What global events had just taken place and were taking place at the time of the films production? Explain how these events may have impacted on the style and content of the film itself:

Made in 1967, Bonnie and Clyde was made nearing the end of the decade. Throughout the 60’s a plethora of events occurred involving the US that can possibly be shown to make an influence on the production of Bonnie and Clyde. From the 1st of November 1955 to 30th April 1975, the Vietnam war saw an large influence on political and social events. Due to the wars futility in making progress and the amount of American lives lost to fight a war for political ideology, growing unpopularity of the conflict grew in America, examples of this can seen with peace protests and the infamous peace symbol brandished by hippies, who rejected established institutions and “fought against the machine” (E.g. the Government), This can be said to make an influence on Bonnie and Clyde as their storyline follows a similar premise of revolting against the government for its unfairness and corruption, such as the banks in the 1930s and the military and government during the Vietnam war.

In addition to this the Cold War had reached it peak. In 1961, The CIA had orchestrated the soon to be failed bay of pigs invasion in Communist Cuba. Involving trained capitalist Cuban soldiers, who attempted to invade the bay of pigs their attempt was found out and stopped by Communist Cuban military. This relates to Bonnie and Clyde as it can be said the US is represented by the authority figures and the Cubans as the gang evading them and preventing suppression of democratic expansionism.

How are different groups represented In Bonnie and Clyde and what ideological standpoints may these representations reveal about these groups?

Women –

Women in Bonnie and Clyde are represented as accessories to the men, shown in scenes with the characters: Bonnie, Blanche and the undertakers girlfriend, their male counterparts are almost always being at their side. This is a stereotypical representation of women still common in the patriarchal society of the 1960s which was the decade this film was made in. However, Faye Dunaway’s character, Bonnie, differs from the stereotype as she is more so a Femme Fatale, shown by the director as playing a more independent role and being the dominant one in the relationship between her and Clyde.

Men –

Men such as Clyde and his brother, Buck are represented as being almost boisterous when around each other, this shows an aspect of immaturity as it mainly their actions that get them into trouble such as antagonizing the Texas Ranger, this includes other men such as C.W. Moss and the undertaker being youthful with their personalities such as liking cars. Men like the Evicted home owner and the Texas Ranger, Frank Hamer, are shown to stern, emotionless and stone-faced, this can be seen as a typical masculine representation from the time.

Authority Figures –

Authority figures in Bonnie and Clyde are represented as persistent and determined in the arrest of the main protagonists, with the character of the Frank Hamer, being a Texas Ranger brought out of retirement to capture them, it represents authority figures like this further, it also can be seen with him interrogating Blanche after a shootout to find out more about his targets. They can also be seen to be easily outwitted and manoeuvred by the gang such as within police chases, shootouts. Their persistence is thoroughly shown with the use of an armoured car brought to deal with them. From an ideological viewpoint this could represent the film makers use of French New wave as the protagonists and the authority as the government and previous film styles that were more traditional.

People of Colour –

People of colour in Bonnie and Clyde are represented as being equal to white people, although during the time, America was still racially divided, this representation could go to show the developed youth of the era showing their acceptance of racial equality such as with the worker of the evicted home owner shaking hands and being treated fairly by the protagonists. With also being able to shoot at the bank owned building this could go be a visual metaphor for the civil rights moment.

Working Class Americans –

Represented as down to earth and humble, the working class Americans are shown to be caring travellers, sharing little of what they had. living out their carts and trucks they are shown as deeply poor. Since the film is set in the 1930s, this is an accurate representation of people of the working class as many lost their jobs due to Great depression.

Realism –

Verisimilitude is what I have chosen as the aesthetic for realism as Bonnie and Clyde is based on the real stories from the people of the past, this can exampled through information on the 2 people at the start of the film almost as just a refresher to who they were.

Tone –

Throughout Bonnie and Clyde, a mixture of Tones are used. The tones suspense and comedy are used frequently with occasional scenes of pathos for characters such as the farmer who had his home taken by the bank, the people who cared for Bonnie and Clyde when they where injured and Bucks wife when she was being integrated by the Texas ranger.

Visual style –

During the films release in the 60s, many young film makers implemented the visual style of the “French New Wave”. This consisted of techniques such as jump cuts, hand held camera work, use of natural lighting.

Another example of this new visual style was the use of more violence, compared to other films, this was unconventional in American films at the time.

Mise En Scene –

Locations –

Filmed in Texas, in the home state of the real Bonnie and Clyde, This use of historically accurate location adds to the mise en scene as it creates an immersive setting to film. With use of old timey buildings it intentionally recreates the appearance of a town in the 1930s.

Sets (Interiors) –

Set interiors are used within the mise en scene to often capture the dramatic elements of the films story line. This can be shown with a couple of scenes showing Clyde’s inability to make love to bonnie. It also is shown during the bank robberies and police home invasions.

Costumes –

Costumes in Bonnie and Clyde create a mise en scene as the actors are dressed up in clothing of the time. This can be shown with the first image showing some of the fashion styles for men and women within the 30’s. The second image is a recreation of a real photo of Bonnie, this creates a good mise en scene as it makes the costume fairly accurate to the time.

Props –

Props used for the mise en scene include the notorious weapons of the gangsters and mobsters alike from the 1920s, these include the tommy gun, nicknamed the “typewriter” for the sound it made when firing, pistols and revolvers as well such as smith and Wesson’s and colt M1911’s as seen in the second image.

Inside Bonnie and Clyde, the editing style used is continuity, this is because scenes take place after another, however within some occasional scenes, the film contains discontinuity as jump cuts are used. An example of this can seen with Clyde being injured after a fight with a shop owner, in the next scene however his wounds have cleared.

This has been intentionally done to create the effect of time passing between the scenes, providing through visual context why Clyde’s wounds have healed.

Cast:

Warren Beatty –

Made famous by his previous films such as ‘Splendour in the Grass’ (1961) and ‘All fall down’ in 1962, Warren Beatty was already a well known actor for his usual casting as a charmer. Being a producer on Bonnie and Clyde, Beatty set him self the role of Clyde as he wanted to distance himself from his usual roles.

Faye Dunaway –

despite acting in 2 films prior, as well as performing in theatres, ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ was Faye Dunaway’s Breakout role to stardom. Being hired by director, Arthur Penn, he was convinced she was right for the part.

Michael J. pollard –

Similar to Dunaway, he served minor roles in films and TV until his breakout with Bonnie and Clyde. Being a fairly young actor it has been said he was chosen for the role of CW Moss for the naïve nature and unique charm he brought to the character.

Gene Hackman –

Making his first on screen appearance as minor role in the 1964 film, Lilith, Gene Hackman proved to be a great actor in the eyes of Beatty, after this he gained his fame for his role as Clyde’s brother, Buck barrow along side Beatty. He would later go on to star in films such as ‘The French Connection’ and ‘A bridge too far’.

Estelle Parsons –

Before Bonnie and Clyde, Parsons had performed in minor roles in the films ‘The absent-minded professor’ and ‘Ladybug Ladybug’. She wouldn’t receive a role as a main protagonist however until Bonnie and Clyde in which she won an academy award for best supporting actress. This is probably the reason she was chosen for the role as her role as Bucks Wife, Blanche as her performances with other actors stands out.

Denver Pyle –

Staring in a plethora of ‘B’ movies from the 40’s all the way up until the late 50’s, Denver Pyle was most likely selected for his versatility through the numerous roles he played in the numerous amount of his films.

Dub Taylor –

Known previously for being a main role in the film ‘You can’t take it with you’, Taylor like Pyle stared in many ‘B’ films. He was most likely chosen for his old appearance as CW Moss’s father.

Gene Wilder –

Making his debut performance in Bonnie and Clyde, Gene Wilder portrayed good acting skills and demonstrated this on screen playing the frightened undertaker. Due to his unforgettable scenes he would later star as Willy Wonka in 1971.

7/10 – I gave it this rating as I feel as if there wasn’t much to give off to be an interesting narrative. There is some good aspects with the story with the death of Clyde’s brother.

Memorable scene – the scene I found most memorable was when Bonnie and Clyde stick up the Texas Ranger, this is memorable as it provides a incentive for his appearance to matter later on in the film.

French New Wave –

The ‘French New Wave’ was a French art film movement that came about in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. The movement stemmed away from the traditional film making, but instead used experimentation and creative freedom, involving some aspects of a spirit of iconoclasm. Films focused on personal, experimental and unconventional storytelling.

What specific stylistic and structural elements are present in French New Wave Films?

The stylistic elements of the ‘French New Wave’ consisted of a mix of realism, subjectivity and authorial commentary: these created a sense ambiguity within the films that made the viewers question things that are not answered within the film.

The structural elements consisted of fragmented, discontinuous editing were no smooth flows between shots were edited together. This creates a disruption between shots therefore forming a ‘Jump cut’. Other structural elements consisted of long takes and Freeze frames, these were used to break the immersion of the film to ensure a viewer isn’t just watching a film to turn off, but to view it for artistic purpose.

Which directors and films from the French New Wave influenced Arthur Penn as he was making Bonnie and Clyde? Why do you think this is the case?

Breathless, made in 1960 was directed Jean-Luc Godard. This film was apart of the French New Wave as its plot was about a petty thief falling in love with a journalist.

The 400 Blows, made in 1959, was directed by François Truffaut. This was about a Parisian boy surrounded by inconsiderate adults and neglectful parents. Forming a plan to runaway with his friend, this gets him into more trouble with unsympathetic authority figures. This would go onto inspire other film directors, with the most recent being Shane Meadows, where his ending to ‘this is England’ is reminiscent to the ending of the 400 blows.

What is meant by the term ‘New Hollywood’?

The term ‘New Hollywood’ stems from cinema in the mid to late 60s up until the late 90’s were films, by a new generation of directors reflecting a more broader innovation by covering topics such as political and cultural conflicts at large within America’s culture. Overall the control over films moved over from the studio towards the director to allow more creative freedoms. This came out of such events as the ‘Paramount decision’ where the court ordered a case to decide the fate of film studios owning their own theatres and holding exclusive rights on which theatres would show their own films.

Name some of the films, directors ands stars from this period.

Apocalypse Now, – 1979, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Is a well known New Hollywood film that challenged the morality of the Vietnam War. It starred well known actors such as Martin Sheen, Harrison ford and Lauren Fishburne.

Taxi Driver – 1976, directed by Martin Scorsese, Is one of Scorsese’s famous films about an ex-Vietnam vet who tries to save an underage prostitute from her pimp. It includes a well known actors such as Robert De Niro.

JAWS – 1975, directed by Steven Spielberg, is about a large white shark that fatally attacks swimmer’s, to get rid of it a sheriff teams up with a crew to hunt it down. This starred a famous actor, such as Roy Scheider.

What events were taking place in America around the period identified as the New Hollywood era of cinema?

During the period of the 50s up until the late 70s the US were involved in numerous events. Many of these centred around the battle of political ideology of capitalism VS Communism or social injustice:

• The Korean war – after the second world war, The US and other capitalist nations fought with the south Koreans against the communist china backed north Koreans.
• The Vietnam war, which spanned from 1955 to 1975, saw the US fight against the communist Vietnamese, backed by the USSR, this further goes to show the battle of ideology’s that soon became unpopular socially back home in the US as the death toll of Americans to prove which political ideology is better became unpopular after peace protests started to rise in numbers.
• The civil rights movement, took place throughout the 50s, which saw people of colour protest at the falsehoods of their rights and discrimination brought under laws such as segregation. The main event surrounding this can seen later on with Martin Luther King junior, giving his speech on the matter, this was supported by a quarter of million of people who attended his speech in Washington.

The Second World War:

During the release of Casablanca, it was both set and made in the time period of the Second World War. Only being a year into the conflict, after the events of pearl harbour on December 7th 1941 where the US were surprise attacked at a naval base in Hawaii. The US joined the allied forces of Great Britain and Canada to fight against both Nazi Germany and the imperialist empire, Japan.

Due to the sudden attack on American people, many young and old men fit for fighting signed up to join the US forces. This can shown through Casablanca as towards the end of the film, Rick can be seen to show his contribution as an American to the war effort by sending resistance members, Ilsa and Victor to the United States to provide vital information to win the war.

Prior to this, on the 25th of June, 1940 France had fell to might of Nazi Germanys collected and modernised tactics. During the Nazis control over France, it was split into parts: the Nazi occupied North and the Vichy south, where the french government was allowed to remain but regulated and puppeted by Germany. Including the nation itself, its territories overseas were placed under german control. This included Morocco which at the time was under french control and wasn’t a country like today.

With the film ‘Casablanca’ named and set after a city in Morocco it would be impossible to have a locational film there under the circumstances of the War. This meant that filming of Casablanca was to be done in sets or in familiar locations in the deserts of Burbank, California.