Landed in cinemas around the world in 1969, Butch Cassidy and the Kid was a landmark. With six awards at the British Academy Film Awards and four statuettes at the Oscars, the film directed by George Roy Hill established itself as an instant success. Worn by Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Katharine Ross, it pushed the western into the deep end of buddy movies. Between humor and comical sequences, the film is nonetheless inspired by the lives of two real bandits.
Butch Cassidy and the Kid : the funny escapade of Paul Newman and Robert Redford
Bank robbers, but also train robbers, Butch Cassidy and The Kid are experienced thieves. Problem is, by robbing Union Pacific convoys, they will find themselves in the sights of Pinkerton, a detective agency. Faced with a horde of professionals chasing them, they will have no choice but to go green. Direction Bolivia for our two friends, but not only that. Indeed, a certain Etta Palace, a teacher they met during their wanderings, will be on their run…
Robert Leroy Parker and Harry Alonzo Longabauch, the real thugs behind the two movie heroes
Perhaps less in the fun of what is presented in the film, know that at the beginning of the 20th century, our two robbers really committed a series of misdeeds. Butch Cassidy, real names Robert Leroy Parker and Sundance Kid, Harry Alonzo Longabauch, have become the most famous thieves in the USA. The cause of their success? Ever more spectacular attacks, particularly on trains. Two characters who have had numerous adventures on the big screen, including The three outlaws in 1956, and therefore Butch Cassidy and the Kidrespectively in the guise of Paul Newman and Robert Redford in 1969. Note that in this film, there is no mention of the passage of the thugs in Patagonia, before they end their journey in Bolivia.
ATTENTION SPOILER
Moreover, contrary to what we find in front of George Roy Hill's camera, Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid did not die during a pitched battle against an army of Bolivian soldiers. In reality, in November 1908, only two soldiers and a few police officers were dispatched to arrest them. In the shootout, two representatives of the police will die, just like the famous bandits.
