Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969) [w/Commentaries]

Butch and Sundance are the two leaders of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Butch is all ideas, Sundance is all action and skill. The west is becoming civilized and when Butch and Sundance rob a train once too often, a special posse begins trailing them no matter where they run. Over rock, through towns, across rivers, the group is always just behind them. When they finally escape through sheer luck, Butch has another idea, "Let's go to Bolivia". Based on the exploits of the historical characters.

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is one of the greatest movies ever made. It is my favorite film of all time, and the biggest reason for that is because of its script by William Goldman. It's very rare in film that a script has perfect lines in it from beginning to end, but this film is an example of what can be achieved by Hollywood screenwriters. It was William Goldman's script of this movie that sparked my passion for the American cinema. Though most Westerns of the cinema past have serious and gritty tones to them, this film has just the right mix of comedy, wit, and adventure. The greatest team in Hollywood history, arguably, is the team of Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The presence by these two Hollywood legends has help cement this film as one of the greatest movies ever made - according to organizations like the American Film Institute. The direction by George Roy Hill is first rate, and much credit also has to be given to cinematographer Conrad Hall, who did a great job giving this film the superior look of the Old West.

Katherine Ross adds to this film in the role as the beautiful Etta Place, as does the score, which makes us feel good about going to the movies. This was the film that, for the first time, got audiences to root for "the bad guys". This film should be shown in every film school to show film students how to make a theatrical film. I will always love this movie, and indeed, this movie is something special. It is also special to me because the REAL Sundance Kid was born in my hometown of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

Audio Commentaries featuring director George Roy Hill, lyricist Hal David, associate producer Robert Crawford and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall, the first bonus audio track is instructive, but you will need to wait out boring stretches for the high points. It is somewhat refreshing, actually, to hear the principles' takes on various scenes. Even observing which scenes get the comments is interesting–not the scenes I predicted. Overall, it's a hodge-podge of stitched together comments, but well worth a listen. An alternate bonus audio track is included featuring screenwriter William Goldman. Like many writers, he does not have the greatest presence when speaking off the top of his head. Also, as one might expect from a writer, he has a sort of despondency and self-depricating quality not suitable for this type of commentary.