Grayeagle

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Charles B. Pierce directs. James W. Roberson behind the camera. James W. Roberson cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 149 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
• 2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
• 3Directed by Charles B. Pierce, shot by James W. Roberson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Editor James W. Roberson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Lana Wood and Iron Eyes Cody and Alex Cord carry the top of the cast.
• 6IMDB entry: tt0077630 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 7Only 16 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography

James W. Roberson

Editing

James W. Roberson

Costume design

David S. Powell

Runtime

104 min · 1h 44m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

PG

IMDB

Grayeagle (1977) ↗

Also by

Charles B. Pierce

• 
  Winterhawk

  1975 · ★ 6.6
• 
  Sacred Ground

  1983 · ★ 6.5
• 
  The Evictors

  1979 · ★ 6.4
• 
  The Winds of Autumn

  1976 · ★ 6.0
• 
  The Town That Dreaded Sundown

  1976 · ★ 5.8
• 
  Bootleggers

  1974 · ★ 5.4

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Grayeagle (1977) PG | Adventure, Drama, Romance, Western Trailer

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Wuchak2018-07-16
  ★ 7/10

  Entertaining over-the-top Western from 1977 RELEASED IN 1977, "Grayeagle" is a Western about a settler in the 1848 Montana region (Ben Johnson) whose daughter (Lana Wood) is kidnapped by a Cheyenne brave (Alex Cord). He teams-up with his Native partner (Iron Eyes Cody) and a friend (Jack Elam) to get his daughter back. Along the way they must tangle with a Shoshone hunting party, including a crazy brave named Scar (Jacob Daniels). While the plot is reminiscent of 1956's "The Searchers," it's different enough to not be a rip-off. "Grayeagle" may be far from a big-budget Western, like "The Searchers," but I like it better. It genuinely surprised me for a number of reasons. For one, it's not a typical Western; it's just as much a Native American film as it is a cowboy/settler Western; and the Natives are portrayed quite well, considering the time period. Secondly, everything about the movie is over-the-top, like the acting, the (melo)drama and the blaring score. Speaking of the score, it plays like the bombastic music of the original Star Trek TV series, but updated to the mid-70s and fitted for a Western. It's quite good, sometimes even moving, albeit decidedly dated. The plot similarities to "The Searchers" is interesting in that Lana Wood's sister, Natalie, played the kidnapped girl in that film. Speaking of Lana, she's just gorgeous. You might remember her as Bond girl Plenty O'Toole in 1971's "Diamonds are Forever." The annoying, half-crazy character Bugler was played by the director, Charles B. Pierce, who made the similar “Winterhawk” (1975). You might remember Iron Eyes Cody (aka Standing Bear) as the American Indian shedding a tear about litter in one of the America’s most famous television public service announcements, "Keep America Beautiful," from the early 70s. While Cody certainly looked Native American and claimed his father was Cherokee (and his mother Cree), he offered conflicting data on his heritage. Evidence shows that he was a 2nd generation Italian-American based on an interview with his half-sister and documents, which included a baptismal record. But Cody denied the claim. He was likely part Native, but who knows? Shot in the Helena National Forest Northeast of Helena, Montana, the landscapes are picturesque. "Grayeagle" is full of gusto and reminiscent of the later “The Mountain Men” (1980). It must be respected because the creators gave it their all to entertain the viewer; in fact, I include it on my hallowed "Favorite Westerns" list, perhaps as more of a guilty pleasure since the flick is so overdone that it sometimes borders on ridiculous. So I can see why some people don’t like it. While it's often supremely entertaining, the sacred words are fitting: "Just because you like a movie doesn't mean it's good." THE FILM RUNS 104 minutes. GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• CH

  Charles B. Pierce Film Productions

  US

Key crew

• ProducerCharles B. Pierce
• Key GripJoe Catalanotto
• Art DirectionJohn Ball
• Sound Effects EditorStephen Hunter Flick
• EditorJames W. Roberson
• Costume DesignDavid S. Powell
• MusicJaime Mendoza-Nava
• Special EffectsJoe Catalanotto

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• kidnapping
• native american
• 19th century

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1977-12-28PG

Also known as

International titles

• GrayeagleUS
• Águila grisES
• Aquila Grigia il grande capo dei CheyenneIT
• GrauadlerDE