‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ is a classic movie, and ever since the audience watched it, they are wondering where it is filmed. The mastermind behind the movie is George Roy Hill. Also, it is written by William Goldman. The classic film was released on 23 September 1969. We see that the movie ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The movie takes you on a sepia-toned adventure with Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and The Hole in the Wall Gang.
The movie is one of the most acclaimed films of the late 1960s, with breathtaking horse-riding scenes, eye-popping action, and the most incredible open country scenery. Apart from its fantastic representation of the two outlaws’ true story, the film is well-known for instilling a sense of nostalgia through its retro graphics. The film not only depicts their crazy and adventurous criminal lifestyle, which seemed to know no limitations, but it also perfectly captures the two men’s bond. However, above all, the film is still regarded as a classic due to its ageless cultural value and enthralling aesthetics. So, if you are one of the fans who are wondering where ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ is filmed, let us get into it.
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What Is ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ About?
The storyline follows Robert LeRoy Parker and Harry Longabaugh. They are best known by their aliases Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in the American West at the turn of the century. Cassidy and Sundance were partners and possibly the most infamous outlaws in the area, holding up banks and trains.
Butch is the brains of the relationship, while we see that Sundance is the shooting brawn. Despite their illegal status, they are regarded as a friendly pair by all who know them, even many of their foes say the same. Butch has gathered the Hole in the Wall Gang, called after his hideaway in the Wyoming Rockies, and is the de facto leader, owing to his role in bringing them all together. However, as time passes, Butch and Sundance discover that shifting conditions make their task more difficult, prompting others in the gang to doubt Butch’s leadership. A posse of six men on horseback is chasing Butch and Sundance after one of the gang’s jobs holding up a train.
They are not after the gang as a whole but merely Butch and Sundance. To figure out what their eventual aim is, the two must figure out who the six men are. They are helped by their friend, schoolteacher Etta Place, who is officially Sundance’s girlfriend, in their attempt to flee. Due to the two of them seeing one other first, she winds up with Sundance instead of Butch. Butch and Sundance will discover how far the posse will go to accomplish their goals. Also, Butch and Sundance will discover how far they will go to maintain their way of life and their lives.
Where Is ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ filmed?
We see that the production takes us to a variety of places, however, most of the filming took place in Utah’s Zion National Park. The Grafton Ghost Town is more of a historic Mormon village situated adjacent to the Virgin River in southwestern Utah. It is where Butch and Sundance hide with Etta. Actually, Grafton was abandoned after a flood in 1862 and Indian assaults in 1866, earning it the title ‘ghost town’.
We see that in the movie, Etta’s house in the background is depicted in Grafton Ghost Town. It was reportedly created specifically for the filming of the movie. However, the schoolhouse in the movie is an abandoned church in Ghost Town, and the barn is not fictional. We also see that the robbery took place on the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway in southwest Colorado. It was also featured in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade and the 1956 epic Around The World In 80 Days.
Also, the local village, where Butch and Sundance unwind under the watchful eye of the authorities, is nothing more than the backlot of the 20th Century-Fox studio in Los Angeles, much of which was auctioned off and refurbished as the Century City Complex.
Locations In Colorado and Mexico
Some scenes were filmed at Trimble Bridge on the Animas River near Durango, Colorado. Here the only option is a risky leap into a river canyon. Newman and Redford begin their ascent in Colorado, landing on a concealed mattress a few feet below. Also, at Century Lake on the studio’s Century Ranch outside Malibu, California, stuntmen performed the leap. The crane was concealed by a matte painting of the cliffs in those pre-digital days. Butch and Sundance, along with Etta, realize that their days of stealing Harriman rails are gone, and they flee to the anonymity of the big city.
Some of the ‘South American’ scenes were filmed in Taxco and Cuernavaca, Mexico. It is South of Mexico City when the three decide, perhaps not wisely, to pursue their fortunes in Bolivia. Finally, the last heroic fight with the Bolivian Army takes place in Tlayacapan’s Market Square, a village in the northeastern portion of Morelos state in Central Mexico. It is about 60 kilometers east of the state capital of Cuernavaca and a couple of hours south of Mexico City by bus or vehicle.
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