Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid makes this list for several reasons. It's the first film I remember seeing multiple times, so many in fact that I knew virtual every single line (just ask my college roommates whom I drove crazy by saying them along with the actors). The thing that makes this film so special for me, is that as I studied film and as I would see it again and again, new things would take center stage. The use of music, especially in the Bolivian robbery montage, changed the way I perceived music in film and how they could work together.
In the end it's all about good writing and Goldman's screenplay is packed full of memorable scenes and lines that will pop into my head even if I haven't seen the film in a while. Like Aaron Sorkin today, Goldman's dialogue flows from the character's mouths like notes from a Mozart concerto. We all know that no one in real life is as witty or eloquent as this but hey this is art - a narrative film not a documentary.
From stunning cinematography to well rounded characters, from comedy to tragedy Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid has it all. No wonder it winds up on so many best of all time lists. So I thought it a fitting film to kick off the list. Remember now, these films are listed in no particular order, I'm not saying this is the single best film or even my all-time favorite, just a good way to kick off the list. 2012 is just underway and there are 99 more to go, So, stay tuned. and remember, as Butch said,
"Boy, I got vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals."
