July 15th: BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (George Roy Hill, 1969)
NOTE: This film will be presented in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
A pair of outlaws are pursued across the American West and south of the border.
William Goldman wrote novels and then plays before moving into film. Having researched the lives of Cassidy and Sundance for a planned book, he decided to write a screenplay instead, selling it to the studio for a record-breaking $400,000. Actor-turned-director George Roy Hill covered stage adaptations, comedy, epics, and the musical in his first five years of filmmaking before attaching himself to Goldman's western.
The lead roles were connected to various big stars including Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemmon, and Marlon Brando. Paul Newman was originally cast in the Sundance role but switched when Robert Redford was brought on board. The notable female role went to Katharine Ross, fresh off her success with The Graduate.
Behind the camera, Hill was joined by Conrad Hall, who would go on to be one of the era's most influential cinematographers. In addition by starting the film in a black and white "sepia tone" and gradually transitioning to color, Hall desaturated the color in the development process.
The picture was shot on location in Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and on 20th Century Fox facilities on the studio lot and in Malibu Creek. Various locations in Mexico stood in for Bolivia. Cassidy's real-life sister acted as an advisor during the production. The musical score was contributed by well-known pop composer Burt Bacharach, and the costumes were designed by 8-time Oscar-winner Edith Head.
Butch Cassidy was released to mostly positive reviews; it stood in partial contrast to a period of "revisionist" westerns with darker perspectives of the historical period, morally complex characters and anti-heroes, and bleaker resolution. While the film touches on some of these attributes, its large amount of comedy and camaraderie between the two leads made it look old-fashioned to some.
It had enormous box office success, finishing at #1 for the year, more than twice the domestic gross of its closest competitor. While Newman was already a respected and popular star, it put Redford near the top of the Hollywood A-List. The film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, and won for its screenplay, cinematography, and musical score. At the British Film Awards it set a record for most wins with 9, taking every category it was nominated in.
Newman, Redford, and Hill would collaborate again four years later on The Sting, with even more financial and awards success. A prequel to Butch Cassidy with other actors failed to make much of an impression.
Running time is approx. 2 hours.
A pair of outlaws are pursued across the American West and south of the border.
William Goldman wrote novels and then plays before moving into film. Having researched the lives of Cassidy and Sundance for a planned book, he decided to write a screenplay instead, selling it to the studio for a record-breaking $400,000. Actor-turned-director George Roy Hill covered stage adaptations, comedy, epics, and the musical in his first five years of filmmaking before attaching himself to Goldman's western.
The lead roles were connected to various big stars including Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemmon, and Marlon Brando. Paul Newman was originally cast in the Sundance role but switched when Robert Redford was brought on board. The notable female role went to Katharine Ross, fresh off her success with The Graduate.
Behind the camera, Hill was joined by Conrad Hall, who would go on to be one of the era's most influential cinematographers. In addition by starting the film in a black and white "sepia tone" and gradually transitioning to color, Hall desaturated the color in the development process.
The picture was shot on location in Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and on 20th Century Fox facilities on the studio lot and in Malibu Creek. Various locations in Mexico stood in for Bolivia. Cassidy's real-life sister acted as an advisor during the production. The musical score was contributed by well-known pop composer Burt Bacharach, and the costumes were designed by 8-time Oscar-winner Edith Head.
Butch Cassidy was released to mostly positive reviews; it stood in partial contrast to a period of "revisionist" westerns with darker perspectives of the historical period, morally complex characters and anti-heroes, and bleaker resolution. While the film touches on some of these attributes, its large amount of comedy and camaraderie between the two leads made it look old-fashioned to some.
It had enormous box office success, finishing at #1 for the year, more than twice the domestic gross of its closest competitor. While Newman was already a respected and popular star, it put Redford near the top of the Hollywood A-List. The film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, and won for its screenplay, cinematography, and musical score. At the British Film Awards it set a record for most wins with 9, taking every category it was nominated in.
Newman, Redford, and Hill would collaborate again four years later on The Sting, with even more financial and awards success. A prequel to Butch Cassidy with other actors failed to make much of an impression.
Running time is approx. 2 hours.
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