Customer Reviews

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Special Edition)

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This review refers to the Special Edition DVD of 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.
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. If you have seen it you will love the way this film looks and sounds on this DVD.
The DVD is THX Digitally Mastered. The Musical Score of Burt Bacharach sounds excellent. The picture quality is superb. Colors are vibrant. It does not look like a 30 yr+ film. The look of the old west was truly captured by director George Roy Hill. It is in the original widescreen aspect. There were a couple of little glitches in one scene (may have just been my copy, not sure) but it did not interfere with my viewing pleasure of this film.
There are lots of interviews and commentaries by the stars and a featurette of the making of the film. The stars comments mostly on their memories (good and bad) during the shooting of the film. Be careful not to have any small children in the room while listening to the writer (William Goodman) tell his story.
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 worlds wearing bifocals"- Butch To Sundance...............Have fun ...Laurie

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

This one really takes me back to my teens, when the movie came out and my whole family went to see it. We were enraptured, and we all went home humming "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head."

I like THAT song sequence in the movie very much. I think it sets up the Butch/Etta relationship nicely and establishes the comfort level of this star-crossed trio. I'm not so sure about the other musical montages (NY/steamship trip to S. America and the Bolivian robberies). The ba-da-da-dums really date the film (hence the reason for taking a half star from an otherwise perfect rating).

This movie is incredibly charming, though, in its writing, appearance, and above all, acting. It showcases the first cementing of the Newman-Redford onscreen relationship that was later so effective in "The Sting" (also directed by George Roy Hill). And it's funny and poignant but yet so real in ways that we rarely see in movies today. When Butch finally has to kill someone after all his years of being an outlaw (ironically when he's in a straight job), you feel his gut-wrenching pain and regret.

There are so many memorable scenes: the rain of money after the train explosion, "Who are those guys?", the jump from the cliff, the bicycle ride, Strother Martin in a career-best role, the Spanish cheat sheets when robbing the Bolivian bank, the jokes and banter even at the most grim times. The freeze-frame ending is so effective and benevolent toward us, the audience. I have always appreciated the sensitivity of the conclusion.

This movie is a treasure and true entertainment--something my kids enjoy as much as my parents.

The DVD has lots of interesting extras. The commentary by George Roy Hill and others in the "making of" sequence is intriguing, especially when you consider the budgets of today's movies and what they managed to do with so little back then. The interviews with the main players are great, and it's fun to learn how Redford met Butch's real sister and how he tried to get her to the premiere of the movie.

The movie stands alone, but if you've got a player, I'd recommend getting the DVD for the bonus material.

I just had a few comments to make on the historical facets of the film, mostly on the differences between the movie account and the actual historical accounts, 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.

The Western genre's most enduring and charming film only gets better and better as the years go by, seeming to remain ageless and timeless. Whenever I'm asked to name my favorite movie this is the one I often claim is, though during the holiday season I would be inclined to name one of those seasonal venerable classics. Decades past it's original release Newman's and Redford's inspired teaming in this feature still plays to packed houses in revival theaters; hardly a person is alive who leaves a theater showing of it and doesn't come out reciting the memorable banter between the two. Filled with eminently quotable dialogue, rich colorful characterizations and many unforgettable sequences it is one of the most pleasurable movie experiences to be had.

Containing as much inventive fiction as historical accuracy, 'Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid' both comically and dramatically recounts the exploits of the two legendary and affable outlaws of the title, known formally as Robert Leroy Parker and Harry Longbaugh respectively While there is still continuing debate about the facts surrounding the duo that won't taint your enjoyment of this picture at all; the equitable melding of myth and reality serves as an enrichment and not a detriment. A straightforward telling of the then known facts simply would not have served any moviegoer and certainly not the fine company of actors gathered here. The two stars have never been more likable and a stellar cast of secondary players supports them supremely, most notably Katherine Ross who plays Etta Place, the Kid's girlfriend. The wonderful character actor Strother Martin is cast in another memorable appearance as American prospector Percy Garris who the two encounter on their ill-fated trip to Bolivia. While the movie is episodic and characters appear and disappear generally not to be seen again, 'Butch And Sundance' never gets pat or tiresome. Cleverly constructed, well paced and beautifully photographed it isn't hard to see why this film has had such lasting appeal to viewers of multiple generations. Also worth mentioning is the Burt Bacharach composed and conducted original music score featuring the hit song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" that he co-wrote with Hal David. I especially love the sequence of the film when this song is played; while some may argue that it is incongruent with the rest of the movie it serves to accentuate the feelings that Etta has for both of the men. She would have just as been likely to have ended up falling in love with Butch as she did Sundance and this short and engaging scene neatly conveys that without being schmaltzy or clumsy. Not really a Western per se, not really a drama and not really a pure comedy the movie transcends all these classifications and forges it's own territory as a rare gem, distinctive and graceful.

The DVD edition is absolutely fabulous with terrific extras that you really want to see and not padded with those excruciatingly boring deleted scenes that have become so blasé on recently released DVD's of films of the past decade. The "Making Of" documentary, the interviews with the cast members and the audio commentary are also all well done and the movie transfer is flawless. If 'Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid' is a film you enjoy watching then I strongly recommend purchasing the DVD, it's a great addition to any collection.

Noteworthy: Ross played Etta Place once again in the successful 1976 made for television movie 'Wanted: The Sundance Woman'.

William Goldman's script for "Butch Cassidy" should be a textbook for budding screenwriters. The film is exciting, funny, witty, gripping and memorable. This film reminds you why we enjoy the movies: not for the current era most typified by George Lucas' special effects, poor scripts and "shove-it down their throats marketing and toy merchandizing." With "Butch Cassidy," the crowds were brought in by a good product, not brain-washing. Burt Bacharach's memorable music score, the suporting cast and scenery are added bonuses. This is a smart film that all ages will love!

When you see this movie there is a phrase that comes to your mind: Man, they don't do movies like this one anymore!. These are two bandidos that assault the same train twice in a row. The owner of the train puts a price to their head and sends the ultimate vigilante team to hunt down Sundance and his fella.

They get tired of being followed so they decide to go to another country, Bolivia. Once they get there accompanied with a beatiful woman they realize that maybe Bolivia is not the way they thought it would be.

What makes this movie so different from other westerns is its humor, including their infamous:

Cassidy: Manos a---, manos a---, manos arriba...
Sundance: They got them up! skip on down
C: Arriba!
S: Skip on down!!!
C: Todos ustedes arrísmense(sic) a la pared!
S: They're against the wall already!!!
C: Donde... ah, you're so damn smart, you read it!!!

If you speak spanish, this will be hilarious, man I laughed to tears in that scene. The movie has a lot of immortal lines that have been quoted by other users, so it would be a big mistake if you don't see this movie.

The DVD includes some really cool extras like interviews with the main actors, an audio commentary from director George Roy Hill and other fellas, the production notes, original trailers (thought they're not as silly as the ones included in The Seven Magnificent) and an alternative beginning! (It's the first time I see something like this). Definitively a must buy!.

Wow!!! One of my top 100 movies. Paul Newman plays the dark humored Butch Cassidy and Robert Redford plays the grimmly straight Sundance Kid.
Butch and Sundance were famous train robbers from the early 20th century on the edge of the last hey day of the truly wild west. The Union Pacific Railroad hired a select group of lawmen to hunt down and kill or capture. (Let's be honest Kill) The two Outlaws. The Outlaws were never heard from again. Some believe that they went to Bolivia and were killed by the Bolivian Army.
This movie tracks the final days of Butch and Sundance. Uproariously funny. No matter how dark the sitiuation, these two outlaws manage to drop a darkly humorous line. This is the kind of movie that you and your friends will quote often. A tad violent for children, but on the upside no cussing. I highly recommend this movie.

I already own the Special Edition Laser Disc and purchased this DVD on the strength of the technical information re. sound supplied by Amazon which is actually incorrect. The DVD sound is Dolby Digital 2.00 MONO and not 5.1. One of the reviews also gives the impression that there has been a remix providing a full 5.1 soundstage. This a disappointment and if you already own the laser disc you should be induced into purchsing this item.

Butch and Sundance is an amazing wonderful film: in this ultimate collectors edition it sparkles like a beautiful jewel. The package is complete (I always thought the 1997 version was missing William Goldman's commentary - this one has it!): if you were a fan of this terrific western when it first appeared in the first flush of 1969-70 you will not be disappointed to revisit with Butch and Sundance and their hole in the wall gang. Its also a great chance to listen in again as 3 beautiful stars and countless other key personnel recount what it was like to put this wonderful film together.
God bless Geo. Roy Hill et al for making this western and changing many of our lives in the process. For this formerly 11 year old boy, I left the theater determined to be a film director. I studied writing by reading and re-reading Goldman's original screenplay over 40 times. When I finally got a chance to shoot film, of course I experimented with sepia tones!
This is not the most coherent review I've ever slapped together but it makes up for coherence by being heartfelt. If you haven't seen Butch (and I know a lot of film scholars who haven't) you really don't know film.
This is a classic film from several key players who have made their share of immortal classics. And the best part is, its not a bitter pill to swallow. This one tastes good going down!


note: this review is for the 2 disc version, although the special edition released a few years back is also a wonderful buy. no matter how much Butch you want in your life, they are both worthy editions. In general, anything by Redford or Newman is well worth watching (when its penned by Bill Goldman, you're in for a special treat!) .