Grey Owl (film)

Grey Owl is a 1999 biopic directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Pierce Brosnan in the role of real-life British schoolboy turned Native American 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. The film was released on 10 September 1999 in Spain and 15 February 2000 in US. It was the last film made by Largo Entertainment before it went defunct in 1999.
Plot.
Archibald Belaney (Brosnan) 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 of Great Britain and Ireland for Canada, where he reinvented himself as Archie Grey Owl and pretended to be a Native American who was a trapper. Eventually, Belaney becomes an environmentalist after renouncing trapping and hunting.
Production.
The film was shot in the English town of Hastings, Quebec towns Chelsea and Wakefield, Jacques Cartier Park and Saskatchewan's Prince Albert National Park.
Director Richard Attenborough said in an interview that he and his brother, noted presenter and naturalist 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. The musical group Northern Cree Singers is featured in the soundtrack.
In a segment for his show, Tom Green went to the press conference of the film where he serenaded and kissed Pierce Brosnan. Brosnan, thinking Green was a journalist, advised him not to give up his day job.
Release.
The film opened 1 October 1999 on 70 screens in Canada.
The film premiered on video in the United States on 15 February 2000. It eventually opened on 3 November 2000 in the United Kingdom.
Critical reception.
The film was met with negative reviews, and has a 'rotten' 17% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. William Gallagher of the BBC said, "if you like cuddly animals or you fancy Pierce Brosnan, you're in luck".
The film won one Genie Award at the 20th Genie Awards, in the category of Best Costume Design for Renée April.
Box office.
"Grey Owl" flopped at the box office upon its limited release grossing $162,360 in its opening weekend in Canada and a total of $632,617 against its $30 million budget.