Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a Western film directed by George Roy Hill. It follows the two infamous outlaws Butch Cassidy (played by Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (played by Robert Redford) as they run from the consequences of their life of crime with Sundance's lover Etta Place (played by Katherine Ross). I believe that the film is a visual masterpiece due to Conrad L. Hall's, the cinematographer, excellent use of composition and lighting.

Composition is a tool that many cinematographers use to help the audience understand a character's disposition. Hall uses composition to this effect all throughout Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 

Early in the film, Butch and Sundance are hiding from trackers hired to kill them in a brothel owned by a friend of theirs. As they watch the brothel owner talk to their pursuers through the window, he is forced at gunpoint to reveal their location. The camera angle of this shot is behind Butch and Sundance with them on either side of the screen while the brothel owner is centered in the window [1]. This use of composition heightens the suspense of the scene because the position of the camera gives a feeling that the audience is hiding with Butch and Sundance. When Butch and Sundance are ratted out, the camera zooms in on the brothel owner while he points at the camera [2]. This gives the illusion that the audience is who is being revealed. 

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Later on, Butch and Sundance are talking to Etta about moving with them to Bolivia in order to shake their pursuers. At the beginning of this scene, Etta is sitting outside on the porch by herself, while Butch and Sundance are inside the warmly illuminated house [1]. This use of composition emphasizes Etta's feeling of isolation. Suddenly, Butch and Sundance walk over to talk to her through the window and screen door [2]. This demonstrates Etta's isolation from Butch and Sundance specifically. Next, as Sundance offers her to come to Bolivia with them, he steps outside onto the porch with her [3]. This is a visual metaphor for Sundance's invitation for Etta to join him and Butch on their adventures. Then, as Sundance begins to talk down to Etta by saying that she can't "whine or make a nuisance," he walks past her off of the porch [4]. Sundance being off the porch and Etta on the porch visually communicates Sundance's emotional distance from Etta.

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Hall also uses lighting, or should I say lack of lighting, to his advantage. The film extensively uses shadows to conceal or hide what the film makers do not want us to see or understand.

Early in the film, Sundance sneaks into Etta's house and forces her to strip at gunpoint. Keep in mind, the audience doesn't know that they are in a relationship at this point. When Sundance points his gun at her night gown, indicating for her to take it off, Etta's eye's are concealed in shadows [1]. This is done purposefully in order to mask what Etta is feeling. When Sundance and gets up and stands face to face with Etta, the shadows disappear to reveal her eyes [2]. She then says "You know what I wish? That once you would get here on time" and suddenly kisses Sundance. The audience had assumed that she must be fearful of Sundance based off the context of the situation but the shadows actually hid the lust behind her eyes. Once the shadows are taken away, so are the audience's misconceptions.

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A little later, Butch and Sundance break into the sheriff's house during the night. As the sheriff tries to figure out what Butch and Sundance want, he walks around the dark room trying to locate and light a lantern [1]. The audience assumes that Butch and Sundance are robbing the sheriff, based on the context of the situation. However, right before the sheriff successfully illuminates the room, he says "What do you think would happen to me if we was to be seen together?" As the room illuminates, so does the audience's realization that Butch and Sundance aren't enemies of the sheriff but rather they are friends.

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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is an excellent film that uses composition and lighting to enhance the viewer's understanding of the film. 

Works Cited:

Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. 4th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Dir. George Roy Hill. Perf. Paul Newman and Robert Redford. 1969. DVD.

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." MOVIECLIPS. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://movieclips.com/ujRX-butch-cassidy-and-the-sundance-kid-movie-videos/>.

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Nov. 2014. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butch_Cassidy_and_the_Sundance_Kid>.