A few words about...™ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid -- in Blu-Ray

Robert Harris · 05-10-2008, 10:50 PM

George Roy Hill's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was brilliant filmmaking in 1969 and remains brilliant today.

The performances by Mr. Newman and Mr. Redford are sharply honed and up to date in every way. Likewise the screenplay by William Goldman remains remarkably textured, working a thin line between the old western genre and the modern buddy film.

Butch Cassidy has stood the test of time.

But like any extremely popular film four decades old, it is physically a bit frayed around the edges.

Once parts of the original negative are damaged or gone, there is nothing to be done but to rely on preservation elements produced at the time. But the truth about those elements is that normally they were vaulted without a care -- literally never examined or tested to see if they would answer back in case of a problem. I'm not referring to Fox here. I'm referring to the industry.

And there are some problems.

Those among you who fit into the nit-picker category will note dupe sections, which appear derived from separation masters. They have a bit of flicker, some discoloration at the bottom of the frame, occasional dirt and other assorted discoloration anomalies.

Grain haters will also have a field day, as Butch was (I believe) photographed on Eastman 5254, the same stock as Bullitt and all of the films of the early '70s. It has a magnificent grain structure, and wonderful color characteristics. This is actually one of my favorite film stocks.

The audio, both in 5.1 stereo as well as the original mono seem crisp and clean, especially as derived from the DTS HD Master tracks.

The truth, which is the bottom line, is that nit-picking is not in order here, as the surviving elements are what they are, and no amount of work, investment or complaining is going to change a thing.

Great films do not age well from a purely physical perspective, while poorly received films seem to age beautifully.

I tend to look at it this way, which is a perspective that I suggest.

As a four decade old production, Butch Cassidy still seems fresh and vibrant to both those revisiting its charms as well as those who have never seen it. This is one of those films that appears that it could have been made yesterday. But here's the perspective that seems to put things in their place.

Go back an equal number of years from 1969, and one is just reaching the dawn of sound -- orthochromatic black & white negatives, along with people speaking into flower vases. With the exception of Mr. Mamoulian's work, a pretty difficult transitional era.

I can easily accept this wonderful film for what it is, and where today's elements allow it to be taken.

I'm certain that a full 90% of viewers will never notice anything amiss here, which is why I suggest to the nit-pickers...

relax, allow yourselves to be taken back to the wonderful war years of the Nixon administration, and take in Butch Cassidy for what it still is -- one of most entertaining films ever created.

There are no caveats here.

Fox Home Video's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in Blu-Ray comes Extremely Highly Recommended. This is one not to be missed!

RAH

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Robert Crawford · 05-11-2008, 12:41 AM

RAH,
Besides the film element problem you've noted, does this BRD have any other problems regarding color or film grain issues that didn't appear during the original theatrical run that those of us who were fortunate enough to view back then? I call them "issues" for lack of a better word, but of course, they weren't, but just the way the movie was chosen to be filmed by its great director and cinematographer.

Mark-P · 05-11-2008, 04:17 AM

Would you care to elaborate a little on the 5.1 track? I'm curious how it was derived. I know that Chace created a simulated stereo track in the 80s for the home video release, but the first DVD opted for the original mono sound, and the more recent DVD added a stereo track (probably the Chace track, but I don't know for sure, I only have the first DVD)

Robert Harris · 05-11-2008, 05:32 AM

The film looks as it did in 1969 with the exception of the dupe sections. A very nice transfer.

Robert Crawford · 05-11-2008, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Harris

The film looks as it did in 1969 with the exception of the dupe sections. A very nice transfer.

That's what I thought. There are too many reviewers posting critical comments in their reviews that either haven't watch the film they're reviewing in the movie theater or don't watch enough film on the big screen to begin with in order to grasp an understanding about film grain and filmmakers choices regarding color schemes in the filming of their movies.

Cees Alons · 05-11-2008, 06:43 AM

Quote:

no amount of work, investment or complaining is going to change a thing.

Hear, hear!

Ain't this true! (And a much more general truth in real life anyway, also known as the Humpty-Dumpty paradigm!).

Thanks a lot RAH, once more!

Cees

Danny_N · 05-11-2008, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford

That's what I thought. There are too many reviewers posting critical comments in their reviews that either haven't watch the film they're reviewing in the movie theater or don't watch enough film on the big screen to begin with in order to grasp an understanding about film grain and filmmakers choices regarding color schemes in the filming of their movies.

Ain't that the truth. It also comes down to just being lazy and not doing their job properly as a reviewer (paid or unpaid). It's a shame though that these so called reviewers do influence people's buying habits.

Thanks RAH for your review and confirming what a German comparision already told me: this is an excellent transfer.

Dale MA · 05-11-2008, 02:09 PM

Excellent news. Shame I have to wait until the UK release date in December to view it myself.

Johannes S · 05-11-2008, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dale MA

Excellent news. Shame I have to wait until the UK release date in December to view it myself.

Get the German edition, which has been released early in February.

It is region B, same picture and extras as the US release, except additional German dub.

Great release! Special recommendation!

Amazon.de: Butch Cassidy und Sundance Kid [Blu-ray]: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin, Henry Jones, William Goldman, Conrad L. Hall, Burt Bacharach, George Roy Hill: DVD

Dale MA · 05-11-2008, 02:30 PM

Interesting! I may indeed look into buying that. Thanks!

Peter Neski · 05-11-2008, 04:22 PM

I would want to know if the Blue Ray is worth getting,I like the dvd,but heard
bad things about the Blue Ray mostly from someone who didn't know how the
film looked,I liked the DVD ,but is it worth it?

Robert Harris · 05-11-2008, 08:30 PM

The BD is, without a doubt, worth far more than the price of admission!