One of my absolute favorite movies.
“Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?” 
I’ve never seen the whole thing, actually. The first time I saw it in a theater the bicycle salesman scene was cut so when Butch shows up to give Etta a ride, it was totally surreal (Raindrops not withstanding) and later when he throws the bike away growling, “The future’s yours, you damned bicycles,” I hadn’t a clue what he was talking about.
The second time I saw that scene, but during the second train robbery (Where the express car is destroyed) the shot of the Pinkerton train stopping behind was suddenly clipped to about a minute later with the long shot where the fleeing gang is getting picked off by their pursuers.
Both scenes were pretty innocuous so I imagine they were elided after the film was damaged or something. Anyway, I’ve never rented the film on tape or disk, and I refuse to count the times I saw it on network TV what with being chopped up by commercials and all.
I have read somewhere that the sepia-toned bit at the beginning was originally in the script where they were in Bolivia. The three of them go to this little dinky theater to see a movie about their exploits and it was seen there. Etta walks out before they ‘die’ in the movie – she can’t stand to watch them killed even on the screen
The script was published as a paperback, and the sepia tone opening was part of the script. It had nothing to do with “budget constraints” — this was an A-budget film. If anything, I’m guessing director George Roy Hill had to convince Fox to let him do it that way. Hollywood studios at that time (1969) were very much against black and white (no Hollywood studio made a B/W picture in 1968-1970).
Greatest movie explosion of all time!
I was actually only thinking about the NYC sepia stuff; it’s been a long time, and I’d forgotten that the movie has so much sepia (that’s obviously intentional and has nothing to do with the budget). I guess I read somewhere that the NYC stuff was originally not supposed to be stills, but I can find no mention of this, so I guess I’m wrong.
Let us not forget, “Rules? In a knife fight?”
WHAM
And Kathariine Ross was HOT!
That first scene, when Butch was waiting for Etta and made her undress?
Uh - let’s say that kinda left an impression on thiis 9-yr old boy…
No, you’re correct.