. But the greater achievement of the film was to capture a world in transition with an old way of life giving way to modernity.
"I've got ambitions in my that just won't quit," Miner quietly informs his sister before setting off on his new life as a railroad thief. Miner always had a way with words. After all, it was Gentleman Bill Miner who coined the expression "Hands Up!" prior to robbing poor, unsuspecting stagecoach passengers.