Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

In the old west, around the turn of the nineteenth century, two men, Harry Longbaugh and Robert Leroy Parker became known as the legendary outlaws called Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. But who cares about the real history when you have the outstanding film?

 

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was a film that renewed the buddy film industry with its lightly comic, clever retorts and insults Butch and Sundance subject one another to. They are, somehow, likable despite their flaws—despite the fact that they are outlaws. They are fallible, provide no excuses, and are not role models. Butch and Sundance rode their ways through to the hearts of the American audience with their entertaining story of friendship and their lament as they meet strong difficulties along the way, but lost out to Midnight Cowboy for Best Picture of 1969.

 

Though it did not win Best Picture, the film did take home four other Academy Awards: Best Cinematography, Best Song (“Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” by Burt Bacharach), Best Story & Screeplay, and Best Original Score.

 

A new, special edition DVD was recently released on DVD.

Related Links:

• Greatest Films - comprehensive analysis of classic U.S. film
• Mike's Favorite Movies: Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
• Review by Damian Cannon
• Butch Cassidy and The Wild Bunch
• Movie poster

 

Trivia about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid:

 

• Warren Beatty turned down the role of Sundance in favor of a role in The Only Game in Town (1970).
• Director George Roy Hill originally cast Redford as Butch and Newman as Sundance. It was at Redford's suggestion that they switched roles.
• Steve McQueen was offered and accepted the role of Sundance. It would have been the first pairing of him and Paul Newman. The negotiations got down to the billing: whose name would go first? Both stars were huge and at the top of their game. A unique solution: both names appear together above the title, with the left name appearing lower, and the name on the right higher, giving them a semblance of equality. Newman said he'd take either one. McQueen suspected a trick and pulled out of the film. Ironically, this is how they were billed when they DID appear together for the first time in 1974's The Towering Inferno (1974).
• Continuity: While Butch is giving Etta a ride on the bike, she can be seen resting her feet on rods sticking out from the front axle, but in the next scene, the rods are missing.
• Continuity: The amount of straw that hits Butch while he is riding the bicycle.
• Continuity: During the final gunfight, Sundance fires off at least ten shots without reloading.

 

 

Quotes from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid:

 

After blowing the train car to smithereens

Sundance: Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?

 

Butch: Kid, there's something I ought to tell you. I never shot anybody before.

Sundance: You picked one hell of a time to tell me.

 

Before riding the bicycle

Etta: Do you know what you're doing?

Butch: Theoretically.

 

Butch: What happened to the old bank? It was beautiful!

Guard: People kept robbing it.

Butch: Small price to pay for beauty.

 

Butch: Is that what you call giving cover?

Sundance: Is that what you call running? If I knew you were going to stroll...

 

Butch: How many of them are following us?

Sundance: All of them!

 

Sundance: You just keep thinkin' Butch. That's what you're good at.

 

Butch: I've got vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals.

 

Butch: If he'd just pay me what he's paying them to stop me robbing him, I'd stop robbing him!

 

Butch: The next time I say let's go some place like Bolivia let's go some place like Bolivia.

 

Butch: Then you jump first.

Sundance: No, I said.

Butch: What's the matter with you?

Sundance: I can't swim.

Butch: (Laughs). Why you crazy, the fall will probably kill you.

 

Butch: Ah, you're wasting you're time. They can't track us over rocks.

Sundance: Tell them that.

 

About the trackers following them:

Butch: I couldn't do that. Could you do that? Why can they do it? Who are those guys?

 

Arriving in Bolivia.

Butch: You know, it could be worse. You get a lot more for your money in Bolivia--I checked on it.

Sundance: What could they have here that you could possibly want to buy?

 

Butch: Jeesh, all Bolivia can't look like this.

Sundance: How do you know? This might be the garden spot of the whole country. People may travel hundreds of miles just to get to this spot where we're standing now. This might be the Atlantic City, New Jersey of all Bolivia for all you know.

Butch: Look I know a lot more about Bolivia than you know about Atlantic City, New Jersey I can tell you that.

Sundance: AHA! You do huh? I was born there, I was born in New Jersey. Was brought up there, so...

Butch: You're from the east? I didn't know that.

Sundance: The total tonnage of what you don't know is enough to shatter...

Etta Place: I'm not sure we're accomplishing as much as we'd like here.

Sundance: Listen, you're job is to back me up, because you'd starve without me. And you, your job is to shut up!

Butch: He'll feel a lot better after he's robbed a couple of banks.

Sundance: Bolivia! (Laughs)

 

Harvey is about to duel Butch for control of the Hole-in-the-Wall gang.

Butch: Maybe there's a way to make a profit in this... bet on Logan.

Sundance: I would, but who'd bet on you?

Harvey Logan: Sundance, when we're done, if he's dead, you're welcome to stay.

 

Last lines

Butch: Wait a minute - you didn't see LaForce out there did you?

Sundance: LaForce? No, why?

Butch: Thank God for that. For a moment there I thought we were in trouble.

 

 

Cast overview, first billed only:

Paul Newman ....  Butch Cassidy (Robert Leroy Parker) 

Robert Redford ....  The Sundance Kid (Harry Longbaugh) 

Katharine Ross ....  Etta Place 

Strother Martin ....  Percy Garris 

Henry Jones  ....  Bike Salesman 

Jeff Corey ....  Sheriff Bledsoe 

George Furth ....  Woodcock  

Cloris Leachman ....  Agnes 

Ted Cassidy ....  Harvey Logan 

Kenneth Mars ....  Marshal 

Donnelly Rhodes ....  Macon  

Jody Gilbert ....  Large Woman 

Timothy Scott  ....  News Carver 

Don Keefer ....  Fireman  

Charles Dierkop ....  Flat Nose Curry

 

 

 

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