Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) Reviews

• Redefined The Western Genre

  
  By A11PTCZ2FM2547 on 2003-06-08
  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
  
  

• "You Just Keep Thinking, Butch...!"

  
  By AGKPTMTR3UX1R on 2002-03-16
  This film truly deserves the description of being a "Classic." Paul Newman and Robert Redford (in the company of Director George Roy Hill and a particularly appealing Katharine Ross), take the history of the bloodthirsty "Hole-in-the-Wall Gang," and turn it into an affectionate cinematic portrayal of male bonding and cultural change.

  Taking place at the end of the 19th century, Butch and Sundance are, as veteran actor Jeff Corey, playing a sympathetic sheriff and accidental existentialist, snarls, "two-bit outlaws on the dodge!" They spend much of the movie dodging a posse hired to hunt them down and kill them in the wake of a series of amusing train robberies. The location shooting of their escape is breathtakingly beautiful.

  Ultimately, they have to flee the closing frontier, and end up in Bolivia, which is portrayed as a kind of low-rent version of the Old West. Their trip to South America is an intermezzo, done in sepia tint, focusing on their stay in New York, which, with its (relatively) modern conveniences, underscores how anachronistic their lifestyle has become.

  Their inability to rob banks in Bolivia without using Spanish-language crib sheets is both hilarious and touching, a kind of paradigm of cultural and technological dislocation.

  In keeping with its 1969 release date, the film has a strong antiestablishment cant to it: Authority is faceless, unyielding, and, mostly, inept. It is telling that Butch and Sundance kill no one until they "go straight" as payroll guards. Their criminal lifestyle is romanticized as a kind of "On The Road" on horseback. That this doesn't offend the audience is a measure of how fine this movie is. The warmth and humor overcome both the moral relativity of the characters and their sad ending.

  Newman and Redford are wonderful together as the affable outlaws. Newman's Butch is a charming, flaky visionary who is trying desperately to cling to the past. When confronted with the new alarms and teller's cages at a favorite bank, he dismisses the guard's explanation of, "People kept robbing us" with a wistful, "It's a small price to pay for beauty."

  As Butch says: "The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles!" In a sense: the Western Outlaw was succeeded by "Public Enemy Number One" when cars succeeded horses, and train and bank robberies became Federal crimes. "Your times is over!," Jeff Corey insists, and he's right.

  Redford plays Sundance as the stylish straight man, never quite falling prey to Butch's dreams, but never able to dismiss them utterly: "You just keep thinking, Butch, that's what you're best at!" The onscreen chemistry between Newman and Redford is so palpable that although they only made two films together ("The Sting" in 1973 is a modernized version of "Butch & Sundance"), they can easily be considered one of the finest comedy duos ever, anywhere. The dialogue between them is banter between two very good, very old, very comfortable, friends. Maybe there was a script involved, too.

  "Butch and Sundance" may be short on facts, but it speaks a kind of truth for which facts are not needed.
  
  

• A Great Entertainment Experience

  
  By A3HAIQAPJCTOSH on 2000-02-18
  This is one of the most satisfying films ever made. The movie excels on a number of planes...impeccable cast with extraordinary chemistry, including Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Katherine Ross...spectacular scenery and cinematography...a serendipitous musical score by Burt Bacharach, featuring "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"...great direction by George Roy Hill, who later directed "The Sting"...and an amusing storyline about an effusively optimistic bank/train robber, his pragmatic gun-slinging partner, and their beautiful schoolmarm girlfriend. Butch and Sundance try to stay one step ahead of a faceless but relentless posse as they wander from the American west to South America, via New York City, in search of one more bank to rob.

  Of all the many things to enjoy in this film, none is better than the dialogue. The movie won a number of Academy Awards, including best story and screenplay. Memorable lines abound. Butch outlines his latest scheme to Sundance and smiles contentedly, "I've got vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals." In a later scene, a man named Harvey Logan (Ted Cassidy) challenges Butch to a gun or knife fight for control of the "Hole in the Wall Gang." Butch mutters to Sundance, "Maybe there's a way to make a profit in this..." He glances over at his taller, stronger adversary and frowns, "...bet on Logan." Sundance immediately replies, "I would... but who'd bet on you?" This is a production with flawless artistry...a monument to the entertaining value of the medium of film.
  
  

• Still Great Contemporary-Feeling Western Classic in a Robust DVD Package Heavy on Extras

  
  By A13E0ARAXI6KJW on 2006-06-29
  It amazes me how incredibly well this 1969 western has held up after all these years. At once classically structured and satirically executed, director George Roy Hill and screenwriter William Goldman have pulled together a supremely entertaining period picture that caters to contemporary sensibilities to this day. It is to their credit that the film remains true to the characters and never gets too broad during its quickly paced 110-minute running time. The story naturally revolves around the legendary outlaws who robbed banks at the turn of the last century. Their escapades are divided roughly into three sections in the film. The first is the introductory set-up where their opposite yet complementary personalities are established. Leading the motley Hole in the Wall Gang, they ultimately pull off a train robbery with an excess of dynamite. The second part is an extended chase sequence where Butch and Sundance are chased relentlessly by a group of unknown bounty hunters.
  
  The third and final part details their escape to Bolivia where they are determined to go straight but get caught up with local bandits and find their infamous past catching up with them. It seems inconceivable to have anyone other than Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the title roles. As the more established star at the time, Newman is characteristically laconic as Butch. His innate likeability is enhanced by his rascally manner and crack comedy timing. In the more traditional gunslinger role, Redford provides the ideal partner with his flinty manner and unavoidable charisma. In between them is Katharine Ross, fresh from "The Graduate", who plays Etta with sensual élan, though she does not figure in the most critical scenes. Of course, Burt Bacharach's instantly recognizable musical score is here, and while there is an anachronistic feel to such 1960's-sounding pop music over a western, it somehow works because the attitude of the film seems so modern. Even the comically romantic bicycle sequence manages to preserve its buoyancy thanks to the inane but undeniably catchy "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head".
  
  Conrad Hall's vibrant, burnished cinematography deserves special mention as it has been preserved well in the 2006 Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD package. The rest of the two-disc package is robust though bordering on overkill, adding on to the features that were already included in the previous 2000 Special Edition DVD. Retained from that edition is the interesting combination of perspectives provided by Hill, Hall, lyricist Hal David and associate producer Bob Crawford in their joint commentary track. New is separate and equally insightful commentary from Goldman. Another holdover from the previous edition is the forty-minute vintage documentary, "The Making of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid", a still terrific featurette from 1970 with participation from Newman, Goldman, Hill and Redford.
  
  There are three new documentaries - a 2005 retrospective look at the film called "All of What Follows is True: The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"; a fact-check featurette called "The Wild Bunch: The True Tale of Butch & Sundance"; and the somewhat repetitive "History Through the Lens: Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid: Outlaws Out of Time", a cumulative effort which combines elements of all the other documentaries into one ninety-minute feature. Lots of great insight is provided on the 1994 interviews with Newman, Redford, Ross, Goldman and Bacharach. A deleted scene is also included with Hill's commentary (since the audio had been lost) - it is a disposable transitional scene where Butch and Sundance are watching newsreel footage of themselves in a Bolivian theater while Etta quietly leaves to the train station. Lastly, there are trailers for eight of Newman's vintage films. This is definitely a robust package for one of the great films of the 1960's.
  
  

• Do you really like this film?

  
  By A1M7BGKZN7J0Q0 on 1999-06-17
  I saw this movie recently and was surprised at how completely unwatchable it was. Robert Redford and Paul Newman mug their way through the action from start to finish, looking much more like self-conscious movie stars than train robbers or gun-slingers of the old west.

  "Butch and Sundance" is not completely without interest to the casual observer of American cultural sensibilities, however. The most significant moment in the film by far is the scene where Paul rides his bicycle around a barnyard, flashing his legendary grin for all the world to see. As the dream-like Katherine Ross gazes at him adoringly, we hear B.J. Thomas sing Burt Bacharach's "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." As I watched this taking place, I realized that I was witnessing the birth of the 1970s.

  In spite of such curiosities, "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid" is quite simply one of the most overrated Hollywood films of all time. If you want to see an excellent film from that era about "the old west," I would suggest you get a copy of Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller."
  
  

• An impressive "Ultimate Collector's Edition"
  By A21B2TJBWCSK1R on 2006-06-12
  On the first disc and carried over from the previous special edition is an audio commentary by director George Roy Hill, lyricist Hal David, documentary director Robert Crawford and cinematographer Conrad Hall. This track provides a history of the production with plenty of anecdotes. The participants give the lowdown on every scene on this very informative track.
  
  Also included is a new commentary by screenwriter William Goldman. Goldman points out that westerns are about confrontation and yet Butch and Sundance spend most of the film running away. This is an excellent track as Goldman doesn't just talk about the film but the state of cinema now as well as the business side of things.
  
  There is a "1994 Documentary: The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" sees Hill, Goldman, Newman and Redford narrating over behind-the-scenes footage as they tell the story of how the film was made with clips from the movie that is an unconventional approach but works well.
  
  The second disc starts off with a new retrospective documentary entitled, "All of What Follows is True: The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." This is an excellent look at this important film with new interviews with principle cast members even if there is some repetition from the 1994 doc and the commentary tracks.
  
  "The Wild Bunch: The True Tale of Butch and Sundance" gives a historical perspective and provides insight into who these infamous figures really were. Various historians talk about the origins of their nicknames and examine how authentic the film is to the actual history.
  
  "History Through the Lens: `Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Outlaws out of Time'" is another look at the movie and compares it to the historical record. It also examines how Butch and Sundance are classic anti-heroes and how the film reflected the social and political climate of the late 1960s.
  
  "1994 Interviews" with Newman, Redford, Ross and Goldman. They talk about the movie and their experiences working on it. This is nice inclusion but nothing you really can't get from the numerous other docs on these two discs.
  
  "Tent" is a deleted scene with optional commentary by Hill and features Butch, Sundance and Etta going to see a movie about them. They comment on how inaccurate it is to what they really did and who they are. The studio felt that the scene was contrived. Hill says that he felt that it didn't work and it was rightly cut.
  
  "Production Notes" is a collection of memos to the studio outlining character development and the importance of certain scenes and script changes.
  
  "The Films of Paul Newman" is a collection of trailers from a few of his movies.
  
  "Alternate Credit Roll" features a different look and music to the end credits.
  
  Finally, there are three theatrical trailers.
  
  
• One of the best movies ever made, one of the best DVDs ever made.
  By A3M2WW0PO34B94 on 2006-11-23
  "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is one of the best films ever made and Fox has recently released a fitting two disc DVD edition of the film. Fitting because the DVD is one of the best I have ever seen.
  
  Directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman, the God of screenwriters, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" stars Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Katharine Ross. How could a film with this pedigree be anything but good?
  
  What you may not realize, or know, is that this film made Robert Redford the star he is today. Paul Newman, already an established star having appeared in "Hud", "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Hustler", among others, was a bankable star and the film was made because he agreed to make it. Initially, he wanted to play the Sundance Kid, but eventually settled on the role of Cassidy. Robert Redford was not new to film, but he was nowhere near the icon he would become. He had some early success which was followed by a few clunkers. The pair became a match made in heaven and would go on to appear in more films together. On screen, they appear to be friends, much like their characters, and this adds to the charm of their relationship.
  
  Redford clearly recognizes the influence this film had on his career. His famous film academy and film festival are named after his character in the film.
  
  Butch and Sundance decide to rob the mail car of a train owned by a powerful rail baron. Butch is tired of the work and wants to retire, but he needs one or two big scores to set him up. After blowing up the rail car, they run off with the loot and hide out in a small town, at a brothel they frequent. Meeting up with the rest of their gang, they quell a revolt and decide to do one more job. They will rob the same mail car on the same railway, on its next run through the area. It is the perfect crime, no one would suspect the same train being robbed, so it will probably be loaded with money. After blowing up the car for a second time, they notice another locomotive speeding towards them and a crew of men on horseback alight from the car and give chase, chasing Butch and Sundance, and their two accomplices, for days, across many terrains. Finally, they realize the rail baron has hired a famous Indian tracker to help a band of men, including a former sheriff who is now a famous bounty hunter, catch the duo. After the chase, they return to the home of Ella (Katharine Ross), the Sundance Kid's girlfriend. Tired, they decide to leave the country and travel to Bolivia and begin robbing banks there.
  
  As I watched this DVD of "Butch Cassidy", two things quickly became apparent. This film is virtually timeless. With the lone exception of the song "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head", the film could've been made yesterday, the images are so clear. The second is that the DVD print is one of the most beautiful transfers I have ever watched. The cinematography by Conrad Hall (who would later work on "American Beauty" among others) is simply stunning and brings out all of the rich detail of the landscape. Everything is crisp and clear, when it is supposed to be, colors are bright and vivid, it's just beautiful to watch. It doesn't hurt that the stars are two of the most handsome men to ever appear in film, at the prime of their careers, and one of the most beautiful women to ever co-star. How did anyone get past all of that eye candy?
  
  The key to becoming fully invested in this film is William Goldman's screenplay. He introduces the characters in action, we learn as we go, and they are almost always moving, or doing something. Goldman fills their mouths with witty dialogue, showing us how their relationship works, and they are instantly likeable to us. This is basically a love triangle with Ross' Ella playing the go-between. The two men have a very close friendship, enjoying each other's company. But Cassidy loves Ella as well, even appears slightly jealous until he realizes his friend is the recipient of this woman's love, so they get along. Then, there is the famous chase. The railway baron's men chase Butch and Sundance for days, taking up a significant chunk of the film. But this scene proves to us how committed the two men are to each other and makes their future trek to Bolivia all the more believable. We have to believe there is a real threat and these men never let up on the chase, if they catch Butch and Sundance, they will be killed. As soon as they reach Bolivia, Goldman has a lot of fun with the characters again, exploring their relationships, rebuilding them in a way, and making them light hearted again. It is almost amazing to watch this film because if a studio executive were presented with the same screenplay today, it would probably not be made. It doesn't hit plot points at pre-determined pages, it tells an unconventional story, and we never actually see the villains. Goldman had the luxury of writing this film during a period in which studios were still able to work with somewhat unconventional screenplays. Of course, they wanted to make money as well, but they still considered film an art form.
  
  George Roy Hill is an underappreciated director. I think a large part of this is because many of his films are very humorous. Comedy is not as highly respected in Hollywood as drama, even though making a good comedy is much more difficult. So I suspect the humorous elements of most of his films made him less respected in Hollywood, but when your films are as good as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting", you deserve some respect. He made his share of duds, but when he passed away a few years ago, Hollywood was robbed of a talent ready to make at least a few more classics.
  
  During this period, big screen Westerns were becoming unpopular. Perhaps the dearth of television westerns was keeping the public out of the theaters, but this genre was considered risky at the time. Recent films starring Burt Lancaster and others were failing to light the box office fire. The second disc contains a new "Making of" feature including interviews with Newman, Redford, Ross, former studio executives David Brown and Richard Zanuck and more. Zanuck reveals that he took a real chance in greenlighting this film, but fought for it all the way. He also haggled with Hill and the filmmakers, in an attempt to keep the budget under control; he became concerned when the film was projected to cost about $7.5 million (consider the average studio film now costs at least $125 million). But the film would go on to be a big hit. Such a huge hit the filmmakers followed this with the equally popular "The Sting".
  
  The second DVD also contains some archival interviews with the stars, some trailers and more.
  
  In the "Making Of" documentary, they discuss the inclusion of the song "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head". People fought against it but Hill and composer Burt Bacharach felt it would be the perfect accompaniment to the scene of Butch and Ella riding a new-fangled bike through her barn yard. It does work, but it is clearly not a fit for the period depicted in the film, and is the most dated element within the film today. It just seems silly today.
  
  "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is a superlative example of the treatment all classics should receive on DVD. This is a film every DVD library should have.
  
  
• One of the worst Blu-ray disc I have seen
  By A3LDMOEXQC1329 on 2008-05-11
  I am sorry to say this is one of the worst Blu-ray disc I have seen, and I own about hundred of Blu-ray discs since its inception. Actually I have forgotten how the original DVD version looks liked, so I took it out for comparison, and yes, the Blu-ray version does look a little bit better, but overall the picture quality is still so dreadful, it seems you are watching the movie through a muddy window: colour is dull, contrast is low, and the image is blur.
  
  If the studio can't make an aged movie look decent, then they better don't release it in the high definition format, as there are so many other good, classic movies waiting to be re-mastered.
  
  The audio also improves a bit, but still don't expect much from it.
  
  
• No matter how the West was WON this film shows it was FUN!
  By A21SJFMGE8QUG9 on 2002-12-08
  This is a classic not to be missed. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of the last examples of a time when Hollywood made quality classics on a regular basis--instead of the [junk] it now generates 95 % of the time. This movie embodies several gold standard qualities of Hollywood classics: 1) Star power and star chemistry yielding unforgettable characters 2) a well-written script that will be quoted until the end of time 3) ingenuity in cinematography and film editing.

  1) There are many stories about how exactly Newman and Redford got cast. Some say Steve McQueen was supposed to star opposite Newman, but refused after he found out he would not get top billing. Also, originally, Newman was cast as Sundance and Redford was Butch. Depending on who you ask, either Redford or the Director recommended the switch. Newman strongly backed the casting of Redford, a relatively new and unknown star at the time. We are all glad he did. Their chemistry is fantastically brilliant, with colorful threads of wit, humor, and humanity thread throughout their relationship.

  Newman, one of the finest actors of all time, projects a warm and friendly "old buddy, old pal" character as Butch Cassidy. This leader of the "Hole in the Wall gang" is devilish, ingenious, endeavoring, and affectionate (you will love the bicycle scene with Katherine Ross). His "Get rich quick" schemes have him and Sundance living life to the full hilt-alternating periods of lavish living, mishaps in bank/train robbing, and running/jumping/floating from a "out to kill" posse.

  Redford's dry wit and serious demeanor nicely compliment Newman's character. No one delivers a line like Redford, you can almost hear his teeth grinding in the background. No scene illuminates this better than when they first arrive in Bolivia with dreams of wealth and easy living to find desolate farm land and a few goats. The wit is unsurpassed here.

  2) Quotes/scenes that are classic, or at the very least pretty damn funny-
  Butch Cassidy: What happened to the old bank? It was beautiful!
  Guard: People kept robbing it.
  Butch Cassidy: Small price to pay for beauty.

  Butch: Boy, I got vision while the rest of the world wears bifocals.

  Butch Cassidy: You jump first.
  The Sundance Kid: No, I said.
  Butch Cassidy: What's the matter with you?
  The Sundance Kid: I can't swim!
  Butch Cassidy: Why you crazy--the fall will probably kill you!

  Sundance: Can you take the two on the right?
  Butch: Kid, I think there's something I oughta tell ya. I never shot anybody before.
  Sundance: One HELL of a time to tell me.

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

  4) If you buy the latest release of the film, there is a bonus "making of" feature at the end. It's a nice summary of how the cinematography, editing, music, and characters all came together to produce "one of the most popular screen westerns ever made, this Academy Award winning classic blends adventure, romance, and comedy to tell the true story of the West's most likeable outlaws."-(back cover) For example, the sepia toned frames of New York with Newman, Redford, and Ross superimposed give the film a vintage touch.

  James Dean may have defined "cool" in "Rebel Without A Cause" but Newman and Redford certainly pull no punches in presenting their definition-their wit is beyond cool.
  
  

• Legends.
  By A3D6TFYRMIV3ZL on 2008-05-01
  How do you ensure somebody's legacy as a hero? In the good old days, you wrote a book. Nowadays, you make a movie - and if you're lucky and it's really, really successful, you can retrospectively even make legends out of dangerous criminals. Not that that always works, of course. But with two great actors with instant chemistry (Paul Newman and Robert Redford), a script (by William Goldman) bursting with one-liners making the audience bowl over laughing every other minute, without once derailing into slapstick, a director's (George Roy Hill's) ingenious use of the occasion to turn a whole genre on its head, and some of the world's most beautiful locations, filmed by an exceptional cinematographer (Conrad Hall) ... you just may pull it off. Case in point: "Butch and Sundance."
  
  While Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker) was known as the Old West's Robin Hood for his charm, masterly planning, avoidance of bloodshed - he really did claim he'd never shot anyone - and his stance for settlers' rights vis-a-vis the wealthy cattle barons, Sundance (Henry Longbaugh) had the reputation of a loner; a fast draw repeatedly in and out of prison before even turning twenty-one. After several of their Wild Bunch/Hole in the Wall Gang associates had seen the short end of the stick in various encounters with the law, Butch and Sundance determined things were getting too hot in the West and, unlike the outlaws who not much earlier had stood it out until the end (Billy the Kid, the James Gang and the O.K. Corral gunfighters), decided to head for South America. With a woman named Etta Place, possibly a teacher as portrayed here or, perhaps more likely, a prostitute, they first spent several years farming in Argentina - both had done cattle work before turning to robbery, although in the form of rustling (stealing unbranded cattle) - but eventually reverted to their more profitable, preferred occupation. Most sources believe they died in a 1909 shootout with the Bolivian military in a town named San Vicente; others, however, claim either or both escaped alive, returned to the States under assumed names and died there (Sundance in Casper, WY in 1957 and Cassidy, according to his sister, in Spokane, WA, in 1937).
  
  While their decision to leave the West instead of duking it out with the law and the mystery surrounding their deaths would already have made for a great movie, director Hill cleverly used the material for a 180-degree-turn on the Western genre. The opening credits roll next to sepia-tinged silent shots depicting a Hole in the Wall Gang train robbery, followed by the bold claim that "most of what follows is true" - which in itself couldn't be further from the truth. What does follow is a wild ride from the Outlaw Trail to Bolivia ... during which our heroes aren't getting rid of their pursuers, no Western music with guitars and harmonicas accompanies them but Burt Bacharach's multiple-award-winning, deliberately anachronistic, upbeat score (plus "Raindrops Are Falling on My Head" during the most romantic scene - raindrops???), a knife fight is settled by a kick in the groin, and a marshal trying to assemble a posse first meets with a lackluster population, neither willing to bring their own horses and guns nor clamoring to be supplied with such by him, and in short order sees his meeting usurped by a bicycle salesman. Add to that Oscar-winning cinematography, repeatedly using black-and-white lighting techniques even after the film's switch to color (e.g. in Sundance's first visit with Etta), reverse lighting to make daytime shots look like nighttime (during several scenes of the pursuit) and sepia-tinted shots for period feeling (besides the opening, also to sum up the trio's stay in New York), a Bolivian bank robbery with a crib sheet containing "specialized vocabulary" that Butch, contrary to initial claims, doesn't know in Spanish, and an immortalizing freeze-frame ending - and you have one heck of an entertaining movie, shot in some of the West's most spectacular settings and in Mexico (as Bolivia's stand-in).
  
  "Butch and Sundance" turned Redford into a megastar - Hill lobbied hard for the then-perceived "playboy"'s casting, and his instincts proved so dead-on that Newman's entourage became worried the movie's expected primary star would be sidelined (a feeling never shared by Newman himself, though, who has been friends with Redford ever since). In a twist worthy of Goldman's Oscar-winning screenplay, fearsome loner Sundance became one of Redford's most popular roles, and his independent film festival's namesake. The movie renewed popular interest in the Outlaw Trail, which Redford himself traveled later, too (chronicled in a fascinating, alas out-of-print book). Its script is littered with memorable one-liners; from both heroes' "Who *are* those guys??" to Butch's comments on the small price to pay for beauty, on Sundance's gun-prowess ("like I've been telling you - over the hill"), on vision, bifocals and Bolivia, on Sundance's asking Etta (Katherine Ross) to accompany them, although if she'll ever "whine or make a nuisance," he'll be "dumping her flat" ("Don't sugarcoat it like that, Kid ... tell her straight!") and his downplaying the final shootout because their archenemy LaForce isn't there; Sundance's "You just keep thinking, Butch," his comments on the secret of his gambling success (prayer), on not being picky about women (followed by a litany of required attributes), on the excessive use of dynamite, and his one weakness ("I can't swim!!"); and finally Strother Martin/mine-owner Percy Garris's deadpan delivery of the Shanghai Rooster song, of "Morons ... I've got morons on my team" and his assertion not to be crazy but merely colorful. The famous freeze-frame ending has repeatedly been cited, both cinematographically (e.g. "Thelma and Louise") and in dialogue (e.g. 1998's "Negotiator"). And although initially almost uniformly panned by critics, the movie won quadruple Oscars and multiple other awards. In true Hollywood fashion, it has made two fearsome outlaws legends forever ... and in the process, also won legendary status itself.
  
  Also recommended:
  The Outlaw Trail: A Journey Through Time
  Digging up Butch and Sundance (Second Edition)
  Butch Cassidy: A Biography (Bison Book)
  Hud
  Jeremiah Johnson
  The Sting (Universal Legacy Series)
  Adventures in the Screen Trade
  
  
• Great movie - terrible restoration!
  By A24ANBZ42ZA5YE on 2008-06-14
  This disc ranks right up there with one of the worst Blu-ray transfers I own (along with the first Stargate release). It is a shame, as this is a really great and fun movie. It is one of the first westerns I recall that really interspersed humor with drama in an effective way. I thought it tried to be a bit too much or to have something for everyone (the bicycle scene went on a little long for my taste, for example). Audio is fine but the failure to produce a really outstanding video transfer (as was done with Patton recently) will disappoint the many fans of this movie who were eagerly awaiting this release.
  
  
• The film that broke the mold of traditional westerns!
  By A17FLA8HQOFVIG on 2001-12-03
  This 1969 film made box office history at the time and was nominated for seven academy awards. The public just loved it and I can well understand why. It broke the mold of the traditional western by being upbeat, lively and whimsical. And the stars, Paul Newman and Robert Redford, cast as bank robbers, had a special chemistry between them with their lighthearted wisecracks throughout. Katherine Ross plays the love interest of both of them and there's a great musical score by Burt Bacharach, most notably, "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" in which Newman and Ross ride around on a bicycle. The story was predictable and at times it seemed a little long, but I found myself smiling throughout and the actors were a pleasure to look at.

  Even more than the film, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the "add on" which was included on the videotape. Entitled "The Making of 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'", this was 52-minute documentary with the kind of interesting details that really enhanced my appreciation of the film. For example, there's a part in the movie that shows photos of the characters superimposed on old time photos from the 1890s. This is a technique that is relatively simple today by using any one of a number of computer programs. However, in 1969, they had to be actually pasted on. And it was also interesting to see how they do special effects with guns that shoot puffs of smoke. I loved this going behind the scenes.
  
  

• A Classic
  By A3Q3ZMDWJPUMTT on 2008-04-04
  One of the best and most memorable movies of the 1960s. Redford and Newman were at the top of their form and Katharine Ross was absolutely beautiful. George Roy Hill commented that he cast her mainly because she was the most gorgeous creature he'd ever seen. On the short list of the most memorable endings in movie history. The cinematography was spectacular. Some classic lines came out of this movie: "Who are those guys?" "Rules, what rules? There aren't any rules in a knife fight." "I can't swim". At times hysterical: Butch not being able to speak Spanish so he couldn't rob the bank. Lurch getting kicked in the nuts. The hapless employee of Mr. EH Harriman. A definite must see.
  
  
• They Don't Make Them Like That Anymore
  By A119GQXFK0DPXG on 2007-08-24
  A western that will never be dated, this is one of the best American movies ever made -- existential, funny, with writing and a score that make it perpetually modern. Where are our new Paul Newmans and Robert Redfords? Young lions of Hollywood, please take a cue from these guys as both actors and men. Please.
  
  
• Excellent Movie.
  By A2IHIKHWCDB0FG on 2008-03-25
  Long one of my favorite westerns and, in fact, one of my favorite films of all time, most especially from the era that spanned the late 1960s through the 70s and into the early 80s, a period that was one of the golden ages of American cinema. I happened across a brief portion of this film on hi-def cable a few months ago, and it looked great. I definitely look forward to this Blu-ray release.
  
  
• Even if you're not a fan of Westerns...
  By A1QBGC59TFPHD8 on 2006-07-12
  ... you may want to give this one a go. I'm amazed to realize that it's 37 years old; I think this film is going to end up among the classics when it gets a little older. I'm not a big Western-watcher at all. But I end up watching this one when it's televised because the cinematography is marvelous. It's what I loved when it first came out (I'm revealing my age) - that and William Goldman's screenplay. For those reasons, even if you don't care for shoot-em-ups, it's worthwhile.
  
  
• Almost 40years ago now...
  By A2YUOZRW6SW0SI on 2007-12-17
  Compared to today's attempts, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is short on hamburger and splatter. It is a classic buddy movie, somewhat contemplative, with a story line that invites you to pay attention, and humor that is shared with a nudge and a wink. If you don't know the story, and don't know the movie, you keep wondering how they will get away. Surprise!!
  
  
• Details of new Blu-ray DVD due out on May 13th, 2008, the good and the not-so-good news
  By A1K94LXX833JTT on 2008-04-25
  The new Blu-ray release of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid will reportedly carry over only some of the special features of the 2006 SD Collector's Edition. According to the studio press release it will include the following:
  
  -- audio commentary by director George Roy Hill, associate producer Robert Crawford, cinematographer Conrad Hall, and lyricist Hal David
  -- audio commentary by screenwriter William Goldman
  -- "All of What Follows is True: The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (35:27)
  -- "The Wild Bunch: The True Tale of Butch & Sundance" (25:11)
  -- deleted scenes
  -- theatrical trailers
  
  That leaves out the 1994 documentary "The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (42:09), "History Through the Lens: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Outlaws Out of Time" (90:16), 1994 interviews with Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katherine Ross, writer William Goldman, and composer Burt Bacharach (49:42), and some smaller bits.
  
  The new release apparently will have no new special features.
  
  A Blu-ray edition of this film has been out for a while outside the US, very likely in the same transfer that will be on this US release. The video quality is reportedly about as good as can be expected, better than the SD release, particularly in color depth, but also showing more effectively the grain that was part of the filming process used in some scenes designed to look antique, perhaps more effectively than is desirable in some cases. (Most of this comes from Gary Tooze's review of the Japanese Blu-ray release at dvdbeaver.)
  
  Technical specs: 2.35:1 Widescreen Transfer (1080p/AVC), English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, subtitles in English, Cantonese, Korean, and Spanish.
  
  The movie is of course a classic, a lighthearted look at a legend with two now-legendary actors who were then still on their way up. A combination of unconventional Western and buddy flick, it works well as drama and at least as well as comedy. The little music video in the middle with "Raindrops Are Falling on My Head" is very dated and stands out like a sore thumb, but it's still fun. Very few people don't enjoy this movie.
  
  Assuming the studio press release is accurate, and it does fit the recent practices of Fox, most die-hard fans will probably want to hold on to their Collector's Editions even if they upgrade to Blu-ray. I'm personally disappointed that some of the old features already easily available to Fox won't be included, and subtract one star (one half star if I could). But it's likely to be a fine release otherwise.
  
  If you don't have this on DVD, you might want to weigh the extensive, even exhausting special features from the 2006 SD Collector's Edition against the more limited but still ample features on the Blu-ray, along with the somewhat better image.
  
  
• One of Hollywood's Greatest All-Time Movies
  By A2YB69DXDSJYFQ on 2008-05-15
  An absolute classic, timeless and brilliant... witty and dramatic, funny and engaging, starring two of Hollywood's greatest leading men in an unforgettable and magnificently told tale of two of the Old West's most legendary figures. This is more than simply a must-see movie, it is a can't miss, see it time and time again classic!
  
  
• K8
  By ALOQCLAMSLR1S on 2008-08-29
  I have loved this movie for many years, and it is even better on Blu-ray. The chase scenes through the valleys and hills are absolutely beautiful. Even the bicycle scene is more enjoyable with a crisp picture.
  
  This movie is in my top 5. The best of the old west. Newman and Redford both give great performances, and their interaction on screne is unmatched. And certainly not to be over-looked, Katherine Ross plays her strong female role beautifully.
  
  I could watch this movie over and over and over...
  
  
• This movie is a classic and has to be available any time
  By A26G26Z38O87IB on 1999-10-26
  This is much more than just a classic Western or one of the first "buddy" movies. It marks an important stage in the history of US and world cinematography. It HAS to be made available for this reason as well as for the pure joy it still gives. R. Redford said he considered his part in it the most important role he ever played. Well - to make a long story short - let's make it available for everybody once again.

  Thanks
  
  

• Bank Robbers, Gunmen, "Banditos Yanquis"...We love em!,
  By A2ZSC81MXLBELX on 2005-08-01
  Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid......
  This was probably the first western film where we actually are rooting for the outlaws. Butch(Paul Newman) and Sundance(Robert Redford) are portrayed with humor and style and are likeable (If not loveable) bad guys. Butch is always thinking, planning and scheming their next move. Sundance is the quickest gun in the west. What a team. (except Butch can't shoot and the Kid can"t swim)
  
  As the movie opens (in the muted colors of an old photograph) we see exactly that, Butch scoping out a bank, you could see the wheels turning, and then Sundance displaying his expertise with a gun on a fellow poker player. As they ride off toward "Hole in the Wall" a hideout for notorious outlaws, the film switches to color and what glorious cinematography we are treated to through out the film.
  
  They wind up going on the run after a botched train robbery to escape the "Super Posse" hired to find and kill them. Of course first they stop in town at the local Madam's place (look for a very young and beautiful Cloris Leachman as one of the "pros") and another stop to pick up The Kid's girl Etta Place(Kathryn Ross) and they become a trio as they head off to Boliva to try their luck there. They of course don't speak Spanish and have to learn the simple everyday phrases like "stick em up", and "give me the money". They even try "going straight" for a while, but are recognized as the "Banditos Yanquis", culminating in a shoot out.
  
  Newman and Redford ARE Butch and Sundance! The look of the old west was truly captured by director George Roy Hill, and there are so many wonderful scenes in this movie including the great bike ride with Butch and Etta to the tune of "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head".. If you havnt seen it yet I don't want to give it all away.
  
  I'm not sure how much of the actual events in the story are true but this is a legendary movie about legendary American Outlaws and a great western!
  
  "I got vision and the whole world wears bifocals"- Butch To Sundance........Have fun ...Laurie
  dvd - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Special Edition)
  also recommended
  The Outrage
  
  
• Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?
  By A24YVJWNLBU314 on 2006-06-19
  First off, let me state up front that I have been remiss in my reviewing duties. It's just that I haven't really found anything over the past few months that excited me enough to write about it here for you, the Amazon readers who may rely on the guidance of a twenty-six year old grocery store employee who would like to be the next Nick Hornby or P.J. O'Rourke. I apologize for my tardiness.
  
  Secondly, I love this movie. I first saw it a few months ago as part of my Film class's critique of traditional Hollywood genres and how they have been tweaked over time. Needless to say, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" provided the perfect example of this: what Western would have the heros run away from the law, much less take time to ride a bike accompanied by an insipid (but inspired) pop song? "Butch Cassidy" is everything that is right about the big-budget Hollywood film: star performers who don't mangle the material with their egos but rather play with the conventions of what they're supposed to do, all under the watch of a talented if not well-known director, as the screenplay marries the real history of the notorious outlaws with the liberties of a real shoot-'em-up Western.
  
  I loved this movie so much, I ended up doing a scene analysis of the second hold-up as my final project for the class. And got an "A", of course...
  
  So now we have the special-edition version, presented in widescreen and clear and crisp as the day it was first shown in American theaters in the fall of 1969. Paul Newman and Robert Redford carry the film through their obvious chemistry, and "Brokeback Mountain" jokes aside, they make the perfect bickering couple for this rollicking trip through a not-so-familar Old West.
  
  The film also features some top-notch work from Katharine Ross (Elaine from "The Graduate") as the woman they share (no, not onscreen at least), Strother Martin as the one man willing to give the outlaws a straight job (and gets shot by bandits for his trouble), and the world's unluckiest employee of Mr. E.H. Harriman (whose superposse symbolizes the modern times that catch up with Butch and Sundance even in Bolivia).
  
  I haven't gotten into all the special features yet, but I recommend the commentary by Goldman (who is rightfully proud of this film). Also, the "History Behind the Lens" documentary is interesting and (at ninety minutes) a treat for history buffs who want to see not only how the film differed from the story, but how often it got it *right*. The theatrical trailers are interesting nuggets from a time when Jerry Bruckheimer hadn't ruined movies with achingly slow pans and close-ups set in dramatic lighting with overbearing orchestral scores...or Tom Cruise shirtless. And "All of What Follows Is True" gives us more recent interviews with the principal cast still around (Newman, Redford, and Ross).
  
  All in all, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is an impossibly giddy mix of drama and comedy set against the backdrop of a dying breed (the Western outlaw) and the last days of the frontier (not in North America, but South). Yes, there are problems with the film, but the overall effect of the piece leaves audiences satisfied that they took the journey. And it doesn't hurt that Redford and Newman are enjoying the hell out of the work they're doing, which shows through to the audience. It may be a cliche, but "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" still delivers.
  
  If only all Westerns could be this good...
  
  
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
  By A10ODC971MDHV8 on 2007-06-27
  At the close of the sixties, Paul Newman and up-and-comer Robert Redford would make the evergreen "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," the first of two hugely popular collaborations with director George Roy Hill. (The other was "The Sting.") No standard western, "Butch" romanticizes the true story of the infamous "Hole in the Wall" gang, creating the ultimate buddy picture, and (thanks to William Goldman's brilliant Oscar-winning screenplay), a movie that's by turns lyrical, hilarious, and tragic. An eternal crowd-pleaser.
  
  
• THE DEFINITIVE WESTERN BUDDY MOVIE NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD!
  By A1ER6IYOMM8VCT on 2007-08-03
  This is a classic Newman/Redford movie and one of my favorite westerns. I don't know how much of this story is accurate, but it is very entertaining! The two disc set has a great transfer and lots of interesting extras.
  
  
• Horrible movie
  By A23IX5LAFMJHBX on 2008-03-10
  Despite by being over 50 years old, I had never seen this movie before so I was actually looking forward to finally experiencing it.
  Talk about style over substance...
  I kept on saying to myself "what's the point...?"
  What was the point of the bicycle scene (except to promote B.J. Thomas's "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"?)
  What was the point of that ridiculous New York montage sequence?
  This film was too cute, too pretentious, and too vapid.
  I guess I wasn't missing anything these past few decades.
  I can see how it could appeal to adolescent sensibilities, though.
  
  
• Poor image definition
  By A142N4OYI8VHX9 on 2008-07-21
  What a disappointment!!! I was waiting for the release of this title for more than two months and bought it as soon as I could. However, and despite the quality of the movie, THIS IS NOT A HIGH DEFINITION PRODUCT, as the blu-ray category implicitly suggests. In fact, its image is not better than what is found in ordinary DVDs, and this made me not only quite disappointed, but also worried about my future purchases, as I noticed the same problem in other BD products (concerts, specifically). Anyway, customer surprises could be avoided with a clear indication of the image definition in the BD boxes (as well as in the corresponding catalog of Internet retailers, like Amazon).
  
  
  
• An all time western classic in a nice 2 dvd collector's set!!! R.I.P. Paul Newman!!!
  By A22VNXHU6IZ5MT on 2008-09-27
  This is a great 2 dvd set from Fox,much better than the original single disc from a few years back!!! This set features a great transer of the film and some choice extras!!! R.I.P. Paul Newman we will miss you!!! Very recommended!!! A+
  
  
• What's All the Fuss About?
  By on 2000-03-27
  I watched this "classic" after hearing that it was such a good movie. Where's the beef? I fell asleep half way through it, then forced myself to watch it.

  Yes Redford and Newman are attractive, and in other movies they are superb actors, but this movie just did not move me.
  
  

• A classic film and one of the best westerns of all time.
  By A1458DDQ3CFSHA on 2000-07-19
  A masterful film that helped shape my view on friendship while growing up. You can't imagine a better buddy team to play the roles of Butch and Sundance. Newman adds his own brand of humor to the role. This was the movie that launched Redford into superstardom. Redford and Newman are super cool outlaws on the run in a non-stop cross continent chase. The DVD also is packed with interviews and a production feature. The interviews and feature give a better understanding of the many challenges the cast and crew faced in the making of this classic film. I especially liked Newman's thoughts on accuracy of memories. It is a good film for fathers and sons or best of friends to watch. And my fiancee said she loved watching the very young Redford charm his way across the screen. It is one of those rare films that has something for everyone. A lot of action and a lot of heart.
  
  

• The Sting
• Cool Hand Luke (Deluxe Edition)
• The Hustler (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
• Patton (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
• Hud