Paul Newman: The legacy will always be ours for the watching

22 years of my life had past before I watched ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’, arguably the late Paul Newman’s greatest film. Despite a ringing endorsement from my father, who won’t mind me saying that he’s not exactly the biggest movie buff, my mother, and just about everyone else I know, the 1969 film always eluded me. That changed on Sunday.

As I’m sure was the case for many, Saturday’s news that Newman had died following a lengthy battle with cancer came as a shock. Not only was the actor one of the few remaining Hollywood icons; he was a devout family man and self-effacing charity worker whose legacy off the screen will probably last as long, if not longer, than his work on it.

My first introduction to Newman came in the movie adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. While the novel is a masterpiece in itself, I found Newman’s portrayal of Brick Pollitt nothing short of spellbinding - those blue eyes piercing through the tense narrative like a knife through butter. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a waterfall of Newman films followed. Cool Hand Luke, The Colour of Money, Road to Petition – but never Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

I finally decided to change that after listening to Robert Redford’s tribute to Newman on Saturday. Redford, Newman’s co-star in Butch Cassidy and also the 1973 film The Sting, told Entertainment Tonight he had “lost a real friend” on Friday. "My life - and this country - is better for his being in it,” he added. If there was ever a moment to watch the film then this was it. I’m not sure who was more excited to be watching the film as I put it in the DVD player on Sunday afternoon.

Both my parents - now extremely thankful that I visited them for the weekend – appeared during the opening credits. “Oh, I’ll just watch the first 15 minutes,” my Mum said. She never moved for the next 105.

Now I can understand why they were two of the people who recommended it so highly. Butch Cassidy is unlike any other Western I’ve ever seen – a genuine one off. The sinuous plot, based loosely on the true tales of the Hole in the Wall gang, feels secondary to the on screen relationship between Newman (Butch Cassidy) and Redford (The Sundance Kid). Both actors share the kind of chemistry that’s as rare as their individual talents. The shared glances, intrepid smiles and delicious one-liners are overwhelmingly refreshing and unnervingly natural. My only disappointment was that it took me so long to discover it.

Hollywood may have just lost one of its true greats, but Newman’s legacy will always be with us; it will always be ours for the watching, no matter how long it takes.