Can a Pair of Buddies maintain their membership in a Gang of Bank and Train Robbers and still be regular Citizens? and, Just where is Bolivia?

Rating: 10/10 (1 October 2007)

We can well remember seeing a television special about the making of BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969). It was some years ago, probably in the late 1970's and was very informative to a really uninitiated kid like myself. In an interview with the screenwriter, William Goldman, he revealed much about the motivation in writing the story and the intricacies of putting together a story part fiction, part legend, part true happenings.
Mr. Goldman said that while there had been countless numbers of screenplays and movies about Jesse James, but not one had been written about Butch and Sundance. He had set out to do something about that. It would appear that now, after nearly forty years, that he had succeeded.
From the very start, it became apparent that the story would certainly be something that was very different. Whereas there seemed to be certain criteria unofficially established to render a story a "Western", Goldman, while keeping all this in mind, struck out in another direction. He gave the two outlaws full three dimensional personalities, idiosyncrasies, virtues and foibles. In short, they were rendered "human", or as close as a filmed characterization could come.
Starting off the story in "town", where Butch Cassidy(Paul Newman) is obviously casing the joint in planning a future job. He observes changes at the town's bank. There are more locks, a guard is on duty at all times during business hours. The establishment closes promptly at 2 O'Clock closing time. "What happened to the old bank?", Butch laments. "It was beautiful!" "People kept robbing it.", matter-of-factly replies the Bank Guard.
Just down the street a piece sat the Sundance Kid, busily engaged in a mid-afternoon Poker Game. Sundance has been winning, and exception is taken to the fact by one of his opponents. Accusing Sundance of cheating, and threatening him with harm, standing and making it obvious that he would draw and fire at the Kid, if he didn't leave the money on the table and vacate the establishment.
Butch enters and observes that there was a short supply of brotherly love at the Poker Table. Butch attempts to mediate the dispute. Sundance is as vehement about his innocence as his accuser was about his accusation of cheating. Arriving at the conclusion that his peace making is getting nowhere, Butch 'throws in the towel' with the final remark, "I can't help you, Sundance!" News of his opponent's being the Sundance Kid brings a sobering effect on the accuser. "I didn't know you were the Sundance Kid when I said you were cheating!", was his next remark, as he acquiesced to Butch's request to invite Subdance to stay, which he didn't. The two then ride away from town toward their hide out at 'Hole in the Wall'.
This entire opening sequence was filmed in a sort of old fashioned Sepia Toned print. It is a process which is not color, nor is it Black & White. It was very effectively used, a real grabber to the audience.
The effect was further amplified by use of a succession of close-ups. Eyes, clocks, locks, latches and faces all take their turn in being essayed by the camera lense's revealing encounters.
As the pair rides off from town to their rendezvous with the Gang, the presence of full-color film fades onto the screen. It was a well planned and executed gimmick to grab hold that audience's attention.
From then on, we follow the exploits of the Whole in the Wall Gang, its internal disputes, internal politics, etc. We also find out that an all star posse of specially hired lawmen whose only object was to hunt down and kill Butch and Sundance.
Oh, and of all the fine performances turned in by suppoprting players, we must make mention of three in particular. They are: Kenneth Mars as the long-winded, short on influence town Marshall, Struther Martin as Percy Garris, American Mining Company Boss in Bolivia, and Jeff Corry as Marshall Ray Bledsoe, whose performance was absolutely pivotal.
It was about this very point that Author Goldman said that he had gotten the most grief from "the Suits" at 20th Century-Fox. After all, the outlaw pair leave the good old USA for the mining country in Bolivia. Now, no real American would do a thing like that, not even an American Outlaw! But, alas they did do that thing! That old TV special, previously mentioned, did reveal a lot about parts of the film that were excised from the full body of the work. This served as enlightenment about some aspects of the movie that we had been wondering about.
For example take the very elaborate opening credits scenes depicting a train robbery by "The Whole in the Wall Gang" as shown by the Thomas Edison Company.(all shown as the Burt Bacharach original Film Score starts in, slowly at first with a couple of Piano keys.) Why such extravagance for opening credits? As it turns out, the depiction of the silent film was from a deleted scene that had the Trio (Butch, Sundance and Etta) viewing a primitive Edison film in a Bolivian City. This was supposed to have actually happened! And the guys were very angry 'cause the Edison Co. Director got it all wrong!
This would seem to be a trait that is all too common, even today!