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Plot

Archibald Belaney was a British man who grew up fascinated with Native American culture -- so much so that in the early 1900s he left the United Kingdom for Canada, where he reinvented himself as Archie Grey Owl and lived in the wild as a North American Indian trapper. He eventually became an environmental activist after renouncing trapping and hunting. Grey Owl is based on Belaney's true story, starring Pierce Brosnan in the title role. In 1934, Archie was living a largely solitary life when he met a young woman named Anahareo (Annie Galipeau), an Ojibway Indian nicknamed Pony. Pony is fascinated by Archie, largely because she wants to know about her people's heritage. Her father, Jim (Graham Greene), is a businessman who wears a suit to work and has little concern for his history; in Archie, Pony sees a link to her past that she can't find in her family. Archie has little use for Pony at first, but in time the two begin to bond, and it's Pony who convinces Archie to give up trapping and work to protect animals. She also encourages Archie to write a book about wilderness life in Canada. The book becomes a huge success and makes Archie something of a celebrity, but with recognition come nagging questions about Archie's true heritage. (In reality, Archie Grey Owl's true idenity did not become public knowledge until after his death.) ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Cast

  • Pierce Brosnan - Archibald Belaney/Grey Owl
  • Annie Galipeau - Anahareo/Pony
  • Nathaniel Arcand - Ned White Bear
  • Vlasta Vrana - Harry Champlin
  • David Fox - Jim Wood
  • Stewart Bick - Cyrrus Finney
Charles Powell - Walter Perry; Stephanie Cole - Ada Belaney; Renée Ashershon - Carrie Belaney; Graham Greene - Jim Bernard; Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman

Credit

Claude Pare - Art Director, Vera Miller - Casting, Nadia Rona - Casting, Diana Hawkins - Co-producer, Josette Perrotta - Co-producer, Renee April - Costume Designer, Richard Attenborough - Director, Lesley Walker - Editor, Barr Potter - Executive Producer, Lenny Young - Executive Producer, George Fenton - Composer (Music Score), Anthony Pratt - Production Designer, Roger Pratt - Cinematographer, Richard Attenborough - Producer, Jake Eberts - Producer, Claude Leger - Producer, Jonathan Bates - Sound/Sound Designer, Patrick Rousseau - Sound/Sound Designer, Gerry Humphreys - Sound/Sound Designer, William Nicholson - Screenwriter

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Grey Owl

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Grey Owl
Directed by Richard Attenborough
Produced by Richard Attenborough
Jake Eberts
Claude Léger
Written by William Nicholson
Music by George Fenton
Cinematography Roger Pratt
Editing by Lesley Walker
Distributed by New City Releasing
Release date(s) United States February 15, 1998
Running time 117 minutes
Country United Kingdom United Kingdom
Canada Canada
Language English

Grey Owl is a 1998 biopic directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Pierce Brosnan in the role of real life British schoolboy turned Indian trapper "Grey Owl," Archibald Belaney (1888–1938), and Annie Galipeau as his wife Anahareo. With brief appearances by Graham Greene and others. The screenplay was written by William Nicholson. It was shot in the English city of Hastings, Quebec's cities Chelsea and Wakefield, Jacques Cartier Park and Saskatchewan's Prince Albert National Park.

Richard Attenborough in interview said that he and his brother David Attenborough had attended "Grey Owl"'s De Montfort Hall, Leicester lecture in 1936, depicted in the film, and been influenced by his advocacy of conservation.[1]

Reception

The film met average reviews. William Gallagher of the BBC said, "if you like cuddly animals or you fancy Pierce Brosnan, you're in luck".[2]

References

  1. ^ Country life: Volume 194 2000 In the film, Lord Attenborough has re-enacted that precise moment, even down to the detail of the lecture taking place in Leicester (Grey Owl's lecture tours included many of Britain's major cities). The influence on Dave, ."
  2. ^ BBC - Films - review - Grey Owl

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David Lawson (Soundtrack Artist)
William Nicholson (Writer, Director, Drama/Romance)
John Anderson (Classical Artist, '90s)
beaver (mammal, rodent)