Customer Reviews

Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid [VHS]

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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.

A great film that deserves a new transfer. The source transfer of this film appears to be the same source as the one used for the DVD version. This is not to say that it doesn't look much better in Blu-Ray than it does on DVD. But it is not, evidently, a brand new remastered transfer made expressly for Blu-Ray release.

As happened in past generations of video standards, VHS to LaserDisc, LaserDisc to DVD, standard definition 480i to "high def" 1080i, and now 480p progressive scan DVD to 1080p Blu-Ray, the studios are cutting corners and, with many titles, re-issuing transfers that were "pretty good" for the prior standard on newer media without re-mastering them for the full potential of the newer standard. "Pretty good" is not why you buy a Blu-Ray, or pay a premium for it.

Sadly, some major film titles are being "shoved out there" on the new Blu-Ray format. This appears to be one of them. Although not nearly as bad as the abysmal "Silence Of the Lambs" and "Interview With The Vampire" BDs, the high-def picture quality of "Butch Cassidy" is still sub-par and underwhelming compared to what it could have been with a new-transfer made with BD release in mind.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

"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.

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.

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.