Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Reaction!
Added 2025-10-01 14:09:20 +0000 UTC
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Yeah, as we both noted, the timing of this, two weeks after Robert’s death, obviously, not something planned, though it poignantly works out. He was one of the biggest legends of the industry. Especially for the work with the creation of Sundance. Made today, you probably would get the pissing and moaning that you described. God bless the days of New Hollywood. Goldman was a hell of a writer, and clearly the talent runs in the family. Saw bits and pieces of this over the years when I was a boy, before seeing it start-to-finish over sixteen years ago now. The statement Jess made about “I like westerns. Well, not all of them.” is similar to my mom’s thoughts. There was generally the shared love of westerns with my parents. Mom is with Jess with not loving the sexism. She also says she always had the trouble with how Native Americans tended to be portrayed in westerns. Even if a western has either the sexism or the racism, it doesn’t necessarily derail the film, provided both get called out as bad, even if it’s done in the silent condemnation way, and even then, it still is unpleasant. Even if one has not seen Cimarron, the Blazing Saddles gag stands well if one is just familiar with Richard Dix, even if only the name. Getting the greater context, combined with how you mentioned about the refreshingly forward-thinking spot about addressing the Osage murders are about the only reasons to see the film. Between Ford’s later westerns like The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, followed by Leone making his mark, not to mention Mel having Blazing Saddles, yeah, we never will get a “classical” western again. Here that’s embraced, and as you say, there are the steps taken to move away from how racist and sexist they could get. The “You tried” card is something I’ve talked about with some of Star Trek with the stuff that was progressive at the time yet is dated now. Those things of I always say of you have to take the time to put yourself in the time it came out, and acknowledge the work done, whilst admitting that it may not translate well by today’s standards. Hear you on the melancholic streak across the whole film under the fun veneer. It felt pronounced when I first saw the whole thing as it was less than a year after Paul’s death. Now watching it again to prepare for Jess reacting to it, it feels more pronounced now that Robert is gone, though I try to take comfort that the two old friends are back together again. I’ve heard people talk about how Butch and Sundance are in that rotten period of too old for one era and too young for the old days, leaving them somewhat adrift. Add on to the hilarity of how they barely know each other even after all the time spent with each other, it does make for a great tragic story told in a fairly subtle manner. Adore the sepia opening. Great words on the establishing character moments. Knew you were going with the riot line, hence why I went with the line from The Producers. That and with Butch being with Blücher, (*NEEEEIIIIIGH*) er, uh Agnes, I was already sneaking in the reference to the film with the two of them. Again, I genuinely forgot about the consensual non-consent, as you describe it, scene. And I couldn’t figure out how I forgot if the leads are meant to be likeable bad guys. Then the rug pull happens, and I remembered, so Jess and I had the similar reaction this time round. And yeah, I’m aware of the irony of Katharine and Sam in this, and how Robert was up for The Graduate, where yeah, he is one of the few men who could say what he said and sound endearing rather than arrogant. (As well as his comment of believability that he didn’t look like a twenty-one-year-old virgin even when he was a twenty-one-year-old virgin.) Iconic though the song is, it DOES sort of slow the film down a hair. Good scene, fun scene, to be clear, though Jess is right of it is the strong whiplash after the one scene. Howard Johnson is right about old Woodcock being the determined sort. LeFors, and Lord Baltimore for that matter, make a hell of an impression for never really being seen in the film. Good theme song selection. I also feel that line of wishing the superposse would go faster, just for the sake of variety. See you went with Michael Biehn’s line, and I went with The Night of the Hunter (Could go for that in the fifties series if Jess hasn’t seen it.) where there also is the question, “Don’t he never sleep?” I got more a snake vibe in the one scene. Jumped some, but noted that it dies instantly, so we’d likely be good. Love the shared appreciation for Jeff. Dad always liked him a lot. Man was always so damn good. Kim Darby would be in favor of doing worse than tying him up. Nothing too bad though as he wants to go and see the big stud poker game between the Kid and the Man. I read about the Dolly story and the solution they arrived at was a good one. Great to see Jess get into that sequence. As I said, Sundance’s little sheepish shrug after the revelation that he can’t swim gets me the most, particularly as I’m slightly in the same boat as he is. The whole “Donde esta la biblioteca?” is such a fantastic and relatable display of comedic energy that Paul and Robert perform so well. Good nod to Foggy by the way. I think by now, it’s impossible to go into the film and not at the very least suspect that the ending is coming in some form or another. It does get referenced in pop culture a lot. One of the last Supernatural episodes that Jess reacted to before her break, you had Sam and Dean discussing how they thought they’d go out, and Dean mentions he always envisioned “going out like Butch and Sundance, guns blazing.”, to which Jess commented “Spoilers.” which I cheekily wrote, “yes, mild spoilers for an upcoming reaction.” And even if one does manage to go in completely blind, not difficult to at least surmise it could be happening. And yes, you speak well of the final shootout being one of the few solidly known historical tidbits. I so badly want that final freeze frame, preferably in the sepia, as wall art, but I have no idea where I’d hang it up. And not showing it does tie into the whispers that Butch managed to live past that point. And just the look on their faces, scared, but determined, perfect final shot. Never have seen the prequel, though Jeff would be worth seeing him. The true follow up is The Sting, aka, the film that beat The Exorcist at the Oscars. Which is unfair as the film is generally very good, just you’d go with The Exorcist, it’s no contest. The Sting was one of the big high school films for my parents. And of course, a very big deal with the Chicago of it all, and the opening portion of the film being in my hometown, albeit none of the film was filmed here. Provided that Jess has never seen it, it would make for one hell of a fun reaction. Certainly, this one was a lot of fun.
Thomas Corp
2025-10-03 00:00:30 +0000 UTCOf course, what no one could have predicted when you scheduled this one is that Robert Redford would pass away just two weeks before. With no exaggeration, one of the most important figures in the entertainment business in history, not just for his tremendous half-century plus achievements as an actor and director, but also bringing much-needed attention to smaller indie creators through his Sundance Film Festival, plus his tireless devotion to all kinds of worthy social and political causes. And to quote the very first place I ever heard of him, "Oh, explain anything to me, Robert Redford, but I won't be able to listen. I'll be dazzled by your weathered features and your gorgeous leathery Sundance ass." Watching the movie again, one thing that really struck me is that if this exact same script was made today, you'd get all kinds of pissing and moaning of "How are we supposed to care about these guys when we don't know anything about their childhood, or how they started working together?" But in 1969 something like this could become a tremendous hit and propel both its leads to superstardom because no one cared about that kind of thing, and if the filmmaking talent was there, they would follow. The script comes courtesy of William Goldman, a seemingly endless source of eternal beloved quotes across his long career like "Is it safe?", "When you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow," "He didn't get out of the cock-a-doody car," and of course "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." But this predated them all, and was what permanently moved him out of the shadow of his brother James who gave us the objectively best Christmas movie ever, The Lion in Winter. "I like westerns. Well, not all of them." Yeah, after finishing watching every Best Picture winner, the only reason I'd ever recommend anyone watch Cimarron is if they really want the full context of a particular joke from Blazing Saddles. "Remember when Richard Dix came in here and tried to take over the town?" But even by this time five years before that movie made it impossible to ever make a "classical" western again, you can see steps being taken here to move away from how racist and sexist they could get. Sometimes I feel like getting these people a big "You tried" card. I don't know how deliberate any of it is, but there's a palpable melancholic streak across the whole film under the fun veneer which is a big part of why I find it so great. These guys happened to be born just a bit too late to be part of the golden age of western outlaws, and constantly have to deal with "progress" spoiling the element they would have thrived in, even personified by something like a bicycle. Then you add on that despite their years of friendship, they seemingly don't know anything substantial about each other until it happens to come up through circumstance, and I'm left thinking this was an essentially shallow partnership and they both could have had a more fulfilling life doing just about anything else. Before any of that intrudes, we have the gorgeous sepia opening that perfectly establishes Butch as the fun guy of the duo, while Sundance is the kind of person who gets genuinely offended at being accused of cheating at cards, who needs to be there because sometimes a guy like Butch needs to be reminded to get a double stitch on his pants in case he falls out a window. And they're able to live this way due to their only adversary being a clearly impotent sheriff no matter how much he tries to say "A riot is an ugly thing, and it's about time we had one." And while Butch only has a questionable relationship with the prostitute Agnes (NEEEEIIIIIGH!), Sundance...well, I was seriously worried this scene would get you to fully quit on the whole movie before it becomes clear what's going on. Just the kind of thing people didn't think enough about back then, though this one at least does make perfectly clear it's all an act before too long (the official term for this kind of thing is CNC, consensual non-consent, and try watching Battlestar Galactica the same way knowing that). Also big irony in Katherine Ross playing this part, with her unrecognizably young future husband Sam Elliott being one of the card players in the opening, and two years earlier Redford lost the lead of The Graduate because he literally couldn't comprehend the idea of a girl turning him down (and was possibly the only person who's ever lived who could make that story endearing rather than arrogant). I'll admit, I've never cared for the Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head sequence. It's a nice song and all, but the whole thing seems to only exist because they found out Newman could do bike tricks, and sets an idea for his own relationship with Etta that never really goes anywhere. Plus the song's style feels way to out of touch with the time period, and not in a cool way like The Sting. I've always had a soft spot for Woodcock, a character who easily could have just been simple comic relief, but there's something genuinely noble in his determination that makes you shout "Van Johnson is right!" Leading to one hell of a buildup to the introduction of LeFours, who leaves a huge impression for someone we never actually see. You asked for a theme song, I'd say One Way or Another by Blondie works pretty well. And boy, do I feel that line asking them to even speed up rather than having to keep dealing with this steady, relentless pursuit from people who don't know pity or remorse or fear, and absolutely will not stop until you are dead. Regarding that animal that gets shot, I've always seen it as a gila monster, but I can see where the snake thing comes in. We also get a grand cameo from Jeff Corey, who always brings the goods no matter how small the role is and tells you everything you need to know about this character within a few seconds of appearing. After all the people you corrupted for the Shadows, you could use a little tying up. Lovely to see you take so much to the photo montage, which is a triumph of improvisation. The sequence was going to just be a typical montage taking advantage of the New York sets that had been built for Hello Dolly, but as that film's notorious hellish production dragged out until it became clear Cassidy would be released first, they asked it to be cut so it wouldn't look like they were the ones doing the copying. The result is something that feels fully unique to this movie that no one else could manage as well. As many funny bits as there are, none gets me more than their struggling to get past "Donde esta la biblioteca?" Such a relatable situation, and Newman and Redford have the perfect faces for it. And given their profession, one word they might want to get familiar with is avocado. I'd had the ending spoiled for me by Billy Rosewood before I saw the movie, but the whole thing is basically set up anyway like you know it's coming, given that this final recorded appearance is one of the few solidly known parts of their story. And that final freeze frame is the perfect way to go out, with us knowing exactly what happened but still getting to see them still at the top of their game doing what they loved. It also plays into how the Bolivians never bothered to identity the bodies before burying them, which naturally led to legends cropping up that they were still out there (for what it's worth, there actually are a few tantalizing bits of evidence that Butch survived the shootout and went into a quiet retirement, but none for Sundance). There was something of an official prequel a decade later called Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, with Jeff Corey in the same role. It's generally regarded as decent but totally lost in the original's shadow, though it remained well known enough to be off-handedly mentioned by name in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. Though as far as most people are concerned, the true follow-up is The Sting, and if you haven't seen it, I wouldn't be surprised if it crops up in the requests soon.
Ryan
2025-10-02 22:10:50 +0000 UTCThis was my mother's favourite film. She would watch it over and over. It's certainly MY favourite Western (not too great of an honour, as I don't generally watch many); and its far and away the best film that George Roy Hill ever directed. (The Sting is also an enjoyable film,but doesn't contain his same sense of visual flair). Hills subsequent movies are all oddly forgettable - but if you're only going to make one undoubted classic in your career,Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is the one to make. And that music score? So classy and perfect
Ian Smith
2025-10-01 23:00:20 +0000 UTC
