Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

         The film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, written by William Goldman is a film about the disillusionment of romantic era, and the escapism people used to avoid it. Though the film is set in the early 1900's and focuses on the end of the Wild West, the film was made in the late 1960's, another time when the world was changing. Be it protests about the war, social revolution or any other number of things, "the times they were a changin'" indeed.

Pictured here: The Beatles

         Towards the beginning of the film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (the characters, not the movie's name) are seen as the 'baddest outlaws in the west', scaring a bartender, and walking around with a certain swagger to them. The film is in a sepia tone up through this point, but once they leave town to go meet up with their gang the film becomes full color. This change symbolizes the romantic era ending, and the harsh reality kicking in. Butch Cassidy expects a warm welcome, but instead finds out he's been replaced as the gang's leader. He regains the title of the gang's leader, but all is not normal. They attempt to rob a train some time later, and instead of it going as planned, they find a union has been formed, among the railways, and they refuse to let themselves be robbed. In an attempt to stop the robberies the union sends mercenaries to kill Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (I swear I'm not saying the title). This change from being the most feared outlaws in the west, to having the authorities tail them signifies the beginning of the end for this "Wild West".

         After fleeing the men tailing them, KC and the Sunshine Band seek refuge with an old girlfriend of Sundance. They ask her to flee to Bolivia with them, and she reluctantly agrees. As they pack up, Butch Cassidy picks up a bike recieved earlier in the film, and throws it into a puddle, screaming "The future's all yours, you lousy bicycle!" Through this act, Butch is essentially renouncing the future, wishing instead to remain in the past where he likes it, avoiding moving forward, a strong example of his escapism.

Pictured: The real enemy

         Bolivia in itself is also an example of the disillusionment and escapism. Throughout the film Butch always talks about leaving America to go to Bolivia where it'll be better, and once they finally decide to go there, the audience is treated to a slideshow of the characters doing exotic and fun things, in elegant places, until they receive passage to Bolivia. by ship, and train. When they arrive in Bolivia, we see a big train with BOLIVIA written on the side pass by, until we're left with nothing but our heroes standing in an empty desert with nothing around but a rundown shack by the bus station. Immediately upon arrival, the characters are all disillusioned about Bolivia, and we realize that Butch's desire to come here was just his escapism rearing its head.

Here's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid after arriving in Bolivia.
Butch is Donkey, cause you know.... He's Eddie Murphy

         In the film's climax, Butch and Sundance are being held up in a small villa by what they believe are just a few gunmen. They know they are doomed, but in a last attempt at escapism, Butch suggests they flee to Australia. Ignoring the obvious fact that they won't make it there, they spend the few moments they have talking about it before they run face first towards what we can only assume is their deaths as the movie closes.

This is what you get if you but Sundance Kids instead of Kid in google.

         What does this all have to do with the modern (or, modern when the movie was made) day? Well in 1969, the Vietnam War was in full swing.

Did someone say Vietnam?

         Despite the US Government's attempts to put a positive spin on the war, and make it seem like a great thing, the people of America protested the war, because they thought we were fighting for all the wrong reasons, and didn't agree with the war. This caused the people to become disillusioned to the idea that America was so great and perfect, an idea that persisted (at least for most middle class white people) throughout the '60's. This caused the world to change, much like industrialization and the Wild West, because of the counter culture movement, and social revolution. People began to want change, they wanted Civil Rights Amendments, and Equal Rights Amendments, and were willing to fight for them, The people who argued against it, and tried to live in the past, had a lot of opposition against them, and today are viewed as ridiculous. "How could anyone ever be like that?" we often say, as the concept of people clinging to the past seems crazy, and led to them being left behind. This was the downfall of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (again, the characters). They wanted desperately to avoid the future, and stay in the past where they liked it, that in their efforts to escape a changing world, they were left behind.

Overall, I give the film 8/10 Dogbones, go watch it.


~CITATIONS~

PHOTOS:

Butch and Sundance on horse. Digital image. Unsung Films. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.unsungfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Butch-Cassidy-and-the-sun-006-1.jpg>.

Girls Bike. Digital image. Cross Country Cycle. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://crosscountrycycle.com/merchant/228/images/site/lilhoney_pink(r).jpg>.

Shrek and Donkey. Digital image. Image Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140330135024/shrek/images/0/00/Shrek_and_donkey_in_shrek_.jpg>.

Butch Cassidy Band. Digital image. Buzznet. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/ashliredden/default/butch-cassidy-sundance-kids--large-msg-133439510629.jpg>.

Private Pyle. Digital image. Youtube. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kxalkMk7cTM/maxresdefault.jpg>

WEBSITES:

"Quotes." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064115/quotes?item=qt0409718>.

OTHER:

Barsam, Richard. Looking at Movies: With Dvd & Wam3. S.l.: Ww Norton &, 2012. Print

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Dir. George R. Hill. Perf. Paul Newman. Ken Films, 1969. DVD.