Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Blu-ray Movie Review

Not much can be done to polish up the video or audio quality, but Newman and Redford shine in this classic from 1969.

Reviewed by Greg Maltz May 14, 2008

At a time when spaghetti westerns were achieving broad success, a different kind of western was produced featuring two of Hollywood's biggest stars in an attempt to capitalize on the genre's popularity. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid melds traditional wild west themes and a more fatalistic arch with winsome idealism. The result is a film both stuck in its time and transcending the '60s. But no matter how you view it, the picture and audio are beyond resuscitation. Fox's Blu-ray has an overall presentation stronger than the most recent DVD version, but most viewers will probably prefer the DVD. Perhaps this is because production in 1080p and lossless DTS-HD MA reveals too many limitations of the source material. Or perhaps Fox tried too hard to wow us with the Blu-ray by oversaturating the colors and pumping up the contrast. Regardless of the format, the combination of Paul Newman (Butch Cassidy) and Robert Redford (Sundance) proves a strong draw and the Blu-ray version is certainly not a bad way to enjoy the most wanted duo in the west.

Recognizing the way Conrad L. Hall filmed Redford, Newman and rugged landscapes, the Academy awarded him an Oscar for best cinematography.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid tells the story of two aging outlaws who have outlived their welcome in the ever-changing west. The film gets rolling as Sundance is accused of cheating in a card game and shows why he has the reputation as the fastest gunslinger. Back at the headquarters of Butch's Hole in the Wall Gang, Butch's leadership is challenged but he remains in charge by fighting dirty when backed into a corner (as much as he'd prefer to talk his way out of a fight). A much more serious problem arises after the gang robs a train guarded by six lawmen on horseback. The riders make short work of the Hole in the Wall Gang and pursue Butch and Sundance day and night, over all types of terrain. The pair barely escape with their lives, and discover that the lawmen have been assembled from the toughest sheriffs and trackers, hired by the railroad company to hunt them until they're dead. With Sundance's girlfriend Etta Place (Katharine Ross), the outlaws travel to New York and make their way to Bolivia. There, they find a new frontier that ultimately offers them the same choices they had back home.

The camaraderie between Butch and Sundance is the main draw of the movie and thanks to writer William Goldman and director George Roy Hill, their interaction does not grow too stale or phoney. In fact, the dialog between the two is chock full of sarcasm and jabs. "You just keep thinking, Butch," Sundance says on a few occasions. "That's what you're good at." Goldman received an Academy Award for best writing, story and screenplay. Newman's more affable approach to his character and Redford's machismo worked very well together, making Goldman's screenplay come off perhaps better than it actually was. The film earned two Oscars for the music, as well. Burt Bacharach's score and hit song, "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", are featured very prominently in extended sequences that link distinct plot lines or "movements" of the film. During these interludes, there is no dialogue and minimal plot development. The music may have seemed impressive at the time, but by slowing down the film to a crawl and including the '60s-infused pop instrumentation and vocals, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid does not age well. It was an interesting experiment to make a western more "hip", but it seems silly by today's standards and clashes with the themes of robbery and survival.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The video quality has not aged well either. It lacks good resolution and definition, which is a shame as cinematographer Conrad L. Hall received an Oscar for best cinematography. The landscapes and countryside depicted in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are beautiful, but almost every video parameter is subpar, including detail and contrast, which appears to be artificially pumped up. As a result, depth suffers. But the problems also include instances of noise, flickering/strobing and atrocious blacks. To be fair, the picture would never be a videophile's dream because Hall shot much of the footage very soft for a more romantic look. But even factoring in that caveat, it's difficult to say anything good about the picture. I would like to say it feels like watching an old film projector, but it isn't quite as organic because the digitized transfer has obviously been processed to death.

Watch the scene where the six lawmen pursue Butch and Sundance at night. On the DVD, this pursuit occurs in near-darkness, with mainly the torches of the pursuers visible. But the Blu-ray picture is brightened considerably, and what previously looked like night now looks like early twilight or dusk. It's an odd choice to add so much brightness and contrast and I think I know why Fox did it. With the soft shots delivered by Hall, pumping up the brightness and contrast were probably the only ways to clearly distinguish the Blu-ray from the previous DVD edition. Well, the BD distinguishes itself, alright, but not for the best. The BD appears slightly richer, but it is up for personal preference as to which version is superior. Those of you familiar with the film know it starts out in a sepia treatment. Frankly, the introductory sepia sequence and a similar, still-image treatment during the musical interlude when Butch and Sundance flee America are the most interesting imagery in the film. That's a shame because the landscape shots really are gorgeous. They simply are not done justice on the BD. Despite the color vibrancy or maybe because of it, the picture has a processed feel. It's not horrible, but some life has been sucked out.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is not well defined either. Like the picture, the sound is processed heavily--mostly to create the 5.1 mix from the original mono. Needless to say, 99% of the content remains in mono (center channel). The sound of voices is good. Dialog is clear and easy to follow. Explosions are even more dynamic. But the music is where it all falls apart, and since extended scenes involve music scores, this is a big problem.

Listen to the piano accompaniment in "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head". It sounds like it was a plastic keyboard in a bathroom recorded through a 20-ft hose. The dynamics are totally squashed and lifeless. The vocals fare a bit better, but it's nothing to get excited about. To be fair, the problem is ultimately the source material. The expression "polishing a turd" applies. No matter what Fox does to clean it up or process it, the recording was not done properly in the first place and no amount of digital processing or noise reduction will help. The best approach may have been to give us an honest transfer as close as possible to the source material: mono audio and video that wasn't excessively processed. But that would not have met with a warm reception, either, because most Blu-rays have spoiled viewers and audiophiles alike with stunning resolution.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Almost all the worthwhile bonus features from the DVD release--the two featurettes and two audio commentary tracks--found their way to the BD and they appear in 1080i for a worthwhile upgrade.

All Of The Following Is True: The Making of "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid": Clocking in at 36 minutes, the "making of" documentary was not included on the DVD version. It delivers excellent insight and analysis through interviews with Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Katherine Ross, William Goldman, George Roy Hill, Burt Bacharach and others. Some worthwhile anecdotes are provided as well as less worthwhile handwaving about the influence and legacy of the film.

The Wild Bunch: The Fact vs. Fiction of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Included on the DVD version, but upgraded to HD here, the 25 minute featurette covers the real Butch and Sundance and their exploits. The history documentary compares the outlaws with their characters immortalized in the movie, using interviews with a variety of experts interspersed with scenes from the film.

Audio CommentariesFeaturing 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.

Rounding out the supplementary material is a three-minute deleted scene that's actually not too bad, with a bonus audio track by George Roy Hill, and three trailers in HD, which have even poorer video quality than the feature.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's rare for me to find a BD that doesn't provide immense improvement over the DVD. House of Flying Daggers is the only other example I can think of, and that was because of low- resolution noise detracting from the picture. When Fox announced Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, I had high hopes. Finely detailed 1080p images of Paul Newman and Robert Redford riding across a rugged countryside played in my mind. Unfortunately, now that the Blu-ray has been released, those same images do not appear as detailed playing on my screen. By getting my hopes up too high and by being spoiled by more modern gems on BD, perhaps I was setting myself up for a negative reaction to this older film. Certainly other titles from that era, like Dog Day Afternoon do not have a stunning picture, either, yet I rated them higher. That's because the presentation seemed more honest. The video appeared like a direct transfer and the audio was simple monaural. But Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid seems to have been digitally manipulated in questionable ways.

Still, there are positive elements of both the picture (in its color vibrancy) and audio (in the explosions and hoofbeats of the horses), and the film remains important and unique. It is both a window into another time and a study of individuals whose past finally catches up with them. The scenery is still spectacular, the characters are still endearing and the stylings from the late '60s are still interesting. It was a more innocent, idealistic time. I do recommend the film, and for those who wish to buy it, the Blu-ray version is a solid choice, though it does not show off the format's advantages.