Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Shootout Scene, Mexico, 1968 – Doorway

Photograph by Lawrence Schiller

Captured on location in Mexico in 1968, this powerful photograph by Lawrence Schiller documents the filming of the climactic shootout scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Framed through a stark doorway, the image evokes both cinematic tension and mythic finality, preserving a moment that would become one of the most iconic endings in American film history.

The film stars Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy and Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid—two charismatic outlaws whose story, while only loosely rooted in historical fact, reshaped the modern legend of the American West. The final shootout scene, frozen forever in slow motion in the finished film, symbolizes defiance, brotherhood, and the end of an era. Schiller’s photograph offers a rare behind-the-scenes perspective, revealing the careful construction of cinematic myth while retaining its raw emotional power.

Lawrence Schiller’s close access to the production allowed him to capture moments that blur the line between staged performance and lived experience. In this image, the stark architecture and dramatic framing echo the themes of inevitability and heroism that define the film, while highlighting the artistry behind one of Hollywood’s most enduring Westerns.

Presented as a fine art photograph, this work stands as both a cultural artifact and a visual document of late-1960s American cinema—a period when traditional genres were being reinvented through realism, irony, and star power.

A compelling addition for collectors of classic Hollywood photography, Western film history, or Lawrence Schiller’s celebrated archive, this photograph preserves the moment when cinema transformed legend into lasting cultural memory.

Photographer: Lawrence SchillerFilm: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Year: 1968
Location: Mexico
Medium: Archival photographic print
Edition: Limited Edition
Paper: Archival fiber-based paper
Presentation: Unframed
Framing: Museum-quality custom framing available
Sizes: Multiple sizes available
Condition: New, estate-authorized print

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