"Jules et Jim" goes West.

Rating: 8/10 (10 April 2007)

Many Westerns can be read as having homoerotic subtexts with the advantage of 21st century attitudes and the apparent need of modern - day critics to seem "aware" of what was never intended in the first place.This tendency slowly but surely prepared the ground for film makers to introduce openly gay characters into the genre until it climaxed - if you'll pardon the expression - in "Brokeback Mountain",a full -on adaptation of a charming short story by Annie Proulx. In 1969,even at the rag - end of the liberal 1960s ,the world wasn't ready for a story of man - love between chaps in chaps,especially one starring such hetero heroes as Mr P.Newman and Mr R.Redford .So Mr Hill gave them the very pretty Miss K.Ross as a shared love interest that neither of the boys,frankly,seemed very interested in,being pretty much wrapped up in each other. With this strangely asexual menage a trois borrowed from "Jules et Jim" (complete with anachronistic bicycle riding sequence)and other devilish nouvelle vague tricks Mr Hill possibly hoped to set the Western along a new path but,in fact,succeeded in closing the genre down for a few years allowing Mr C.Eastwood to re - invent it almost single - handedly. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is wonderful entertainment,witty, clever,beautifully photographed and a hymn to the physical beauty of Messrs Newman and Redford but it isn't a great Western.In fact it's almost a parody of Western conventions. In pursuit of a fast buck (always somebody else's) Butch and Sundance are like a pair of computer geeks let loose in "P.C.World" as they rob banks and trains more or less at will and with a sort of open - faced innocence.Moving to Bolivia (the way you do) they come up against the army who do not share the widespread vicarious admiration their banditry had apparently caused back home and when cornered in some adobe hacienda decide to go out literally with all guns blazing - cue stop action and sepia fade.A nicely mythic ending that rather spoilt the chances of Butch and Sundance Part 2. There are no incorruptible lawmen,there is no great quest ,no wrongs are righted,no maidens saved.The world has not been made a better place by their passing - except for bank owners and railroad clerks.In short "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is not really a Western at all. But it is immense fun and I enjoyed it hugely. The boys got together a few years later to make "The Sting" which was better in every department - especially the music.I mean,"Raindrops keep falling on my head"? What was that all about?