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Summary: FAVORITE FILM OF ALL TIME
Review: Humor, Adventure, Scenery, History, Action, Professionalism This movie is excellent.
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Summary: The Best
Review: For some reason, I can't even say why, this was my favorite movie growing up. I can't even really explain it, it's just good. Good in the way The Abyss is good- not much plot, yet still very entertaining to watch. I just wish I could buy it somewhere...
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Summary: Well worth the price!
Review: Great movie. I think some of the best work by Newman and Redford. Captures some innocent moments that shows that even dangerous outlaws have a heart. Good soundtrack too. I may be somewhat biased, this was one of the first movies I ever got to see at a movie theatre.
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Summary: Redefined The Western Genre
Review: I know, I know. . .many can take issue with the title above. Consider Sergio Leone's "spaghetti" Westerns, or Sam Peckinpah's brutal "The Wild Bunch." Both directors broke ground, but in my very humble opinion neither had the same impact on the genre that director George Roy Hill commanded when BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID hit the big screen in 1969. This film took a Western and injected it with a healthy dose of pop culture. The soundtrack bears this out--even to the point of treating us with the pre-MTV music video, "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." Ever see a John Wayne movie of the Sixties that had jazz singers humming the soundtrack? Didn't think so. Even more compelling is the story, a story about two bank robbers trying to hang onto the Old West in a rapidly changing world. They're outlaws, but they're the "good guys," totally likeable and captivating. The viewer is pulling for them to escape the law, plan their next move, rob another day. The ending is inevitable, yet tastefully and poignantly done. Much has been made about the chemistry between Paul Newman (Butch Cassidy) and Robert Redford (Sundance)--and rightfully so. The dialogue, banter, timing between these two wonderful actors is flawless, brilliant, overwhelming. There are classic lines ("Who are those guys?") and scenes (Butch's "rules" for a knife fight) that will live in cinematic lore forever. Katharine Ross as Etta Place ("I'm 25, single, a schoolteacher, and that's the pits.") is a wonderful addition to the cast as Sundance's girlfriend and soulmate to both outlaws. Equally innovative was the film's cinematography--starting in grainy black and white and changing to vivid color as Butch and Sundance ride over breathtaking scenery. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID ushered in the contemporary Western, and I'm darned glad it did.
--D. Mikels
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Summary: Style and Substance
Review: I remember seeing this movie at the cinema as a kid (many years ago)and being knocked out by how COOL Redford and Sundance were. You know the scene in Blues Brothers, the doorway of the transient mens refuge and the rocket launcher, and they just get up, brush themsleves off, music resumes and go on as if nothing happened. That cool. And so when they get to the stage of being concerned "who ARE those guys" we have substance for the actions they take afterwards. Now watching this movie on DVD with my kids, they didn't get enraptured as I did at their age. As you might guess, not enough action for their generation - and yet, when there is action, it plays with as much emotion as the best of hollywood today. A tremendous cast delivering a tremendous performance, this will always be one of my favorite movies.
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Summary: A few comments on the history
Review: As others far more knowledgeable about cinema have already written reviews, I just thought I'd make a few comments, mostly focussing on the differences between the movie account and the actual historical facts, since I happen to know something about that.
This is one of those wonderful movies that burns itself into your memory, never to be forgotten. Newman and Redford were at the peak of their fame when they teamed up to do the movie, and the chemistry between them is much of what makes the film so memorable. In real life, Cassidy was said to be the truly amiable bandit he was portrayed to be in the movie, while Sundance was the laconic loner, a man who had no other friends except for his buddy, Cassidy. Redford admits to being a stubborn and individualistic Scotsman, so it was felt the role suited him, just as Newman's more outgoing and extroverted personality seemed to fit the Cassidy role.
Cassidy was born in Utah in 1866 to Mormon parents, taking a different last name so as not to shame his family. He was naturally fearless and courageous, and with his quick wit and natural charm, apparently had no trouble recruiting cohorts to assist him in his daring robberies. He quickly became known as a master planner of train, mine, and bank robberies and his fame grew accordingly.
Sundance was born in Pennsylvania in 1867 but headed west with his family when he was 15. His life of crime started when he was 20 when he stole a horse, saddle, and a gun, and was caught and spent 18 months in jail. He then tried going straight and worked as a ranch hand for a couple of years, but the honest life of a cowboy apparently didn't suit him, and eventually teamed up with Butch. In 1900, they robbed the Winnemucca National Bank in Nevada.
As the west become more civilized and law enforcement became more organized, he and Sundance and Etta finally headed east and departed for South America, where they purchased a ranch in Patagonia, Argentina, which they farmed for a few years. They quickly tired of the rigors of the ranch life (there was a comment to that effect in the movie, although they never actually got the ranch), and eventually they returned to easier methods of making money robbing banks and mine payrolls until they were trapped by the Bolivian troops as portrayed in the movie.
However, a different story says that the troops killed another pair of bandits and that Butch and Sundance escaped and eventually died natural deaths living under several aliases that are attributed to them, but no-one really knows to this day what really happened to the famous bandito duo. In fact, even after they were reported killed by the Bolivians, the Pinkerton detectives continued to pursue them for several years, since their bodies were never identified.
The movie plays a little fast and loose with some of the historical facts. In real life, Etta was probably one of the girls from the brothel rather than a schoolteacher. But other than that, nothing much is known of her, and the only photo known is the one taken in New York before they got on the ship for Bolivia. However, the part about the discovery of the mule from the mining operation is apparently true and how they were finally cornered.
In the movie, they go to Bolivia, but they actually went to Argentina, as I mentioned, but then this wasn't known until recently. Two historians, Anne Meadows and Daniel Buck, travelled to Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile, and located hundreds of still extant police records, judicial transcripts, newspaper articles, eyewitness accounts, and letters covering the exploits and fates of the two famous bandits.
The group was actually known by a number of names, not just the Hole in the Wall Gang. During their heyday, the band was referred to in the newspapers as the Robbers Roost gang, Hole-in-the-Wall, the Train Robber's Syndicate, Kid Curry's gang, the Powder Springs gang, Butch Cassidy's gang, and the Wild Bunch. The first recorded use of the "Wild Bunch" was in a 1902 Pinkerton memorandum sent to the American Bankers Association.
Finally, neither Butch or Sundance were real gunslingers. There isn't a single gunfight attributed to them and Sundance was almost certainly not the blindingly fast quick-draw expert portrayed in the movie.
However, Butch and Sundance holing up in the mountain town of San Vicente the night of their deaths is likely accurate. They had planned the holdup of the Aramayo mine company payroll rather hastily, since their previous plan to hit the Tupiza bank had been foiled by the arrival of army troops who were there on training maneuvers.
After the holdup, word spread much faster than Butch and Sundance could have anticipated, and they were unable to continue on their course south and cross the Argentine border. Their scheme frustrated, they circled west and north, which had the advantage of putting a mountain range between them and most of their pursuers.
The result was that only two days after the holdup they were now high in the cold, dry air of the Andes without adequate cold-weather clothing and gear, and perhaps more importantly, without foor or water for their horses. Forced to go into the village where conditions were more hospitable, they undoubtedly thought that San Vicente was remote and small enough so that there would be very little chance of finding a posse there. Unfortunately, they were wrong.
Well, I didn't mean to wax so nerdy on the history. It's still one of the greatest movies from the period, despite the considerable artistic license that was taken with some of the facts.
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Summary: Who are these Guys???
Review: Paul Newman and Robert Redford became mega stars with this 1969 film as the legendary outlaws. What makes this film great is the unforgettable lines.
"...the first thing to remember is there are no rules.",
"I CAN'T SWIM", "are you kidding me...the fall alone will kill ya!!"
"Who are these guys?"
The interraction between the two makes this great cinema. George Roy Hill gives a great directing job and would be rewarded 4 years later with Newman & Redford at the helm on "The Sting". Add this to your western collection!
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Summary: a great western
Review: Great movie and great actors in Redford and Newman.
Thoroughly enjoyable - I didn't like the stills but it just enhanced the story in its own way.
I like to know the why's and how's of the movie I watch and enjoyed the making of BUTCH CASSIDY feature except for the wussie language of the commentator - guess he doesn't know how to express himself with good english.
The locations and color enhanced the vibrancy of the movie along with the subtle humor - I just wonder what the real characters were like - fascinating.
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Summary: Why aren't all Westerns like this?
Review: Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid is a must-see. It should have defined the Western genre, but was not followed, and now remains in a class all on its own. Paul Newman & Robert Redford give perfect performances playing two-bit outlaws in the old west. The film has wonderful dialogue, and creative humor throughout. It's not Jesse James, and it's not Oceans 11, but a wonderful mix between the two. Best of all, they make the bad guys look like the good guys. A true Western gem!
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Summary: "Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?"
Review: There is something to be said for on-screen chemistry and George Roy Hill's "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is one of those magical works of celluloid that showcases on-screen chemistry at its best. Watching Paul Newman and Robert Redford bring a splendid William Goldman screenplay to life is pure joy.
With the heat on them after a train robbery, Butch Cassidy (Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Redford) find themselves pursued by a more-than-persistent posse. After a series of close-calls, the two men decide to flee to Bolivia with Sundance's girlfriend Etta Place (Katharine Ross) in tow. They try to lead legitimate lives in their new surroundings but it is only a matter of time before they revert back to their old outlaw ways.
"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" has a much more playful tone than most Westerns and stands as a stark contrast to Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch," also released in 1969, which took a more cynical and bleak approach toward the genre. This is not to say that this film is inferior in any way. Merely that "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is a bird of a different feather. Hill manages to keep the proceedings moving forward briskly and fills each frame with a distinctive sense of style and of fun - most notably in the entertaining "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" sequence. Newman and Redford are pure gold from start to finish and Ross ably manages to keep pace with them. So effective are the duo that it probably would not be too far-fetched to say that it is the image of Newman and Redford that springs to mind for many people when the subject of Butch and Sundance comes up.
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