BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID - DVD review

The first half of this review is taken from Puccio's original review of the film. The audio, video and extras of this new presentation were reviewed by Martinez.

I was lucky enough to have first seen "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" at a special preview showing in San Francisco in 1969. Thinking it was going to be just another Western action movie, maybe like Newman's "Hombre" from a couple of years before, imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a comedy. Yes, that's how I still think of "Butch," as a comedy. The story may be based on real-life and it may involve drama, romance, and tragedy, but, nonetheless, it basically remains a humorous character study of the two, now-famous outlaws and their friend, Etta Place.

Like "The Wild Bunch," made the same year, "Butch" is a swan song for the passing of the Old West, a tale of over-the-hill outlaws living by a worn-out code of honor in an increasingly dishonorable world. In director George Roy Hill's vision, however, the raw vitality of the Peckinpah film is replaced by a gentle amiability. The story begins at the end of the nineteenth century and continues well into the first decade of the twentieth century. It doesn't take long for the viewer to catch the irony of a government's hanging its desperadoes for robbing trains while rewarding its military for taking lives.

The movie is divided into two halves, connected by a musical-pictorial interlude. In part one, Butch and Sundance (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) are seen casing banks, robbing trains, and generally having a high old time with their Hole-in-the-Wall gang, as well as enjoying the company of Sundance's girlfriend, Etta (Katharine Ross). Then the president of the railroad sends the Pinkertons after them, and the three hightail it to South America where they continue their criminal ways. Newman is the very embodiment of affability. When he faces down a band of gunmen in Bolivia, it is almost superfluous of him to tell the Kid he's never shot anyone before, even if historically this is true. We can tell from Butch's behavior and demeanor that there isn't a malicious bone in his body. As the laconic Sundance Kid, Redford is the more cool, calculated, and remote of the pair, but we can readily see that he, too, is not mean, just quick on the draw. Together, Newman and Redford practically invented the buddy movie.

Interestingly, the role of Sundance was initially to have gone either to Steve McQueen or Warren Beatty, both of them back then much more established stars than Redford. But they turned it down, and serendipity resulted. Ms. Ross as Etta is younger and more beautiful than the picture of the real Etta Place would indicate, but she is no wilting violet of a girlfriend standing in the shadows. Ross develops a strong, resourceful, able-bodied character, a romantic equal to the two leads. Veteran actors Strother Martin, Jeff Corey, and Henry Jones play supporting roles, as do some youngsters, Cloris Leachman, Sam Elliott, Kenneth Mars, and Christopher Lloyd.

There is hardly a scene in the film that isn't played for laughs, yet all of it is done so straight-faced it makes it all the funnier. By the time Butch and Sundance have asked the famous question, "Who are those guys?" about four times, we know the phrase is going to go down as a cultural icon. Probably the greatest influence on the film's success, though, is its director, George Roy Hill. It was he who made sure that the comedy wasn't overdone, that the sweeping, panoramic vistas were a constant reminder that this was a film in the "Western" tradition, and that the dust and sweat of the trail maintained the story's realism. It was also he who OK'd the three different musical selections that momentarily and delightfully interrupt the action--once with "Raindrops," once again while the threesome are in New York City heading for South America, and, finally, while they are being pursued on horseback by Bolivian police. A consummate job of direction, it provides us today with a film classic of its kind.

By way of historical perspective, Butch's real name was Robert Leroy Parker and Sundance's was Harry Lombaugh (or possibly Lomabaugh). According to the "Encyclopedia Britannica," Parker was born in Utah and teamed up with Sundance in 1899. (Here's a discrepancy: In the film the men consider joining the Spanish-American War, which began and ended in 1898.) By the time they barely get together, sheriff posses and Pinkerton detectives were closing in on members of their gang, and Cassidy, Sundance, and Etta escaped to South America in 1901. From 1902 to 1906 they owned and operated a ranch in Chubut province, Argentina, but afterwards they returned to crime. Etta went back home in 1907. Drifting from place to place, the two men robbed banks and trains until 1909, when, according to the Pinkertons, they were trapped by a group of mounted soldiers near San Vicente, Bolivia, where they were killed. Another story puts their death in Mercedes, Uruguay, in December 1911, cut down by soldiers during a bank robbery. Still other stories, corroborated by Butch's sister, have Cassidy, either alone or with Sundance, returning to the United States and dying in 1937. As the film's preface remarks, "Most of what follows is true."

Video
The feature is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The film looks good throughout, with some moments of wear, some blurring and a few scratches but what damage there is, is barely noticeable. The image is crisp and bold, with colors coming across vibrantly. Conrad Hall's cinematography is brilliantly on display, with the sprawling western vistas and more intimate moments are wonderfully rendered. This 35 year old film, thankfully, does not look its age.

Audio
The audio is presented in English stereo, English mono, Spanish mono, and French mono. The stereo soundtrack is good, adding some direction to the mix. Dialogue comes through cleanly and there is no distortion or noise present. It's a fine mix, overall. English and Spanish subtitles are also available.

Extras
The extras on this two disc DVD set are excellent. Coming over from the original DVD release are all of the previous extra features. The first disc includes commentary from director George Roy Hill, cinematographer Conrad Hall, lyricist Hal David and associate producer Bob Crawford. The commentary provides a nice amount of insight from the different filmmaking perspectives. Each of them discuss what brought them to the project and the idea of making a western that was different from the norm. A new audio commentary is also included that features screenwriter William Goldman discussing various points about the film; mainly how it came to fruition and various anecdotes about the making of the film.

Also included on the first disc, and making the journey from the original DVD release, is "The Making of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid" a 40 minute plus documentary, which features production footage as narrated by Newman, Goldman, Hill and Redford.

Disc two features include a 2005 documentary, "All of What Follows is True: The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The doc is a retrospective look at the film and features new interviews with Newman, Redford, Bacharach, Goldman and others. It's an interesting look back at the movie from the various filmmakers' perspectives.

"The Wild Bunch: The True Tale of Butch & Sundance" takes a look at fact versus fiction in the world of "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid". The 25 minutes featurette includes interviews with historians, academics and some of the filmmakers as they discuss certain elements of the film and how they compare historical accounts of the real life Butch and Sundance.

A number of interviews also make the journey over from the original DVD release, which included Paul Newman, Robert Redford, screenwriter William Goldman, composer Burt Bacharach and actress Katharine Ross. Also included in this section are more interviews, split into two separate sections: "All of What Follows is True" and "Maybe Some of What Follows is True".

Also featured is "History Through the Lens: Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid: Outlaws Out of Time", an hour and half long documentary that's a mixture of all the previous docs presented. It takes a deeper look at the history, the making of the film and everything in between. It's good and interesting stuff but feels somewhat repetitive after having seen the other features.

Rounding out the extras are an audioless deleted/extended scene entitled "Tent", which features optional commentary by director Hill, three theatrical trailers for "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid", production notes, an alternate credit roll and The Films of Paul Newman, which features trailers for "From the Terrace", "Hombre", "The Hustler", "The Long, Hot Summer", "Quintet", "The Towering Inferno", "The Verdict" and "What a Way to Go!"

Film Value
"Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid: The Ultimate Collector's Edition" offers up some great additional features. The transfer is essentially the same as the original DVD release but also features a new, slightly improved sound mix. For big fans of the film it might be worth it to invest in the new disc for Goldman's commentary and new docs. Nevertheless, the film more than holds up after all these years and remains one great film.