IMDb RATING
6.0/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
The story of the life and work of the Canadian fur trapper-turned-conservationist who claimed to be an aboriginal North American.The story of the life and work of the Canadian fur trapper-turned-conservationist who claimed to be an aboriginal North American.The story of the life and work of the Canadian fur trapper-turned-conservationist who claimed to be an aboriginal North American.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 5 nominations total
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
I know some people think the movie is boring but I disagree. It is a biography of a very complex and extraordinary person. I liked the characters in the film and think that leaving parts of Archie's life a mystery captured his humanity. I don't think the purpose of a good biography should be the detailing of someone's life but rather the complexities and relationships that make them interesting. And what is more fascinating than someone so successfully reinventing themselves? "Men become what they dream - you have dreamed well." Good job to Lord Attenborough. I also wanted to mention that Nathaniel Arcand really stood out to me as a charismatic actor and I hope to see him in more films.
We viewed the vcr and found it to be fascinating. Not knowing anything about this true story, I thought: "Oh, no, P.Brosnan as an American Indian ('red' Indian in the film), what a bad choice" until I discovered the truth about Grey Owl. The film does a good job of demonstrating the dignity of these native peoples and undermining the racist myths about them. And Annie Galipeau, WOW, what a beauty, and very convincing as an Indian woman (I believe she is French-Canadian; she sure reverts to the all-too familiar speech of such). In spite, of Brosnan's detached, grunting style, in the end he comes through convincingly as a passionate, dedicated man. The plot is a little weak in demostrating his conversion from trapper to animal coservationist. Good film, highly recommended.
Saw this movie on VHS. Relaxing movie with wonderful scenery. Grey Owl wrote many books. I plan on getting some of them. Brosnan does a great job, after all the charactor is supposed to be English. It shows the irony in the beliefs of non-Indians. Should be of interest to people who care out ecology.
All in all a good film and better for the fact that had the film not been made the story might remain hidden to the masses. Brosnan does a good job as the native American with a hidden past and the photography is stunning. To some, this may be too whimsical, to others boring - for me it is a gentle, well-told tale and perfect for family viewing. Now that's not something you get a lot of recently.
I saw the British premiere of this in Bridgend, South Wales - Richard Attenborough was met with generous applause, his film with polite applause. It is a film equally of the heart and of the head, with emotions and affecting performances never quite being allowed to get in the way of the beautiful photography.
Charming in its own way and with a fascinating tale to tell, Grey Owl never quite gets fired up in the same way as historical rivals like Braveheart and Titanic. And this, possibly shamefully, probably just ironically, would seem to be due to the very thing that Attenborough is keen to sell his own movie on - its lack of violence, action, sex and, above all, excitement.
Still, a graceful and involving film - one which deserves the tag 'worthy' more than many others.
Charming in its own way and with a fascinating tale to tell, Grey Owl never quite gets fired up in the same way as historical rivals like Braveheart and Titanic. And this, possibly shamefully, probably just ironically, would seem to be due to the very thing that Attenborough is keen to sell his own movie on - its lack of violence, action, sex and, above all, excitement.
Still, a graceful and involving film - one which deserves the tag 'worthy' more than many others.
Did you know
- TriviaThe autobiography "Grey Owl and Me" by Canadian environmentalist Hap Wilson devotes a chapter to the author's time working on this film. Wilson served as Pierce Brosnan's personal skills trainer.
- GoofsWhen Grey Owl's publisher Champlin arrives by airplane, to convince Grey Owl to go on tour in England, the airplane shown is clearly a DeHavilland DHC-2 "Beaver" on floats. This scene is set in approximately 1935, but the DeHavilland Beaver did not make its first flight until 1947.
- Quotes
Pow Wow Chief: Men become what they dream... you have dreamed well.
[1:37:30]
- ConnectionsFeatured in Heritage Minutes: Grey Owl (1999)
- How long is Grey Owl?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Grey Owl, celui qui rêvait d'être indien
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $632,617
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $162,360
- Oct 3, 1999
- Gross worldwide
- $632,617
- Runtime
- 1h 58m(118 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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