A Classic Western Parody

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2007)

Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969): Starring Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Katherine Ross, Jeff Corey, Cloris Leachman, Strother Martin, Henry Jones, Ted Cassidy, Kenneth Mars, Jody Gilbert, Timoty Scott, Donnelly Rhodes, Don Keefer, Panch Cordova, Nelson Olmsted, Sam Elliot, Charles Akins, Eric Sinclair, Percy Helton....Director George Roy Hill, Screenplay William Goldman.
From 1969,the end of the 60's decade which was a revolutionary time in Hollywood film (2001 A Space Odyssey, Rosemary's Baby, Midnight Cowboy), comes this classic Western from director George Roy Hill from the screenplay by William Goldman. While not exactly a conventional Western (it's not about good guys defeating the bad guys in a small town or noble cowboys and pioneers), it's a film composed of all the little things that make a Western- the American Old West, frontier/railroad towns, men with big dreams, lawlessness and adventure. But this is not what makes "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" so appealing and interesting to a modern audience. It's because this film clearly makes fun of Westerns through well-written parody. By 1969, audiences were weary of traditional Westerns in which John Wayne saved the day, and were looking to see films that strayed from standard movie plots, although Clint Eastwood would continue to advance his career by doing various Westerns, but these, too, were often full of graphic violence and portrayed the hero as flawed or with a dark side. "Sundance Kid" is about two partners in crime (played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford), who rob banks and conduct scams, rip people off, for money. Before long, they grow tired of this scene but rather than giving up the life of crime, they simply relocate to South America where they continue their act. Etta Place (Katherine Ross)is the saloon girl who joins them after falling for bad boy Sundance Kid (Redford). This film was a big hit when it was first released, it launched the career or actor Robert Redford and one might say even of writer/screenwriter William Goldman, who would continue to write for Hollywood through the years (in 1987, his "Princess Bride" was another success). The music is by Burt Bacharach is terrific, a hodgepodge of Western themes, period "saloon" music and what appears to be comedy through melody (like a very beautiful, orchestral cartoon music). The song "Raindrops Keep Falling From My Head" became a commercial success, and it still plays in oldies radio stations. But while this film is truly wonderful in many ways, there are some flaws. I have always found it to be too long for a film that does not take itself too seriously. This is made apparent by the famous ending which still baffles viewers. What happens to Butch Cassidy and The Sun Dance Kid ? Are they killed by the South American authorities who finally trap them in their own game an this, then, is a film that looks back at their antics as outlaw legends ? Is there a final shoot-out or no ? The vague ending does not count as a resolution, but then again, this film is supposed to mock Westerns and film technique, so its not entirely surprising that there is no real ending, which bothers some viewers. The cinematography by Conrad Hall is both a good thing and a bad thing. The film looks great, even after all these years, providing the film with the look of an epic- wide vistas of Western settings such as country, railroad and towns- but it's also very misleading because the look of this film is serious as if we are not watching a comedy but a drama. This is still a fine film at a time when films were beginning to change, adopting the techniques and formulas which we still see in films today.