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CYCLE CINEMA #03
“Shoot for tomorrow!”(origin title “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”)
Tragic Prelude: Carefree Moments on a Bicycle

Occasionally, we come across wonderful Japanese titles for great movies. For example, “An Officer and A Gentleman” becomes ” A Journey of Love and Youth ” in Japan. It’s filled with youth and love. Don’t you want to watch it? The Japanese title for “THE BODY” is ” Stand by Me “. I’m glad I don’t have to say, “You know, River Phoenix had the potential to become a big star even in the time of ‘THE BODY’.” It’s a great title taken from the iconic song by Ben E. King that’s used in the film.

I really think that the Japanese title ” Shoot for Tomorrow!” for the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) is quite profound. In the late 19th century, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were two outlaws active in America. If you were an American back when the movie was released, you would have known these outlaws well. In a Japanese context, it might be somewhat like the thief Ishikawa Goemon and the ninja Hattori Hanzo (although it might not be a perfect comparison). Nevertheless, what an amazing choice of words. Shooting for tomorrow isn’t as easy as it sounds.

The movie is set during the waning days of the Wild West era. Butch (Paul Newman), the leader of a gang of outlaws, and Sundance (Robert Redford), a skilled gunslinger, successfully carry out a train robbery. A particularly memorable scene involves Butch buying a bicycle, which was quite rare at the time, and taking his lover Etta (Katharine Ross) on a date using the bicycle. This scene is accompanied by Burt Bacharach’s “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” a timeless moment in film history. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, you’ve likely heard this song before. Interestingly, the bicycle’s manufacturer remains somewhat of a mystery, but it’s speculated that the prop was made to resemble a Rambler bicycle, a brand sold in America in the late 19th century.

Butch effortlessly handles the bicycle, often riding with someone else or performing tricks. However, the era in which outlaws thrived was coming to an end, and modernization was sweeping in. The days of the outlaws were becoming obsolete, as they struggled to adapt to the changing times. The scene of these outdated outlaws indulging in the “cutting-edge” bicycles accentuates the tragic outcome that follows. The deaths of those left behind by the times were right around the corner, a poignant reminder of being left behind by an advancing era.

🎬CYCLE CINEMA STORAGE🎬
#01 “The Bicycle Thief”
#02 “Project A”
#03 “Shoot for tomorrow!”(origin title “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”)
#04 “The Kid With a Bike (Le gamin au vélo)”
#05 “Izakaya Choji”
#06 “Cinema Paradiso”
#07 “Kids Return”
#08 “PERFECT DAYS”
#09 “Kramer vs. Kramer”
#10 “E.T.”
#11 “Gachi-Boshi”


Text＿Hideki Inoue

I am from Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. I work as a writer and editor. My hobbies include hot baths, skiing, and fishing. Although I have no personal connection, I am independently conducting research on Shiga Prefecture. I prefer an active fishing style called “RUN & GUN,” which involves moving around actively instead of staying in one place. I am planning to purchase a car to transport my bicycle to adopt this style, which might seem a bit counterproductive.

Illusutration＿Michiharu Saotome

Post Date：2023.08.18

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CULTURE
CYCLE CINEMA #12
“Yesterday”

If you talk about ‘what ifs,’ you’ll be disliked.That makes sense.It’s no fun to drink with someone who only talks about things like ‘If I had done that at that time’ or ‘If I had studied harder.’ However, ‘hypothetical stories’ stimulate the imagination. It’s the type of story that goes, ‘What if there was no such thing as XX in this world?’ What if there were no Edison in this world?What if there were no Osamu Tezuka in this world?What if there were no Steve Jobs in this world? What if? Without great figures, the world would turn upside down. Would someone else have invented the light bulb instead of Edison? Woul […]

#Colunm
CULTURE
CYCLE CINEMA #08
“PERFECT DAYS”
Life is beautiful, and that is all.

For a certain generation, Wim Wenders is a special figure. During the era when art-house cinemas had a significant cultural impact, his films were considered “must-see movies.” Following the success of “Paris, Texas” (1985) and “Wings of Desire” (1987), Wenders’ works such as “The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick,” “Alice in the Cities,” and “Kings of the Road” were repeatedly re-released. While not necessarily fervent, Wenders’ films were quietly embraced. The influence he has had on contemporary filmmakers and visual artists is immeasurable (film students in Japan were only making road movies in the narrow confines).

#Column #Cinema
CULTURE
CYCLE CINEMA #09
“Kramer vs. Kramer”
The moment I first rode a bicycle, who I was with.

There was a film movement called American New Cinema. It consisted of films released in the late 1960s to the 1970s such as “Easy Rider,” “The Graduate,” “Midnight Cowboy,” ” Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “Apocalypse Now.” Perhaps one of the reasons for the frequent use of young directors was the incorporation of messages or somewhat critical perspectives on society and politics, taking a different approach from traditional entertainment films. American New Cinema was enthusiastically supported by younger generations and had a significant influence on subsequent films. “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979) is also a prod […]

#New York