Dhruv Sharma
Even for today’s standards, the kind of visual storytelling experience that ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ brings to the table is just amazing. Directed by George Roy Hill, ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ is a Western film that revolves around the true story of outlaw Butch and his closest associate, Sundance Kid.
The film not only portrays their wild and adventurous outlaw life, which seemingly had no bounds but also perfectly highlights the bond that the two men shared. But more than anything else, the film is still considered to be a classic because of timeless cultural significance and scintillating aesthetics. So further down in this article, we’ll be walking you through all the stunning locations that were featured in the film.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Filming Locations
Sporting an amazing cast which includes Paul Newman and Robert Redford, ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ walks you through a sepia-toned adventure of Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and The Hole in the Wall Gang. With scenic horse-riding scenes, eye-popping action, and the most incredible open country backdrops, it is one of the most celebrated films of the late 60s. Apart from its incredible depiction of the true story of the two outlaws, the film is well-known for the feeling of nostalgia that it instills through its vintage visuals. Its filming took place in several different locations, but primarily it was shot around Zion National Park in Utah.
Zion National Park, Utah, USA
The little town in which Butch and Sundance hide with Etta is the Grafton Ghost Town which is more of a historic Mormon settlement right next to the Virgin River in southwestern Utah. After a flood in 1862 and Indian attacks in 1866, Grafton was abandoned, thus acquiring ghost towns in its title. The scene from the movie in the image below shows Grafton Ghost Town with Etta’s home in the background. Apparently, Etta’s home was built solely for the filming of the movie. However, the schoolhouse featured in the film is actually the Ghost Town’s abandoned church and the barn is also an existing barn.
There’s a scene in the film where Butch has a showdown with Harvey Logan to establish his leadership on the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang. This scene was entirely filmed in Cave Valley, Kolob Region of the Zion Park. The Railway robbery scenes were shot around Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway which is located in southwest Colorado. The parts of the movie in which Butch and Sundance decide to hide from the law and settle down in local town is actually Stage 16 at 20th Century Fox Studios, Century City, Los Angeles, California.
Trimble Bridge, Colorado
The famous jump scene from the movie in which both Cassidy and Sundance take a risky leap into the depths of a canyon was filmed near Trimble Bridge on the Animas River, located in southwest Colorado. The two actors started their jump in this location and ended it by landing on mattresses that rested right below. The final moments of this scene in which the two characters land in water, were later completed by their doubles at Century Lake on the studio’s Century Ranch in California.
Mexico
The scenes that are depicted as Bolivia in the film, were predominantly shot in Taxco and Cuernavaca to the south of Mexico City. Even one of the final moments where Cassidy and Sundance get trapped after being surrounded by the Bolivian army was filmed in the Market Square of Tlayacapan, Mexico.
The image below features the real location where Butch Cassidy spent most of his childhood:
The picture below features Paul Newman and Robert Redford on the sets of ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’:
Here’s a picture of the prison where Butch Cassidy was locked up for two years:
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