Andy Russell’s Grizzly Country Available Online

Back To The Cairn

In 1961, Andy Russell and sons, Dick and Charlie, set out on an urgent quest to record the much-misunderstood grizzly bear. The Russells journeyed throughout Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska in wilderness fieldwork and encountered bears on nearly 200 occasions over three seasons. They photographed, filmed, and wrote about the famed great bears to dispel a host of myths and misinformation.

Until then, bears had often been harassed or even killed in the process of filmmaking. The Russells, who had lived peaceably for years with bears near Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, knew that the grizzly could be filmed in a respectful way. After their first season in the field, guns were left behind in camp. Travelling unarmed, the Russells immediately obtained unprecedented bear footage. The result was the film Grizzly Country, and also a ground-breaking book of the same name by Andy Russell. Andy Russell recorded the narration he delivered in person countless times in halls grand and small to accompany this film.

Nearly 40 years later, The Whyte undertook an important restoration project. For the restored film, Andy Russell recorded the narration he had delivered live during countless screenings across the country. We wanted to capture his distinctive voice before it was gone - Andy passed away in 2005. The project also included a new introduction and conclusion hosted by Ian Tyson, and the restored version was produced with interviews by Ian Tyson and Andy Russell at the Hawk’s Nest. Photographs of this work, taken by Head Archivist Don Bourdon, are preserved in Archives V692 records.

This initiative was part of a larger tradition of The Whyte facilitating and supporting important mountain film heritage restoration projects. A similar project followed with the Hans Gmoser DVD restorations. Gmoser, like Andy Russell, had originally narrated his films live for audiences. For the restorations, narration was recorded from his scripts by a family member, while Will Schmidt of Skylight Pictures, alongside Chic Scott and Margaret Saul, helped bring the project to life. Will Schmidt also worked on the Fireside Chats with Chic; after Will’s passing, Glen Crawford continued the series.

The Grizzly Country restoration and the Hans Gmoser DVD project (1999/2000) were landmark initiatives of The Whyte. Don Bourdon served as Executive Producer, and Will Schmidt as Producer/Director/Videographer. Together, they ensured that this body of work, and the voices of those who made it, were preserved for future generations.

The Whyte is pleased to make the restored, unabridged Grizzly Country film available online so that new audiences can experience the role it played in awakening concern for grizzly bears and their habitat.

All rights reserved. A license is required for any reproduction, broadcast, or public screening of this film. Please contact archives@whyte.org for more information.

To learn more about Andy Russell, view his collection of work housed at The Whyte.

Back To The Cairn