In Memory of Robert Redford - “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are finally reunited. On September 16, 2025, we lost another acting/filmmaking legend - Robert Redford. Throughout his entire career, Redford has starred in several films, such as “The Great Gatsby,” “The Way We Were,” “The Natural,” “The Horse Whisperer,” and even a couple MCU titles (“The Winter Soldier” and “Avengers: Endgame” - his final acting role) just to name a few.

Over his career spanning more than six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, five Golden Globes and numerous other honors. So, in memory of this talented legend’s passing, I will be taking a look at a couple of his films throughout the month - starting with “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”

The true story of fast-draws and wild rides, battles with posses, train and bank robberies, a torrid love affair and a new lease on outlaw life in far away Bolivia.

This was actually the first time I have seen this 1969 film classic. While this received a mixed critical reception during its initial run, audiences embraced the film. This classic eventually became a beloved, modern Western known for its light-hearted humor, the captivating chemistry between the leads Robert Redford and Paul Newman, and a unique blend of action and comedy.

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” masterfully combines classic Western elements like shootouts and robberies, with some fairly good humor and a light-hearted musical score. And, speaking of music, I had no idea that the song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” (played during the iconic bicycle scene) was written specifically for this film!

There’s a pivotal scene in this film that serves as a perfect example of the film’s wit and the great on-screen chemistry between Redford and Newman. After being relentlessly pursued by a mysterious, relentless posse, Butch and Sundance Kid find themselves trapped on a cliff overlooking a river. And, the only way to escape is to jump, which Sundance is reluctant to do since he can’t swim.

This scene is really entertaining as it goes back and forth between Butch’s casual assurance that the jump will be okay and Sundance’s quiet horror of jumping off the cliff. This moment is also a compelling symbol of their daring spirit and their unbreakable bond.

And, of course, there’s the most iconic ending of a Western - the final stand-off with the Bolivian army and the infamous freeze frame. This iconic ending actually subverts the typical Western fate by not showing their impending deaths. And, then the infamous freeze frame.

The poignant freeze frame is considered to be one of cinema’s most legendary finales. It allowed audiences to hold onto the image of the heroic duo going down in a blaze of glory rather than witnessing their demise.

Over time, critical reassessment has cemented the film’s reputation as a timeless classic and some modern critics even emphasized that this film was the “original buddy movie,” which sets the template for countless future action duos. 

Most viewers today appreciate the film for its historical significance and place in Hollywood history. Its status as a beloved classic, evidenced by the inclusion into the National Film Registry and the AFI’s (American Film Institute) greatest films list, reinforces its appeal.

MPA: Rated PG   (runtime 110 minutes)

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” is available to rent through various PVOD rental platforms.

Make sure to check my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook for some interesting tidbits about this classic Western and see what other Robert Redford films I will be checking out!

• Paul Newman's charity for children with serious medical conditions is named Hole in the Wall Camp after Butch's gang.

• Katharine Ross enjoyed shooting the silent bicycle riding sequence best because it was handled by the film crew's second unit rather than the director. She said, "Any day away from George Roy Hill was a good one." This was after she had been scolded and banned from the set by Hill for operating a camera, even though cinematographer Conrad Hall, who Ross was dating, invited her to do it. Hall wasn't punished by Hill for letting her.

• On the first day of shooting, involving the train robbery scenes, Katharine Ross came to the set to watch. There were five cameras and only four operators, so cinematographer Conrad L. Hall put her on the extra camera. He showed her how to operate it and how to move it to get her shot. Director George Roy Hill was furious, but said nothing the whole day. At the end of the day, however, he banned her from the set except when she was working.

• Paul Newman sawed George Roy Hill's desk in half "because he wouldn't pay his bill for liquor which he borrowed from my office."

• The song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" was written after the rough cut was completed, and when Robert Redford first saw it in the movie, he thought it was terrible. The agents for singer B.J. Thomas regretted letting him do it, and thought it would ruin his career.

• Paul Newman said that this was the most fun he'd ever had making a film. He and Robert Redford drank a lot of beer in Mexico.

• Paul Newman did his own bicycle stunts, after his stuntman was unable to stay on the bike. The only one he didn't do was the scene where Butch crashes backwards into the fence, which was performed by cinematographer Conrad L. Hall.

• All of the Bolivia scenes were filmed in Mexico, where almost the entire cast and crew, and director George Roy Hill, came down with Montezuma's Revenge (severe diarrhea caused by drinking Mexico's notoriously polluted water). Only Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and Katharine Ross were spared, because they refused to drink the water catered on the set, and stuck to drinking soda and alcohol for the duration of the shoot.

• Robert Redford did not agree with Paul Newman on the need for rehearsal, feeling that it lessens the spontaneity, but he conceded out of respect for his co-star.

• Paul Newman didn't want to play Butch, pleading with George Roy Hill to watch what Newman considered one of his worst performances in the comedy Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958). "I'm a terrible comic actor", Newman insisted, but became more convinced when Hill told him he didn't have to go for the jokes, but to just play it straight.

• Of all the characters Robert Redford had played in his film career, his role as the Sundance Kid was his personal favorite.

• Paul Newman had to fight the studio to get Robert Redford cast, Redford being still a relative unknown at the time.

• With U.S. box-office receipts of over $100 million, it was the top grossing film of the year. Adjusted for inflation, it ranks among the top ten for its decade, and among the top-grossing films of all time, due in part to subsequent re-releases.

• In 2007 the American Film Institute ranked this as the number seventy-three Greatest Movie of All Time.

• Katharine Ross was dating the film's cinematographer Conrad L. Hall at the time. Coincidentally, her future husband, Sam Elliott, was also on set in a minor role shot as Card Player #2.

• Selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2003.