Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): Mythic Redford and Newman

1969 • George Roy Hill • 2.35:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓

Directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman, the film stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford as the charismatic outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They lead a gang in the fading Wild West, but find themselves relentlessly pursued as modernity closes in on their way of life.

Reframing the Western genre through a late-1960s lens, the film portrays the American West not as a rugged battlefield, but as a spacious and almost wistful terrain. It is still a work of myth-making, particularly in its ending. The climactic Bolivian shootout concludes with a freeze-frame rather than a bloody depiction, thus preserving the duo’s status as mythical figures rather than martyrs.

Nevertheless, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid aligns with the revisionist tendencies of late-1960s American cinema, notably through its comic timing, playfulness, and bright lighting. More than the ending, it’s the famous bicycle sequence set to “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” that best represents the film’s identity, its propensity to disrupt classical Western tonality with contemporary rhythm and irony. It’s the Old West giving way to the modern world.

Technical Specs:

• The Story: Two charismatic outlaws, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, rob trains across the American West until relentless pursuit forces them to flee to Bolivia in search of a new life.
• Actors: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin, Henry Jones, Jeff Corey, George Furth, Cloris Leachman.
• Director: George Roy Hill
• Year: 1969
• Cinematographer: Conrad L. Hall
• Origin: American Cinema
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Genre: Westerns