One of the rarest of the great westerns in recent decades has been The Grey Fox, originally kind of an art-house release in 1982. Canadian-made, it starred Richard Farnsworth, a career stunt man and extra, in the leading role, as old-time stagecoach robber Bill Miner re-inventing himself upon his release from San Quentin into a new era, ca. 1900. It is one of the 55 great westerns but has been very difficult to find. During the VHS era, it was fleetingly available in that less-than-optimal format, and then sometimes you could find a version of the laserdisc transferred to DVD. But mostly it was unavailable, much to the frustration of its fans and those who would like to find it to watch for the first time.
According to long-time consultant Adam Sorensen at Lionsgate, Kino Lorber is now making a restored 4K print available for booking in theaters. It’s certainly worth seeking out on the big screen if you can find it. The performances are terrific, especially Richard Farnsworth in the title role, the cinematography looks great (particularly in the new trailer), and the celtic-inflected music (some by the Chieftains) fits marvelously. If you’d like to make a booking inquiry, look here: https://www.kinolorber.com/film/the-grey-fox#film-info
Best of all, this new theatrical release will presumably be followed by release of a high-definition DVD. The long wait may almost be over! Update: The DVD and blu-ray of The Grey Fox are now scheduled for release on Sept. 8, 2020.
Further kudos to Kino Lorber for making A Thousand Pieces of Gold available for theatrical booking again. This is another of the 55 great westerns (and the only one directed by a woman–Nancy Kelly) that has not been available on DVD, although you could find a digital version on Amazon Prime. It has been available for booking for the last six weeks or so, but it does not seem to be widely available to the public. Kino Lorber has announced a restored 4K blu-ray will be available on May 26, 2020. Notice the new poster below, in which it is now being marketed as a “feminist western.”
