Growing up, I always heard about this movie as a classic piece of American filmography, a great, timeless movie that would be watched for years to come. I'm not sure if the opinion held by Pauline Kael, the author, was widespread at the time, but it still surprised me to read that in 1969, the year the movie was released, someone wrote something like the following about a movie that we now view as classic.
"'Butch Cassidy' will probably be a hit; it has a great title, and it has star appeal for a wide audience...Yet, hit or no, I think what this picture represents is finished. Butch and Sundance will probably be fine for a TV series, which is what I mean by finished."
Obviously comparing something to a TV series or insinuating that it could be a made for TV movie is not a complement. So what I wonder is how movies that are being produced now are going to be perceived in the future. Are the some of really bad ones going to be seen as classic later? Will people insist that their children watch "Step Up: 3D" ? Or did no one else grow up hearing that "Butch Cassidy" was a great movie?
I don't think the article is bashing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid so much as what it stands for. The film was actually critically acclaimed and won an Academy Award. I think Kael is expressing the views of her generation and the counterculture, which calls for gritty underground movies with no heroes rather than the tough Butch Cassidy, who end up pretty much alright in Bolivia, maybe a little worse for the wear.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a humongous difference between films now and films in the 60's, especially accounting for the huge amount of films easily available now and the different tastes people have. Ultimately, the classics will be what we chose to give a legacy and show our kids; it's up to us to pick the classics by going to the boxoffice.
I really like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It has the reputation of being a classic in my family as well. And while I think that the quality of movies as of late has gone down, it's inevitable that we'll produce some classics — cult classics at the least (like Donnie Darko and Inception).
ReplyDeleteClassic movies do not necessarily need to be profound. I think the first step to becoming a classic is being remembered. If movies can be remembered, they can be passed on - or maybe they'll strike a chord with the audience when they didn't before.