From there came came a stint as Wild Bill Hickok in 1981's The Legend of the Lone Ranger and memorable turns as Wilford Brimley's assistant coach Red in 1984's The Natural and the feisty sheriff Buster in 1990's Misery. And of course his final, Oscar-nominated role as Alvin Straight in 1999's The Straight Story.
I thought I'd seen every film worth seeing of Farnworth's but recently was reminded of one in theaters when I was a kid but never saw. That film was 1982's The Grey Fox.
Skillfully directed by Canadian filmmaker Phillip Borsos and beautifully photographed by Frank Tidy (The Duellists), The Grey Fox tells the real-life story of "Gentleman Bandit" Bill Miner (Farnsworth), a soft-spoken, well-mannered 19th-century stagecoach robber who after serving 33 years in San Quentin is released in 1901 to a radically changed world.
Miner heads to British Columbia for a fresh start and does his best to find his place in the new century, digging for oysters, hauling wood for a sawmill, but after catching a screening of The Great Train Robbery one night in town, is inspired to once again don his kerchief and Colt six-shooter and return to his old stick-up ways.
Miner recruits a co-worker from the sawmill and the pair successfully rob a couple of trains before heading to a small town to to lie low for a few months. Now using the alias George Edwards, Miner becomes a respected member of the community and begins a relationship with feminist/photographer Katherine Flynn (Jackie Burroughs). But it isn't long before the law closes in and jeopardizes Miner's new life.
The Grey Fox is a well-crafted film, small and intimate, but ultimately lacking in satisfying narrative and characterization.While Farnsworth absolutely shines, things feels a bit too one-dimensional and unrealized, like a good portion of the story was left on the cutting room floor to achieve its 92-minute running time.
Newly restored in 4K and released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber, The Grey Fox looks great in high-definition. The native 1.85:1 image is crisp and colors are rich and well defined while maintaining natural film grain. While I've never seen the film on any previous home-video formats, I'm betting this is the best the picture has looked in 38 years.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track sounds great and both dialog and Michael Conway Baker's score are clear and immersive at minimal levels.
Extras include a commentary track by filmmaker Alex Cox, interviews with producer Peter O'Brien and composer Michael Conway Baker, a restoration feature and a theatrical re-release trailer.
The Grey Fox isn't a perfect film, but it is a worthwhile entry in an important actor's legacy, one that should be defined by the size of his heart rather than the size of the part.
