In our house, Western movies was a huge part of our entertainment. My mother wasn't a big fan but would usually just sit through them with us, or do something else for herself.
My father, however, was the biggest John Wayne fan you could ever find. He loved all of his movies...

My youth and its Western Movies

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Because part of our youth, we grew up in Germany, we also grew up with Karl May's books, and movie adaptations. Mainly the Winnetou & Old Shatterhand series. The movies were exciting to me as a child.
Now, these days, if you think about it: it was quite ridiculous, and it just wouldn't happen anymore now: Pierre Bryce, a white French guy, who played an Apache chief...
I loved the movies.
And I was extra lucky because we lived near Elspe, a small town about half an hour from our house.
Each year, the towns people did something really special.
They performed in a live Karl Marx play, called the Karl May Spiele, on a huge outdoor stage! Sometimes together with one or more of the original movie actors.
They practiced for this all year, and it was an amazing spectacle with horses, carriages, the costumes, and even with explosions etc.

We went to this show a couple of times, and I've seen both Pierre Bryce and Lex Barker live.
Till this day I remember the amazing shows. It was quite impressive to see it as a child. I went back there when I was in my early 20's and I was still as impressed as I was back then.
If you ever find yourself in Germany for a holiday, and happen to visit Nordrhein Westpfalen, do yourself a favour and visit the Karl May Spiele. You won't regret it!

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

This is the one Western movie that has left a lasting impression on me. There are definitely more but this one was one that I've enjoyed the most.
One of the reasons for that is that it's based on a true story.
Dramatised, yes, but yet based on real-life people.
I don't even think the film captures the truly amazing life of these two bandits.

In the movie, Butch Cassidy was played by Paul Newman, who I adored as a child, and maybe even had a little crush on hehe.
Robert Redford portrayed the Sundance Kid, and this role basically jump started his career as an actor.
The iconic bicycle scene with Newman and actress Katherine Ross, and the song 'Raindrops keep falling on my head' by B.J. Thomas that played in the background, will probably be something most people know, whether they've seen the movie or not.

The song made no sense for this scene by the way. Even Robert Redford thought so. And retracted this years later. I thought it was beautiful. It was about a free spirit. Just like Cassidy was way back when.

Were Cassidy and the Sundance Kid truly bandits?

The characters in the movie were quite likeable, so at the time, I never really saw them as the bad guys, or real bandits. And till today I still have my doubts about the full story.
Of course the authorities were telling their side of the story but we've never really heard anything of the other side.
And just like now, authorities back then, couldn't really be trusted as far as you could throw them. I mean, they also came with the propaganda talk that the Native Americans were the bad ones...

To me, to get away with so much, and actually manage to disappear, was an heroic act. I didn't see anything wrong with their actions. Were they criminals in the eyes of the law? Sure!
But were they really? Who knows! No one really does.
Their whole life was a mystery, and their deaths were not any less. Cassidy had allegedly been seen after his death in Bolivia, so what do we really know about how he ended up, and where he died? Nothing! I absolutely love it!

Newman and Redford

These actors, I thought were as iconic as the roles they played in the movie. I couldn't have come up with anyone else to fit the role. Now, the real men weren't nearly as handsome as these guys, so that's Hollywood for ya, but nevertheless, they both did an amazing job.

How has the movie influenced me, and my life

I see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as true anarchists.
They didn't need or want any government authority to tell them what they could or could not do.
There weren't a lot of options at the time, especially not for guys like them. Just imagine Cassidy working in a bakery!
Nope, that's just not right.

I love the fact that they did what they did, and got away with it!

Has the movie influenced anyone or anything around me?
Yes! I named my (late) horse after Cassidy. My Cassidy was also a free spirited soul. He honoured his name.

So there, now you know what Western movie has moved me the most.
I never really had to think about this one!