in bonnie and Clyde editing is used for comedy and effect. in this scene the barrow gang steal someone’s car so they go and chase them. the jump cuts back to the couple as there reactions change from them chasing the car in anger to driving away from the car in horror when they realise they have guns. the directors are clever in the final shot of this scene as it is the same shot of the couple but they are in a car with everyone else as they have been caught.
The film was released at a time of social unrest in America when people, particularly the young, were challenging the government’s role in the Vietnam war, there were race riots and a large counterculture developing. The film’s anti-authority message reflected this.
The rise of New American
Cinema of the late 1960s
Bonnie and Clyde is considered one of the first films of the New Hollywood era and a landmark picture. It broke many cinematic taboos and for some members of the counterculture, the film was considered a “rallying cry”. Its success prompted other filmmakers to be more open in presenting sex and violence in their films.
Women
In Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie has been corroborating with Clyde’s criminal activities. Far from the classical depiction of a passive character of women, Bonnie has been depicted as a “revolutionized” image of a heroine. She was not the typical women who had a weak image in the film, rather, she had an equal footing with Clyde.
Gangster movies, violence, and crime were rarely associated with female sexuality before the 1960s, and Bonnie and Clyde shattered those stereotypes.
Men
In Bonnie and Clyde, the two main stars have their gender roles completely reversed. This is key in seeing how men are represented in Bonnie and Clyde, Clyde isn’t your typical love interest like in Warren Beaty’s other film, instead he is a multi-layered, impulsive and reckless character. This suggests Arthur Penn wanted to represent Men as being just as emotionally vulnerable as a woman, this is highly influential at the time because men in movies were only love interests, or mysterious gangsters without an actual personality.
Authority Figures
if not all, the authority figures in these films demonstrate a ruthless disregard for the truth and a sadistic pleasure in their ability to torment. If Bonnie and Clyde represent the attitude of the youth, then there is no question that Sheriff Frank Hamer symbolizes the older generation.
People of Colour
People of Colour are notably absent throughout the majority of the film, besides the character of Davis, who works with Otis Harris. Davis has no lines in the film, and can be seen waiting to be instructed by Harris before shooting the gun at the window. This is a negative representation, as Davis’ character is not represented equally to his white co-worker. However, it may be historically accurate, as racial prejudice was still common in the 1930s.
Realism
“The director, Arthur Penn, wanted his film to be as real and untheatrical as possible,” Guffey comments. “The producer, Warren Beatty — who was also the star of the film — shared his point of view. They were out to get stark realism on celluloid. Nothing was to be beautiful. Everything was to be, you might say, harsh — and that’s the way it was through the whole picture.”
In the interest of such realism the decision was made to film as much of the script as possible in the actual locales where the true-life outlaws of the title had held sway more than 35 years before.
Tone
Directed by Arthur Penn, Bonnie and Clyde has a tone that constantly switches between comedic and tragic, childish fun and grave consequences. The use of black in the scene where Bonnie meets her mother for the last time creates a funereal tone and foreshadows the death of the protagonists. Overall, the tone of Bony and Clyde is at times comic, slapstick, and light-hearted. At others, violent, dramatic, disturbing, and tragic.
Visual Style (French New Wave)
From the opening credits, depicting period photographs accompanied by the sound of camera clicks suggestive of gun shots, through to the film’s boldly original framing, employing windows, glass and mirrors as recurring visual motifs, Bonnie and Clyde constantly experiments with the tools of cinema, clearly echoing the techniques most familiarly connoted with the French New wave.
According to Cousins, why did the hub of film production in the USA move from the East Coast of America to Hollywood?
Hollywood was an ideal place to produce movies since filmmakers couldn’t be sued there for infringing on motion picture film patents held by Thomas Edison and his Motion Picture Patents Company.
Which nation’s film industry does Cousin’s describe as “the best in the world” in the 1910’s and why?
During the First World War the film industries of Europe were devastated, and Hollywood replaced the French and Italian firms as the most popular film makers in the world.
Give an example of two films and two directors from this place and time cited by Cousin’s as remarkable.
Frankenstein – J. Searle Dawley
The Fugitive – D. W. Griffith
Who were Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd and why were they so influential? – Keaton, Chaplin and Lloyd were comedic actors that starred in silent films. Keaton’s trademark was physical comedy. Lloyd, similar to Keaton, was known for doing dangerous stunt work himself, and was considered a daredevil. Chaplin was well known for his ‘tramp’ character and his heavy use of improvisation.
Give examples of some of the films that they made and mention some of the other notable filmmakers that they influenced. – The General (Keaton), The Great Dictator (Chaplin) and Safety Last (Lloyd). Aardman animation notably payed homage to Keaton’s film The General in their Wallace and Gromit film ‘The Wrong Trousers’.
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd were all comical slapstick actors who featured in the theme of comedy.
They were all extremely influential and went on to inspire many other actors to mimic their personality’s. In 1917, Charlie Chaplin’s character was so famous a fake was created called Billy West was introduced and played “the tramp”.
Charlie Chaplin stared in silent films such as Limelight, Monsieur Verdoux, The Kid, The Gold Rush and city lights to name a few.
Buster Keaton stared in moves like Steamboat Bill Jr
Charlie Chaplin was influential because he would make himself relatable with his working class audience. He wore clothes with holes in, and his characters, such as the tramp, were rarely upper class.
Buster Keaton was influential because of his slapstick comedy, and his stunts which were physically done through planning and risk. He had a dead pan static facial expression (named the ‘The Great Stone Face’), which made his comedy all the more iconic.
Harold Lloyd was also influential for his physical stunts of comedy, where he put himself in danger, such as swinging from building.
Buster Keaton was a comical director and actor who was known for doing stunts as part of his comical and slapstick genre. He was known for having a deadpan facial expression that would make his reactions even more funny.
Charlie Chaplin was an English actor and director. He was most famous in the silent film era and in most of his movies he played a character called the tramp. This would appeal to the audience as they were mostly working class to so this could be relatable and funny
Harold Lloyd was an American actor and director. her was famous in the silent era and acted in both silent films and talkies. Harold Lloyd was known for his glasses which made him look nerdy. However he would prove everyone wrong by doing dangerous stunts such as climbing a building.
buster Keaton stared is films such as the cameraman
Charlie Chaplin starred in films such as the great dictator
Harold Lloyd starred in films such as the freshman
Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd were all actors and directors of comedy films with each having a unique trademark seen in their movies.
Buster keyton was most known for physical “slapstick” comedy involving a lot of extreme stunt work usually involving heights an example being three ages(1923) where he attempts to jump from one building to another but fails to do so hitting the wall.
Charlie Chaplin was known for his real world commentary within his films being able to relate toward the average viewer playing poor people in many of his films displaying the issues of living in poverty. As well as playing hitler in the great dictator(1940) where he played with a balloon earth representing peoples fear of him at the time.
Harold Lloyd was known for his intense daredevil characters and stunts similar to Buster Keyton. This can be seen in his film safety last(1923) where a guy bravely and recklessly climbs a building facing many dangers along the way like a plank and getting stuck in rope. This inspired many other filmmakers to make more action packed stories with daring characters.
