Watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) | The End of a Summer Vacation That Lasted Too Long

This is my first time watching this movie, but I listened to the music by Burt Bacharach, who was in charge of the soundtrack, a lot when I was a student. My impressions might be heavily influenced by that student mindset.

The beginning has a Western movie atmosphere. I started watching it wondering if there would be any room for Bacharach's urban and stylish music.

Butch is smart, talkative, and loves women, while Sundance is a man of few words and a master gunslinger. I saw the Paul Newman and Robert Redford combination in The Sting as well, but in this film, they aren't master and apprentice; they are equal partners.

While Butch is embracing a prostitute, Sundance says, 'I'm going to go find a woman. Someone smart, beautiful, cute, kind, and elegant...' After a while, you realize he's bragging about his own girl. About Etta.

Etta is Sundance's lover. But she also loves Butch. It's a strange love triangle. Unlike the two of them, she is also a working professional who works as a teacher.

Butch and Etta ride around on a bicycle together. The background music is 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head.' The scene of the two of them looking innocent and happy seems to symbolize their days of freedom and peace. It's an affair, but it's not quite that—that's the sense of distance between the three of them.

Butch and Sundance are being chased by people who are clearly not amateurs. Even when they set traps, they are seen through, and no matter how much they run, they can't shake them off. But they never see the faces of their pursuers. That's why it's actually scary. Maybe it's a feeling close to Spielberg's 'Duel'? Like, how long is this going to go on?

When they finally manage to escape and return, they find out that a special task force has been formed just to catch them.

Safes are becoming heavier and thicker, and the pursuit is becoming relentless. Their old methods no longer work. They look like people who can't keep up with the changing times. The sheriff says, 'Your time is over.'

They can't stay here anymore. Let's wash our hands of crime and live an honest life! Bolivia seems to be bustling like a gold rush! Etta, come with us!

Before that, they go to New York for an American 'graduation trip.' It's party time, and they've dressed up for it. All three of them (especially Etta) are dressed strangely stylishly and look urban. You can see their happy memories in a slideshow!

Even after arriving in Bolivia, what the two of them do doesn't change. They continue their robbery business with suspicious Spanish. The background music for threatening people, stealing money, being chased, and running away is 'South American Getaway.' 🎵 Da-ba-da-ba-da

The grittiness and sweatiness of robbery are bleached and deodorized by Bacharach's music, turning them into memories of youth. It's like, 'We were idiots, but the three of us were good friends and had fun, right?' It's a bit sparkly. It's like, 'I've graduated, but I don't have anything I want to do, so I'm studying abroad.' Even while living like that, an ominous atmosphere approaches from the other side.

Etta, realizing that 'days like this can't last forever,' advises the two of them, 'Why don't you get jobs on a farm or a ranch?' Their answer is, 'That sounds hard, and we're not that young anymore.' Well, I guess that's how it goes.

In the end, leaving behind the two who keep 'repeating a year' by saying 'It'll work out somehow!', Etta graduates from her study abroad. Once the only sensible person is gone, there's no one to hit the brakes.

The back-and-forth between the two who keep robbing despite everything is always lighthearted and funny. It would be nice if like-minded friends could just keep having fun forever. Wouldn't it...

And above all, the last scene is great!

Butch and Sundance are found by police while eating, and a gunfight begins. Outside the building where the two are hiding, soldiers surround them completely. Without knowing that, the two jump out, cracking jokes like, 'Next stop, Australia!' It's a shot that looks like they are 'shooting toward tomorrow.'

The eyes are frozen in a pose of running toward hope, while the ears are left to settle the score with a storm of dry gunfire. It feels strangely satisfying, actually.

The things chasing Butch and Sundance are the changing times, reality, social responsibility, and things like that. Since it's not a 'person,' the figure isn't clear, and it keeps chasing them forever and ever.

The two of them vaguely disliked conforming to the changes around them and remained in a state of moratorium for a long time. But no matter what, they were going to be caught. Their summer vacation, which lasted too long, is finally over. Even at the end, they had such good expressions on their faces.

Aside
I've always loved 'South American Getaway,' but I had been misunderstanding the title for a long time, thinking it wasn't 'Escape to South America' but a threatening title meaning 'South Americans (natives), get out!'
The costumes were the work of Edith Head. She does good work.
Isn't the Japanese title perfect for this work?