The dialogue is witty, Paul Newman and Robert Redford are insufferably charismatic, and the plot is offbeat and fun. Butch and Sundance are two-bit outlaws in a world that is changing. They know they are destined to die bloody and the only thing they can do is choose where. A Superposse is on their trail. Their flight takes them across the American southwest, to New York, and finally to Uruguay. It's a fun adventure that has aged well, except for a bizarre 1970s soundtrack.
I would like to take this opportunity for a digression about the 70's. I once read a screenwriting book by William Goldman entitled “Adventures in the Screen Trade”. Apparently, after BCatSC and AtPM (you figure out the acronyms), Goldman was Hollywood's darling-boy. I may just be engaging in ass-speak, but “Adventures in the Screen Trade” may very well have been the first in a series of recent books written to capitalize on suckers who want to write and sell a screenplay for a million dollars; you know, suckers like me.
Anyway, at the back of the book is included the original screenplay for BCatSC. I read the screenplay before I saw the movie. In some respects, the movie was exactly as I imagined. The obvious exception was the 70's music. In his book, Goldman says he likes the music of the movie, claiming that in many ways, the popular music of today is similar to popular music of the 1900s. I think he's wrong. Nothing, no decade in history was like the 70's. Today, when one views the famous scene in which Butch pedals Etta around on a bicycle, the musical addition of “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head” inspires laughter. One expects a feather-hatted pimp in a purple suit to strut past them.
What the hell was up with the 70's, anyway? I may have been born in 1976, but my earliest memory is from 1980. I've asked a few members of the previous generation what was up with the 70's and I've received only knowing smiles and evasive answers. The impression I get is that the boomers are embarrassed of the 70's but loved it while it was happening.
From what I understand, the 70's were a time of unprecedented freedom of expression. It was the triumph of the 60's hippie movement. Many view the 70's as Hollywood's golden age. People could truly “do their own thing” and be respected for it. There was an explosion of weirdness in pop culture. Clothing was outrageous. Musicians explored minimalism and trance. Drugs were cool.
All of this shows in the movies of the time. You want to put modern music in a historical western? Cool, man. You want to end your crime thriller on an ambiguous note? Groovy. You want to go to Peru, spend the film's budget on drugs, waste two years editing it and then sober-up naked by the side of a desert highway holding a rock in your left hand? Here's a million dollars.
Freedom of expression is good, right? Ditto with artistic freedom? So why is it that the movies produced in the 70's have, for the most part, aged so poorly? Even Star Wars, a movie that defined the modern blockbuster, has distracting 70's hairstyles. What went wrong?
I blame the corporate mindset. I believe that, as a result of corporate meddling, North Americans have become more conservative since the days of bell bottoms. While it is true that sexism and racism have diminished significantly since those days, or at least gone underground, we seem to have less tolerance for art and expression which is “different”. When we view the 70's through a modern, conformist lens, of course it looks ridiculous.
In the 70's, the director and screenwriter had control of the picture. Nowadays, movies are conceptualized by producers and committees. Very few blockbusters start with a great screenplay. They start in a board room where a bunch of bigwigs decide which nostalgic toy or old television show they should make a movie about. The screenplay comes later, after Hasbro has been consulted as to which characters and action sets they will be manufacturing. Producers tell writers which action sequences they want featured. Dialogue and action are edited according to the standards set by the MPAA so that more kids can attend. It's a soulless way to make a movie and I believe it has limited our artistic tastes as a society.
So which is worse, the off-the-leash, overly-artistic and bizarre filmmaking 70's hits, or the cynical, greedy and formulaic blockbusters of today? Would you rather watch the interminable Dennis Hopper piece of garbage, The Last Movie, or the shitfest that is G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra? You decide.
The issue is too hard for me. It all comes back to William Goldman, who said regarding how movies are made and predictions of their financial success, “Nobody Knows Anything”. All I know is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is an amusing show.
4 ½ lawmen on your tail out of 5
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