BrianRxm Coins in Movies 48/385
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Western film with outlaws, bandits, and bags of Mexican silver pesos
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The 1969 film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is about two outlaws in the waning days of the Old West in the late 1800's to early 1900's.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rob banks and railway trains in the American Southwest.
 
When it appears that too many law enforcement men are searching for them, the pair and Sundance's girlfriend Etta Place head for Bolivia to continue their activities.
 
The Bolivian scenes in the picture were filmed in various places in Mexico. The Popocatepetl Volcano appears in one scene.
 
A robbery of a mine payroll features bags of silver coins which are portrayed by Mexican silver peso coins of the 1957 to 1967 type.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
1. Title
The film opens with a statement "Most of what follows is true."
 
Then there are some recreated historical films and photographs in sepia of the two men as played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
 
Then the film turns to color and the pair appear.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
2. Butch and Sundance
The pair head a gang of robbers who live in a hideout called "Hole in the Wall." Butch quells an argument over leadership of the group and the gang heads out to another robbery, this time of a railroad train.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
3. Train robbery
The gang uses explosives to open a safe.
 
The pair leave and head to the house of Etta Place, a young pretty school teacher and girlfriend of Sundance. She is also very close to Butch.
 
Butch has bought a bicycle and takes Etta riding.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
4. Bicycling
The men meet their gang to rob the same train on it's return trip. Again they use explosives but use way too much.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
5. Train robbery remains
The explosion had sent clouds of paper money into the sky.
 
Another train arrives with a group of six men sent to hunt down the outlaws.
 
The outlaws ride away but can not keep the group from following them.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
6. Night watch
Butch and Sundance hide in the dark but see the men coming with lights.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
7. The lighted men
Butch asks "Who are those guys?" and later the pair find out that the men are expert trackers and gunmen hired by the railroad company.
 
The pair are chased around the rocky mountains by the hunters.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
8. Cornered
Butch and Sundance find a way out and head for Etta's place.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
9. Discussing plans
The pair decide to leave the American West and head for the South American country of Bolivia which Butch has heard is a good place for outlaws.
 
Etta joins them as they head first to New York.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
10. Official photograph
In New York the three pose for pictures and then take a ship to South America.
 
They finally arrive in rural Bolivia.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
11. Arrival in Bolivia
Neither Butch or Sundance speak Spanish which is a handicap in robbing banks.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
12. Spanish lessons
Etta tries to teach the men a little of the language and she writes out Spanish translations of instructions for use in talking to bank employees.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
13. Bank robbery
Soon their description is circulated in Bolivia along with wanted posters, in Spanish, of course.
 
The pair take an "honest" job as bodyguards for a mine payroll courier named Percy Garris.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
14. Riding with Percy
Local bandits are waiting for the courier to return with money.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
15. Bandit attack
The bandits open fire with guns and kill Percy.
 
Butch and Sundance throw the bag of money to the bandits.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
16. Bandits arguing
The bandits open the bags to split up the money which is in silver coin.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
17. The goods
The coins are Mexican pesos of the type minted between 1957 and 1967 and were 10 per cent silver. At the time the film was made (1968) they were going out of circulation due to inflation.
 
A Mexico peso dated 1962:
 
Mexico peso 1962
18. Mexico peso 1962
Silver, 34 mm, 16.0 gm, Krause Catalog of World Coins number KM 459
This type was minted from 1957 to 1967 and was mostly copper with 10 per cent silver.
 
Back to the film:
 
The bandits are busy dividing the money and get a surprise.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
19. Bandits surprised
Butch and Sundance shoot down all of the bandits and take the money.
 
Believing that they are not meant for honest work, the pair return to robbery, this time a payroll.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
20. Robbing the payroll
They steal a donkey and ride into the mountain town of San Vicente.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
21. San Vicente town
The snow-covered mountain in the background is the Mexican Popocatepetl Volcano.
 
A boy recognizes the brand on the donkey as belonging to a mining company and tells the police.
 
The pair are cornered in a building by the police and, due to their reputation, the police bring in soldiers.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
22. Butch and Sundance
The soldiers arrive and set up a perimeter.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
23. Soldiers waiting
The soldiers and police fire into the building and Butch and Sundance decide to run.
 
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
24. Final stand
The pair are cut down by bullets and head into history.
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy
Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid
Katharine Ross as Etta Place
Strother Martin as Percy Garris
 
Director: George Roy Hill
Writers: William Goldman
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