Setting
The setting of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is primarily outside on the open country. Therefore, the movie was mainly shot ‘on location’ rather than being shot on a set, with CGI and green screens not being a major option in 1969 when the movie was produced. Having the setting being shot in this way gives it a lot of natural depth and guarantees that the background looks convincing. Another convincing factor provided by on location shooting is that it probably helped the actors get into character and act more naturally than they would on a set. This is due to the fact that they would be actually experiencing the setting for themselves instead of trying to fabricate an image of what it would be like. The only downside that I could see arise from shooting on location- like how they did in this movie- would be the lighting. Being outside, the primary light source would have to be natural lighting which is not always predictable and by no means controllable. This is important because lighting can directly affect the mood within a scene or movie. On location shooting lets the audience see how the environment would have actually looked realistically and therefore gives the setting an extra air of verisimilitude. This is complimented by the authentic looking props and set décor/design used in the towns and urban areas.
The setting of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is primarily outside on the open country. Therefore, the movie was mainly shot ‘on location’ rather than being shot on a set, with CGI and green screens not being a major option in 1969 when the movie was produced. Having the setting being shot in this way gives it a lot of natural depth and guarantees that the background looks convincing. Another convincing factor provided by on location shooting is that it probably helped the actors get into character and act more naturally than they would on a set. This is due to the fact that they would be actually experiencing the setting for themselves instead of trying to fabricate an image of what it would be like. The only downside that I could see arise from shooting on location- like how they did in this movie- would be the lighting. Being outside, the primary light source would have to be natural lighting which is not always predictable and by no means controllable. This is important because lighting can directly affect the mood within a scene or movie. On location shooting lets the audience see how the environment would have actually looked realistically and therefore gives the setting an extra air of verisimilitude. This is complimented by the authentic looking props and set décor/design used in the towns and urban areas.
Costume
In the movie, Butch Cassidy is seen wearing mostly tans and browns while Sundance is seen in mostly black and darker browns. Butch has a more care-free and personable attitude and his character has the job of being in charge and coming up with the ideas for the heists. Sundance plays the more reserved mysterious character. He is also the one known for being the ‘dead shot’ and has the more intimidating killer attitude. In this way, I think the production designer did a great job of correlating their costumes to match their attitudes while still staying true to the outfits the characters would have worn during the late 1800’s (when the movie was set to happen). Further, these two character’s wardrobes barely change throughout the movie, staying consistent with their personalities. Butch Cassidy actually wears the same light brown corduroy jacket during the entire movie.
In the movie, Butch Cassidy is seen wearing mostly tans and browns while Sundance is seen in mostly black and darker browns. Butch has a more care-free and personable attitude and his character has the job of being in charge and coming up with the ideas for the heists. Sundance plays the more reserved mysterious character. He is also the one known for being the ‘dead shot’ and has the more intimidating killer attitude. In this way, I think the production designer did a great job of correlating their costumes to match their attitudes while still staying true to the outfits the characters would have worn during the late 1800’s (when the movie was set to happen). Further, these two character’s wardrobes barely change throughout the movie, staying consistent with their personalities. Butch Cassidy actually wears the same light brown corduroy jacket during the entire movie.
On the other hand, there is the character Etta Place who also has interesting meanings behind her wardrobe. However, this is due to the fact that her wardrobe changes frequently and considerably, rather than staying consistent. Etta is first seen in the movie wearing her professional looking ‘teacher’ outfit. This outfit represents who she is when Sundance and Butch are not in her life. The next scene she is in, she is riding around on a bike with Butch having a fun time. In this scene, she is wearing a light-colored, billowy, comfortable dress; representing how she feels with Butch. Butch and her are obviously very into each other and have a great time together. Etta even asks Butch if he thinks they would be together if she hadn’t met Sundance before him. Another important scene regarding her outfit is when they are heading to Bolivia on the cruise. Here she is seen wearing several very elegant hats and dresses representative of the promise of fortune and luxury as they are headed to Bolivia, the “robber’s paradise”. The last interesting change in her wardrobe is after they get to Bolivia. This is where she becomes a more important character and has to teach her companion Spanish so they can carry out their heists; as well as eventually joining them in the heists. At this point, she starts to wear more masculine clothing such as pants, a blazer similar to a man’s jacket and a man’s hat. This is so that lawmen and witnesses will take them as a group of guys at first glance, this way they are harder to recognize, and consequently catch. The important thing to note here is that Etta’s wardrobe changes when the perception of her character does.
Extreme Long Shot
In the scene where Butch and Sundance are trying to run away from the Super Posse they use an extreme long shot in order to capture Butch, Sundance, and the Super Posse in the frame all at the same time. This also allows them to show how far away the Super Posse is from Butch and Sundance while also incorporating the background and revealing the characters surroundings. The XLS is also used to be able to show the Super Posse without revealing their identities. It is hinted at that two of the six men in the posse may include renowned Indian tracker "Lord Baltimore" and relentless lawman Joe LeFors, although this is never confirmed or disproved in the movie. I think the director, George Roy Hill, chose to leave the identity of the Super-Posse ambiguous because it gives them a sense of boundless power. They have unpredictably broken their standard principles of behavior by; crossing certain borders they refused to before to follow Butch and Sundance, easily tracking them in environments that should be near impossible, and even tracking them at night by lantern. This leaves you not knowing what they might be capable of and I think this is only enhanced by the mystery of not knowing their identity.
In the scene where Butch and Sundance are trying to run away from the Super Posse they use an extreme long shot in order to capture Butch, Sundance, and the Super Posse in the frame all at the same time. This also allows them to show how far away the Super Posse is from Butch and Sundance while also incorporating the background and revealing the characters surroundings. The XLS is also used to be able to show the Super Posse without revealing their identities. It is hinted at that two of the six men in the posse may include renowned Indian tracker "Lord Baltimore" and relentless lawman Joe LeFors, although this is never confirmed or disproved in the movie. I think the director, George Roy Hill, chose to leave the identity of the Super-Posse ambiguous because it gives them a sense of boundless power. They have unpredictably broken their standard principles of behavior by; crossing certain borders they refused to before to follow Butch and Sundance, easily tracking them in environments that should be near impossible, and even tracking them at night by lantern. This leaves you not knowing what they might be capable of and I think this is only enhanced by the mystery of not knowing their identity.
Works Cited
- Barsam, Richard M., and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. 4th ed. New York, NY: Norton, 2013. Print.
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Dir. George Roy Hill. Perf. Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Twentieth Century-Fox Films, 1969.
- "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 May 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butch_Cassidy_and_the_Sundance_Kid>.
- Butch Cassidy Movie Poster. N.d. Photograph. Weebly. Web. <http://www.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/7/1/25718020/463309329.jpg>.
- Set Design. N.d. Photograph. Wyoming Tourism. Web. <http://mediaserver.wyomingtourism.org/thumbnail/e15b0b5d-a069-436d-9876-ed5b62d3bd55? width=650&height=360&stretch=true&clip=true>.
- Butch and Sundance. N.d. Photograph. Sodahead. Web. <http://capslove.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/butch-sundance.jpg>.
- On the Cruise. N.d. Photograph. San Francisco Art Exchange. Web. <http://images.sfae.com/product_images/preview/1605.jpg>.
- Bike. N.d. Photograph. Quite Continental. Web. <http://quitecontinental.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/butch-cassidy-et-le-kid-1969-09-g.jpg>.
- Bolivia. N.d. Photograph. Art of the Title. Web. <http://cdn2.artofthetitle.com/assets/sm/upload/qa/fb/mg/54/butch-cassidy-screen1-in- bolivia.jpeg>.
- On the Run. N.d. Photograph. Blu-ray. Web. <http://images2.static- bluray.com/reviews/375_1.jpg>.