Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

[rmontro]

I've seen this movie so many times over the years, I was wondering what people thought of it.  

I think it has held up very well, doesn't seem dated at all.  It almost has kind of a modern feel to it, which is kind of strange considering the time period in which it is set.  

Parts of it seem like style over substance, but it's nice to see Newman and Redford carry the film like movie stars used to. 

[VCRTracking]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

Parts of it seem like style over substance, but it's nice to see Newman and Redford carry the film like movie stars used to. 

While Newman was already one for years this was the movie that made Redford a star. He had been in some movies like Barefoot in the Park and Inside Daisy Clover but he had been dismissed as kind of a "pretty boy". Butch and Sundance showed he could a badass(while Newman got to be the charmer) and Redford became a major leading man after that.

[TigerLynx]

I love this movie.  Originally they were trying to cast Newman (as Sundance) and Steve McQueen (as Butch).  When that didn't happen, Newman was one of the people who lobbied for Redford to be cast.  I like that Newman and Redford were friends.  Interviews with them years later were hilarious.

[ikmccall]

This is one of my top ten favorite movies.  I watch it at least once a year.

[chitowngirl]

"Think you used enough dynamite there Butch?"

[rmontro]

5 hours ago, TigerLynx said:

I love this movie.  Originally they were trying to cast Newman (as Sundance) and Steve McQueen (as Butch).  When that didn't happen, Newman was one of the people who lobbied for Redford to be cast.  I like that Newman and Redford were friends.  Interviews with them years later were hilarious.

Hmm, maybe it's the chemistry that makes this film special.

[scriggle]

I have a confession to make. I have never watched this all the way through. Once they get to Bolivia, I lose interest maybe because I know how it ends and don't want to see that. I absolutely love the first half though.

[voiceover]

8 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

"Think you used enough dynamite there Butch?"

"The fall will probably kill you!"

William Goldman once said that, no matter what he ever managed to attain in his lifetime, he'd still only be remembered for that scene: "William Goldman passed away last night; wrote cliff scene in Butch Cassidy".

8 hours ago, scriggle said:

I have a confession to make. I have never watched this all the way through. Once they get to Bolivia, I lose interest maybe because I know how it ends and don't want to see that

Ha!  I don't do it for this film, but I do do the same for a handful of others...I stop watching right before Jane Austen leaves home with Tom LeFroy in Becoming Jane.

[Zola]

I loved Newman in "The Verdict" and "The Sting", and Redford in "Three Days of the Condor" and "All the President's Men" (and "The Sting" of course).

Am not a fan of westerns though, so haven't seen "Butch...", although I would imagine both had a certain magical dynamism about them, that probably wouldn't have worked out very well had Steve McQueen taken Redford's role.

Never really liked McQueen: lacked that certain approachable charisma that Redford, and especially Newman had in spades.

[Shannon L.]

I saw the movie once, several years ago, and really enjoyed it except for the Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head sequence.  It was too long and brought it down for me a bit.  I don't remember too many details, though, just that I liked it all except that one part.

Edited September 5, 2017 by Shannon L.

[rmontro]

23 hours ago, scriggle said:

I have a confession to make. I have never watched this all the way through. Once they get to Bolivia, I lose interest maybe because I know how it ends and don't want to see that. I absolutely love the first half though.

There are two movies I do that with, both for the same reason:  Stripes and Full Metal Jacket.  They're both military movies, and I find the basic training bits to be far more interesting than the rest of the movie.  I have seen the entire film in both cases though.

9 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

I saw the movie once, several years ago, and really enjoyed it except for the Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head sequence.  It was too long and brought it down for me a bit.  I don't remember too many details, though, just that I liked it all except that one part.

I like that scene, because I really like that song.  It's nice to hear a ukulele in a popular tune.  Plus I find it interesting that the bicycle is a modern gadget in that scene, and also because it shows the sexual tension between Butch and Etta.  The only thing that always bugs me is that they use a different version of the song than the one that became popular, I always find that distracting (they're both sung by BJ Thomas).

I was watching a retrospective on the Glen Campbell Good Time Hour a few weeks ago, and Glen said that he had hoped to win the Oscar for best song with True Grit.  But unfortunately that happened to be the year that they were up against Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, so that ended that.

[PaulaO]

"Morons.  I've got morons on my team."  I've seen this movie countless times, and yes, it holds up, likely because it is a period piece, and therefore we expect it to be dated.  I do love the use of sepia and still shots.  I'm a big Newman fan and appreciated Redford for his looks, but he can be a rather wooden actor. 

[TigerLynx]

Newman and Redford, especially Newman, make this film for me.  I don't think I would enjoy it as much as I do if other actors had been cast.

Butch, "How many of them are following us?"

Sundance, "All of them."

Butch, "All of them?  What's wrong with the other guys?"

Butch, "I've never shot anyone before."

Sundance, "One hell of a time to tell me."

Butch, "When this fight is over, if I'm dead, kill him."

Sundance, "Glad to."

Edited September 7, 2017 by TigerLynx