Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (Special Edition) > Reviews > Newman & Redford in a Classic Story!

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	Everything
Disadvantages:	Nothing

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I first got introduced to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid via my mum, who loved this film and every time it came on the TV we would sit and watch it together. Mostly as a youngster I got bored half way through and went off to play but as I got older I watched it all the way through and soon grew to love the film.

I brought it on DVD when I was an adult and have watched it numerous times over the years.

The Story~~

Made in 1969 this film is about two extremely good friends, Butch Cassidy who's the thinking one of the partnership and The Sundance Kid who's pretty handy with a gun and useful to have in a shoot out.

The two are lead members of the Hole-in-the-Wall gang, a group of about 6 men who rob trains and banks for a living. However, after robbing the Union Pacific Railroad train once too often, the law hires a group of elite men to track them down and bring them to justice.

Butch and Sundance spend days on the run trying to escape the constant threat of the trailing posse, only to find them right behind every step of the way. Eventually, more through a panicky exit from a mountaintop into a raging river the duo escape and decide to quietly exit from this crazy life to Bolivia with Sundance's girlfriend, Etta Place.

Still robbing banks for a living, how long will it be before they are caught and brought to justice?

The Characters~~~~

Obviously the two main characters in this film are Butch and Sundance but Etta is definitely an important person in both their lives. She is their solid rock in a life on uneasy, restlessness.

Katharine Ross plays Etta Place and she is so suited for the role. She is beautiful and calm, sensible yet passionate at the same time. She is Sundance's girlfriend but she also loves Butch and this leads to the famous bicycle scene where they play in the hay and Butch does his stunts on the bike. All this is done to the Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head song by Burt Bacharach. I used to hate this scene but it has gown on me and it really shows you the sensitive side to Butch and how much he cares for Etta, but also his loyalty to Sundance as he knows Etta is his girlfriend and he will not step over the line. Etta also shows her loyalty by the same trait.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford play butch and Sundance respectively. I cannot imagine any other couple doing these roles. They work together so amazingly well and Butch puts over the comic lines, which are included through the film, so brilliantly.

Originally Dustin Hoffman was considered for the role of Butch and Jack Lemmon, Marlon Brando and Steve McQueen were all considered or offered the part of Sundance! Thank god they turned it down. It would definitely not have been as good a film as it was had it been different actors.

The True Life Bit~~

If you didn't know, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid were real life characters and the film is based on real events although has obviously been dramatised for the sake of the audience.

Through the making of the film, Butch Cassidy's real sister would frequently visit the set and chat to the cast. She really approved of the way the story was being told and would tell the cast and crew little snippets of her brothers antics in between shoots.

She was asked to endorse the film when it was released, which she agreed to do but only if she could watch it all the way through before doing the advert. The studio refused to let her see it before the release date and so eventually with a little intervention from Robert Redford, she did her endorsement for an agreed "fee" rather than a freebie.

The Director~~

George Roy Hill, who has also brought us delights such as The Sting, also starring Redford and Newman and Thoroughly Modern Millie, sadly died in 2002 from complications due to Parkinson's disease. However his real legacy lies with Butch and Sundance and to this day I can see new audiences being attracted to it for a long time yet. I will make sure my kids watch it and appreciate it when they are older. He won Best Director Academy Award for The Sting and was nominated for a Best Director Oscar for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Apparently though, Katherine Ross who played Etta, did not get on so well with George Roy Hill, as she said her favourite part of filming was the bicycle scene as George was not present and she enjoyed any time away from him! Oops.

Things you might like to know~~

The film runs for 105 minutes and is a certificate 12.
It won four academy awards for Best Cinematography, Best Music, original score, Best Writing and Best Music, original song.
It also won 8 Bafta Awards in 1971.

Hope you enjoyed the read about a brilliant film.
xx