Film of the Day: 22

The Grey Fox (1982)

Today is a little more special for me as I am Canadian, and today in 1889 the world famous coast to coast Canadian Pacific Railway was completed.  Its head quarters are in Calgary, Alberta and it owns approximately 14,000 miles, owning rail from coast to coast in Canada from Montreal, Quebec all the way to Vancouver, British Colombia and in the United States.

In the time of the great depression, many companies were hit heavily of course and to some extent the CPR was as well but not really, as unlike its rival, (CN) the Canadian National Railway Company, the CPR was debt-free.  Up until 1975, it was one of the largest and most powerful companies in Canada and went on to be the second largest railroad fleet (52 cars).  The Boston and Maine Railroad was larger.

The Canadian Pacific Railway is so huge that it has over 15,000 employees and has its own police service; it even bought two American lines two years back in Chicago & Minnesota.

There is a film titled Canadian Pacific from 1949 staring Randolph Scott, which tells the story of the building of the CPR.  However it tells an inaccurate story, views Indians and nincompoops who are easily manipulated by white men and offers a right-wing view on guns which makes this film an insult to Canada.  So today we view one of Canada's proudest and most forgotten films, The Grey Fox.

This film features a wonderful bold performance from the late Richard Farnsworth, he plays Bill Miner (also known as "The Gentleman Bandit"), an American stagecoach robber who after released from prison in 1901 after 33 years.  He is an old man in a new century and is not sure he belongs here, stagecoaches are no longer used very much and his kind is slowly dying out.  He then goes to see one of the first films ever made, the famous The Great Train Robbery from 1903.  He is then of course inspired by this, only he wishes to rob a train in Canada, the Canadian Pacific.

Shot on location in the beautiful Pacific Northwest of Canada, it is a film that should be given more attention to, maybe brought to HD or maybe even the Criterion Collection.  It ranks up there with other such forgotten Canadian films such as Goin' Down the Road or Exotica.

This is a film truly takes it's time to show you it's beauty, mystic and brilliance and is also one of the great forgotten modern westerns.

Click here for the trailer