In my mind, it is hard to admit when you have made a mistake in how you handle yourself, but harder still to adjust yourself in a way that gets rid of bad habits (namely, figuring out how to put aside a certain amount of time each day). I guess what I am saying is that I am sorry for the delays caused by vacationing and travelling, I promise to plan ahead better for those of you still interested in sticking around. However, I can hopefully take comfort in the fact that many people have difficulty breaking out of old behaviors too…including the characters in my next review.
DAY 3 – BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID
It can be said that specific movie genres serve different purposes for the audience’s minds, much like different foods and spices trigger different areas of the tongue (or the stomach/heart, if Tums or Pepcid AC is not used). In inspirational movies like The Shawshank Redemption, you need at least one great scene that sends chills down your spine – in a way makes you feel allergic to your couch or to apathy in general (if you don’t know that scene in Shawshank, you haven’t seen the film or your heart is granite-filled). In comedies like Father of the Bride, the scenes do not need to be so realistic (You’re not looking for your father at your wedding reception? Really??), as long as the laughs are well-earned and you enjoy rooting for the character’s success (or failure). Both film genres tend to be fast-paced, filled with scenes that quickly build on one another to tell a moving story or cause your sides to ache.
Western films, upon my first impression, tend to be a little different. The climactic action scenes arrive eventually but there is much less urgency to arrive there, allowing the dialogue to spike your anticipation and emotional stake when guns (or sticks of dynamite) catch fire. This, it is highly important in a Western to have memorable, detailed characters that you can imagine in your living room – and then on a horse riding away with information or your ultra-thin money clip. Fortunately, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid serves as a great example of how to show, not describe, great protagonists.
We see Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) as the notorious leader of the “Hole-in-the-Wall” Gang in 1890s Wyoming, while Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) serves as his closest companion (although it is hard to tell if he is part of Butch’s group or not). Butch gets by on wit and thinking ahead of the curve, while Sundance lets his rifle speak for him – quite effectively, it should be noted. After his leadership is tested and vindicated in a duel, Butch decides to capitalize on the idea of robbing the Union Pacific Flyer twice – in order to obtain more money when the second trip is not expected. But Butch’s plans tend to go…haywire at times, and the audience witnesses what happens when someone decides to use their money to fight back and pursue. With schoolteacher Etta Place (Katharine Ross) along for the ride, we are left wondering if Butch and Sundance can learn to follow a straight path – or if they will even have the chance.
Several key elements must be noted to understand why this film is so iconic, at least from what I could gather. The first is the absolutely phenomenal chemistry involved here; because in order to present a dynamic criminal duo from the rural West, it is not enough for them to bounce off a quirky joke or two over donuts. This can’t be some zany Rush Hour pairing, it has to look like these two are deeper than brothers – that they would kill and die for each other at the drop of a hat (and they often do). Newman and Redford both manage to do this while exuding their own unique personalities, Newman displaying Cassidy’s easygoing, fast-mouthed confidence and Sundance letting his quick (but nobly-intentioned…mostly) wit and body language get his points across. Their dialogue never falters as a convincing pair of marauding killers, and yet it still allows them to display sides that make them human and relatable…after all, who else today isn’t frustrated with what “straight living” in this economy gets you? It makes them worth rooting for, because they see it as simply a job, an exciting one and the only one they know…even as they swindle and hoodwink themselves into a corner. And the less I say about Katharine Ross’ introduction, the better, for it demonstrates everything you need to know about her personality in just one line and flip of her hair (or two).
But beyond how these characters are introduced is how they are sustained, and in turn, how we can relate to them. Now I absolutely must mention the musical montages here, which range from plucking string instruments to a “ba-da-da-da-dum” style of pseudo-singing that will ring bells of “Glee” and “Rachel Berry melodrama” to many young minds. I am SO sick and tired of how instrumental sequences, or interludes of any kind, have recently become no more than a chance to either (A) show the hipness of the film by presenting some cheap dance or pop song (I’m looking at you, Mr. Tim “Break-Dance” Burton!), (B) appeal to younger kids by trying to flaunt as many cool, new products on the screen (decimating artistic integrity for profit, we already have Hannah Montana for that!), or (C) as filler if the movie needs another 5-20 minutes to add (the latter if you made Disaster Movie). Like all else, in order to work, it needs to add to the story!!! And here, on several occasions, it shows the efforts and travels of Butch, Sundance and Company, in a way that keeps the film length acceptable and gets the gist of the plot development displayed, all without wasted dialogue or repetition. Big plus for use of photos.
And that is what a Western is all about, right? It does not matter if Butch and Sundance really did commit every robbery, or escape in every way displayed, or causes all those women to swoon in real life. In the 1890s and even today, stories often become exaggerated and legendary because of how they are often orally told…and that was just fine with people. The meaning and thrill of hearing the story is what mattered, not the literal truth alone. This film actually emphasizes that too, with its opening disclaimer, “Most of what follows is true.” And don’t any of you tell me that you never embellish in the same way. Does it matter if it was truly the worst traffic jam ever this morning? Do we really need to hear about every twitch and reflex made during a big play you made on your annoying co-worker at your company football tournament? Is anyone going to really ask exactly what measurements that attractive woman on the bus had? No, no, and….um, no, we can imagine ourselves. As long as a Western tells an effective story, the rest is all just fixings and trimmings on the ol’ turkey.
So while this film can drag a bit during some of the chase scenes, and may not serve everybody in today’s “need 500 Facebook posts to show I had a great day” generation, it is a nice reminder to see characters fleshed out gradually – on their terms and not ours.
Score:
TOMORROW (DAY 4): FOOTLOOSE
No comments:
Post a Comment