The film, Bonnie and Clyde, follows a trend for this period. Many films, whether westerns, or dramas, were about anti heroes, or just bad people. This movie, is a very loose biography of two criminals. It shows them, in their world; a life of being on the run. They seem to enjoy it. Unfortunately, their love of this life does catch up to them. Bonnie and Clyde, are played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. They both give performances, that any actor would hope to have. Their performances are helped by the supporting cast. This includes, Gene Hackman, (Buck Barrow), Michael J. Pollard, (C.W. Moss), and Estelle Parsons, (Blanche Barrow).
This movie has a flow to it, from beginning to end. It starts with Bonnie Parker, a waitress, hoping for something better in her life. Her wish comes true, in the form of Clyde Barrow, an ex-con. She goes for a ride in her mother’s car, stolen by Clyde. She doubts that he committed robbery. He proves as good as his word; robbing a small store. This sends them into a life of crime, becoming faux celebrities robbing banks. They later run into C.W. Moss, a gas station attendant. He goes with the couple, after they rob the station. He, like many in the area, look up to them, because they rob banks. C.W has also convinced them, that he’s a good driver and mechanic. It is through C.W.’s error, that they begin to be hunted. He parks the car, while Bonnie and Clyde, rob a bank. This causes confusion, and Clyde kills a man who pursues them. This incident causes animosity between Clyde and C.W.
A little later, Clyde‘s brother Buck, and his wife, Blanche, hook up with the gang. Blanche at first has the naive idea, that her husband, is briefly reuniting with Clyde. She later finds out the hard way, after a police raid on the hotel. She tells Buck, that they should leave. He says they’re stuck, because he killed a policeman. Blanche later embraces the life, when the gang steal a car, owned by Eugene Grizzard, (Gene Wilder). This was the first appearance of Wilder in a movie. Grizzard and his girlfriend, are taken hostage by the gang. They seem to be enjoying the company of criminals, until Bonnie asks about Grizzard’s line of work. He tells her that he is a funeral director. This gets Grizzard and his girlfriend kicked out. Bonnie has a great fear of dying. This would be understandable, given her career choice.
The law begins to closein on Bonnie and Clyde’s trail. They are surprised in a night raid by the police. They manage to shoot their way out of their desperate situation. During the shootout with police, Buck Barrow is mortally wounded, and his wife Blanche, is critically injured, and caught by the police. Bonnie and Clyde were also wounded in the raid. The gang decides to lay low at C.W.’s house. Ivan Moss, (Dub Taylor) C.W’s dad, isn’t upset at his son’s chosen profession. He is angry that his son doesn’t get any publicity. He decides to talk to a Texas Ranger, Frank Hamer, (Denver Pyle). Hamer was disgraced, when he was caught by the gang, and forced to take a picture with Bonnie. Ivan Moss cuts a deal, getting his son a small jail term, in return for Bonnie and Clyde. Hamer and the rangers wait in ambush for the car. Several shots are fired, and the criminal career of Bonnie and Clyde ends.
The story is solid in this movie. What makes it special is the cinematography of Burnett Guffy. It is well done from the beginning, with extreme closeups of Faye Dunaway, to the shootout scenes, to the dance of death of Bonnie and Clyde. It requires a great deal to master the camera, and make a movie work. Guffy worked well with Arthur Penn, to give the audience a quality cinematic experience. Guffy, for his efforts, won an academy award.
Movies for the most part, are enhanced by their soundtrack. This film is highlighted by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, performance of Foggy Mountain Breakdown. Flatt and Scruggs were famous bluegrass performers. Their song is performed during a police chase, with the Barrow gang outmaneuvering their pursuers. The chase is highlighted not only by the the song, but also how the chase is done. There is a faraway shot and the separating of police cars from the getaway vehicles. This shows the pursuit being once again a fruitless police chase.
A movie like Bonnie and Clyde isn’t for everyone, but it style and use of camera’s makes it necessary viewing for anyone who appreciates film. It is also worth noting that Estelle Parsons’ performance against Faye Dunaway’s Bonnie Parker gives the film an added quality. Parsons was a broadway actress, who was acting in her first film. She won the Oscar for best supporting actress. It was the only major award the film would win. This was an incredible oversight by the academy. The film helped to usher in other films like The Wild Bunch and The Godfather movies. These type of films were a Hollywood staple for many years.
The movie also has a level of eroticism and violence that was officially banned from films for many years. The Hayes code was by this time, a moral watchdog, that was cast off. Faye Dunaway is partially nude in the beginning when she meets Clyde. Her posing for the famous picture of her smoking a cigar and holding a gun, also breaks the barrier for showing sexy scenes. There are also several violent scenes of gunplay in the movie. The most graphic is when Clyde shoots a bank employee in the face, when he jumps on their car. Their is also the dramatic shootout at the motel, where Buck Barrow is mortally wounded. The final scene depicting the notorious couple’s demise, is a scene that for the most part is true. It also required a lighter colored vehicle, instead of the original green one. This was to emphasize the bullet holes.
Bonnie and Clyde ends with the infamous couples deaths. The movie allegedly was responsible for the death of Bosley Crowther’s career. He was the film critic for the New York Times for nearly thirty years. He destroyed the film in print. He wasn’t the only one. His opinion was that the movie glorified the couple. It wasn’t an entirely incorrect opinion. Unfortunately, his bosses felt that he was out of step with modern movies. Bonnie and Clyde was hailed by many critics as a well made film which it was. The lighting and the directing are as good as it gets. The studio can be faulted for making a movie that puts criminals on a level with regular folks. Unfortunately, the notorious couple had their short crime spree during the depression. They were among many who were lauded because they committed crimes against institutions and not people. There is a scene in the movie which highlights this. A man is staring at a house. He tells Clyde that it use to be his home, but he lost his job, and it was taken from him. Clyde lets him use his gun to shoot out the windows. This makes the man feel a little better. Another scene is when the gang’s take after a robbery is small. Clyde says times are hard.
Bonnie and Clyde was not initially well received at the box office. The studio didn’t release it to first run theaters. The positive response by critics helped to get it a second release, after its initial short run. It made the studio a considerable amount of money. Its star and producer, Warren Beatty, became rich, because of the dividend deal he made with the studio. The movie is really a step back in time of about 35 years. Warner Brothers made their name on gangster movies and making those like Cagney and Robinson stars. Bonnie and Clyde brought this genre back, and Warren Beatty became an overnight star who could write his own ticket.