These two control freaks were my first Western heroes, to give you an idea. Outlaws, of course. Men of retorts. Around age 12 I fashioned myself as a movie buff, guided by the great glowing screens of Cinemania 94, a Microsoft CD-ROM that had come along with our new Gateway 2000. Cinemania was a multimedia experience second to none; I loved it like Microsoft wished I loved Encarta. It had lists of the best movies, a thing I knew because that’s what the CD-ROM said, that they were the best. And if I wasn’t sure I could read the Leonard Maltin reviews (thin, somehow) or the Pauline Kael reviews (grumpy, somehow) or the Roger Ebert reviews (about my speed). Cinemania had stills, too, and sound clips, and a handful of video clips. I fixated on them, played them over and over. Sometimes those clips were as close as I got to seeing a movie at all. In the summer, on the weekends, I was allowed to go to the video store and pick out movies, and of course there was AMC and TCM, but certain movies were elusive. The clips from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were among my favorites. I’d like to say that’s because I instantly recognized how good the movie was, or even how attractive the leads, but in fact it had to do with the fact that the video clip included had a wonderful curse word in it. I was 12, remember. And just learning how good it could get. So of course it’s the canyon-jumping scene. Butch and Kid have been cornered. They fight about what to do. Kid admits he can’t swim, and Butch laughs at him. Then the two of them jump. Redford starts whoa-ah-oh-ah-ohh-ah-oh-aahh and ends with Shhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii—, mighty and hysterical. The dialogue just preceding the jump seemed to tell me everything about them. - Come on. Just one clear shot, that’s all I want.- Come on —Uh-uh —- We got to!Nup! Get away from me!- Why?I wanna fight ‘em!- They’ll kill us! Maybe.- You wanna die? Do you? [Pause.]- All right…I’ll jump first. Nope.- Then you jump first. No I said!- What’s the matter with you? I CAN’T SWIM![Kid nods. Butch laughs.]- Wh’are you crazy? The fall’ll probably kill you. I probably watched that clip a hundred times before I saw the movie. When I found out it wasn’t even near the end, really, there was this whole Bolivia section yet, I was mildly disappointed. I thought I’d known everything about my outlaws. I didn’t think things were going to end any worse than a daring escape in a rocky river. I haven’t seen the whole movie in a few years, though it’s still a favorite. It was on television a few weeks ago and I watched about a half hour because it was the right half hour, beginning with the two of them realizing they’re being pursued by a posse of the highest caliber. Watching Redford and Newman awkwardly slipping on rock-faces, barely staying upright as they try to shake their pursuers, for the first time I realized how hard Butch and Kid are working. Cinemania had given me the wrong idea, showing that triumphant jump. As smart-mouthed as the two of them are, they’re in trouble. The whole time they’re in trouble. The law is real and it’s strange and it’s behind them and so the romance of their escape is short-lived, by necessity.

These two control freaks were my first Western heroes, to give you an idea. Outlaws, of course. Men of retorts. Around age 12 I fashioned myself as a movie buff, guided by the great glowing screens of Cinemania 94, a Microsoft CD-ROM that had come along with our new Gateway 2000. Cinemania was a multimedia experience second to none; I loved it like Microsoft wished I loved Encarta. It had lists of the best movies, a thing I knew because that’s what the CD-ROM said, that they were the best. And if I wasn’t sure I could read the Leonard Maltin reviews (thin, somehow) or the Pauline Kael reviews (grumpy, somehow) or the Roger Ebert reviews (about my speed).

Cinemania had stills, too, and sound clips, and a handful of video clips. I fixated on them, played them over and over. Sometimes those clips were as close as I got to seeing a movie at all. In the summer, on the weekends, I was allowed to go to the video store and pick out movies, and of course there was AMC and TCM, but certain movies were elusive. The clips from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were among my favorites. I’d like to say that’s because I instantly recognized how good the movie was, or even how attractive the leads, but in fact it had to do with the fact that the video clip included had a wonderful curse word in it. I was 12, remember. And just learning how good it could get.

So of course it’s the canyon-jumping scene. Butch and Kid have been cornered. They fight about what to do. Kid admits he can’t swim, and Butch laughs at him. Then the two of them jump. Redford starts whoa-ah-oh-ah-ohh-ah-oh-aahh and ends with Shhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii—, mighty and hysterical. The dialogue just preceding the jump seemed to tell me everything about them.

- Come on.
Just one clear shot, that’s all I want.
- Come on —
Uh-uh —
- We got to!
Nup! Get away from me!
- Why?
I wanna fight ‘em!
- They’ll kill us!
Maybe.
- You wanna die?
Do you?
[Pause.]
- All right…I’ll jump first.
Nope.
- Then you jump first.
No I said!
- What’s the matter with you?
I CAN’T SWIM!
[Kid nods. Butch laughs.]
- Wh’are you crazy? The fall’ll probably kill you.

I probably watched that clip a hundred times before I saw the movie. When I found out it wasn’t even near the end, really, there was this whole Bolivia section yet, I was mildly disappointed. I thought I’d known everything about my outlaws. I didn’t think things were going to end any worse than a daring escape in a rocky river.

I haven’t seen the whole movie in a few years, though it’s still a favorite. It was on television a few weeks ago and I watched about a half hour because it was the right half hour, beginning with the two of them realizing they’re being pursued by a posse of the highest caliber. Watching Redford and Newman awkwardly slipping on rock-faces, barely staying upright as they try to shake their pursuers, for the first time I realized how hard Butch and Kid are working. Cinemania had given me the wrong idea, showing that triumphant jump. As smart-mouthed as the two of them are, they’re in trouble. The whole time they’re in trouble. The law is real and it’s strange and it’s behind them and so the romance of their escape is short-lived, by necessity.

Tags: butch cassidy and the sundance kid