Do you remember watching Spy Kids when you were young, and then wanting to be just like them as soon as the movie was over, or was that just me? Well after watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, all I wanted to do was be a badass cowboy and rob banks all around the US and Bolivia with my best friend/partner in crime. I would obviously be Butch; I talk too much to be Sundance.
I really enjoyed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I liked the clever repartee between Sundance and Butch, the action, the medium-speed chases on horseback, the romance, the storyline… I guess the real question is, what didn’t I like? Let’s break down this film into the parts that make up its mise-en-scène.
Setting: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is set in late 1800s in Midwestern America and Bolivia. Because much of the movie was filmed on-location (such as the scene when Butch and Sundance were chased through the desert on horseback by the six-man team lawmen), the setting is very realistic. It in no way seems like scenes like this were filmed in an indoor studio like many Hollywood movies.
Lighting: In the beginning of the film, when Butch and Sundance are playing cards, it seems as though the entire thing will be in sepia, a filter that reminds me of Western movies. Once the camera pans out, we can see that the film is in full color. Throughout the film, most of the lighting appears to come from natural light as the majority of it takes place outside. The director’s use of lighting influences the mood of the shot in some places more than others. We don’t seem to get a sense of urgency when Butch and Sundance are being chased, but we do near the end of the film when, at a nice restaurant, the duo spots the white skimmer indicative of the men who are after them. In order to bring about much of the lightness seen throughout the film, Turner Classic Movies tells us, “Cinematographer Conrad Hall said he overexposed much of the film because he thought the lightness of the story did not require dramatic lighting and color.”
Costume: Throughout the film, the costumes seemed to be characteristic of the late 1890s, when the movie takes place. Butch and Sundance’s costumes represent their outlooks on life as well as experience. Butch starts out wearing a white shirt, which represents his later discovered purity and his naïve, child-like view of the world. Butch believes that a foreign country will promise safety for himself and his companion. Because he’s such a talkative fellow, he probably doesn’t think too much about what is happening around him; Butch most likely takes everything at face value. Even in the end of the film, Butch’s overall dress is quite light, though we notice that it is darker than the beginning—probably because he has learned some lessons about life and he finally killed a person. Sundance, on the other hand, wears dark clothing from the beginning. Being the introvert he is, Sundance probably contemplates a lot about life. He sees the hidden meaning of things and thinks through his actions before doing them. Sundance has a darker, slightly more pessimistic outlook on life than his partner, so we see him in darker clothing.
Space: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid uses a mixture of both deep and shallow space. Deep space is utilized when an image has significant elements but close to and far from the camera. When Butch, Sundance, and Etta arrive in Bolivia, the director uses deep space to show where the trio really is—the middle of nowhere with little civilization nearby. We see the three of them standing in front of a desolate station as the train continues on its way with no regard to the situation it left the three passengers in.
Shallow space is utilized to make a shot seem two-dimensional or take away its realism. This was used in the final scene when Sundance and Butch finally explode out of the building they are hiding in to a barrage of gunfire from Bolivian police and military. The camera focuses on the duo trying to defend themselves against the dozens of armed men.
Camera Angles: The majority of the film is shot at eye level, which makes the duo seem more attainable and relatable. However, there are times when low angle is used, such as when Butch and Sundance jump into the river to escape the posse of lawmen. This use of low angle not only gives us a good view of the action, but also shows a lack of power and control that the two have—just one wrong move and they could land on a rock.
When added all together, the mise-en-scène of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid gives us its light, playful, and quick atmosphere.
References:
2013. Photograph. Antagony & EcstacyWeb. 3 Mar 2014.
<http://antagonie.blogspot.com/2013/08/best-shot-butch-cassidy-and-sundance- kid.html>.
2013. Photograph. JDM Film ReviewsWeb. 3 Mar 2014.
<http://www.jdmfilmreviews.com/butch-cassidy-and-the-sundance-kid/>.
Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies. 4th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2013. 2-61. Print.
Hill, George Roy, dir. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 1969. Film. 27 Feb 2014.
Nixon, Rob. "Behind the Camera on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Turner Classic Movies. N.p., n. d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. <http://www.tcm.com/this- month/article/220487|0/Behind-the-Camera-Butch-Cassidy-and-the-Sundance- Kid.html>.