Monthly Archives: February 2025

Filters

Author:
Category:
Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde

Leave a comment

Cast

Warren Beatty – Clyde Barrow

Warren made his debut as a tortured teenager opposite Natalie Wood in Splendour in the Grass in 1967. He played a lot of drama, mystery and crime roles, in movies such as Bugsy, The parallax View.

Faye Dunaway – Bonnie Parker

Her career began in the early 1960s on Broadway. She made her screen debut in 1967 in the Happening, the same year she mad Hurry Sundown with an all – star cast, and rose to fame with her portrayal of outlaw Bonnie Parker. She played many role of the female lead in romantic films and also crime fiction.

Michael J. Pollard – C.W. Moss

Pollard was unknown before his fascinating entry in Bonnie and Clyde, bringing his squint and grin to the part of Marvin. He gained a cult following, usually portraying quirky, off beat, simplistic but likeable supporting characters. He played in our movies such as The Wild Angels, Hannibal Brooks.

Gene Hackman – Buck Barrow

For much of 1960s, Hackman was playing small roles on television shows. It wasn’t until his turn as Clyde Barrow’s Older brother in 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, his first big movie role, that hackman began to really embody a movie star. He starred in roles which contained drama, dark comedy and thriller.

Estelle Parsons – Blanche

During the 1960s, Parsons became known her career on Broadway becoming a movie actress. She is best know for her roles in the movie Bonnie and Clyde, Rachel, Rachel and i neve sang for my Father.

Denver Pyle – Frank Hamer

He first screen credit came in 1947, when he landed a small role in the high sea adventure “devil Ship” He worked steadily throughout the 1950s, appearing in the Western anthology series “Frontier” and on the popular family series “My Friend Flicka.” Although he acted primarily in western and crime television dramas.

Dub Taylor – Ivan Moss

Taylor made his film debut in 1938 as the cheerful ex – football captain Ed Carmichael in Frank Capra’s You can’t Take it With you. During 1950s and early 1960s, he used his xylophone skills on several televisions show.

Gene Wilder – Eugene Gizzard

He began his career on stage, and made his screen debut in an episode of the tv series The play of The Week in 1961. His first role was that of a hostage in the 1967 motion picture Bonnie and Clyde. He is best know for his role in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Mise En Scene

Location
– During New Hollywood there where many low budget film. Meaning that many sets where natural environment and place where there was no need for major change. During Bonnie and Clyde many scene where filmed in location that where realistic and verisimilitude for people creating a positive atmosphere for people from that time period.

Sets
– Most sets where filmed in Texas however the built sets where built in the Warner Brother Studio in California. The sets that where built looked realistic do the time and where built to look like other location in Texas.

 

Costumes
– The most iconic looks from the film, Bonnie and Clyde leaned heavily on the classics. Clyde’s pinstripe double- breasted suit was tailored to perfection, while her ribbed knit sweater, tweed pencil skirt, silk scarf and wool beret where criminally chic. They costumes where very typical of the time period of 1950s and 1960s and the costumes where inspired by many, and was nominated for an Oscar that year for costume design.

Props
– Props where used to show the time period of the film, the type of car used was many ford enthusiasts regard it as one of the most delicate designs by ford. There was also many props used in the banks scenes where the props made the scene come to life including the use of the gun and bags when collecting money from the cash registers.

Editing

Being an action and emotional film, the editing style that was used a lot was shots of the characters gazing at each other, this was used by Penn to make the audience sympathise with them. Jump cuts used inspired by the French New wave directors like Jean-LucGdard and Francois Truffaut show Penn’s film school background. Use of shot-reverse-shot in the diner conversation the simplistic editing and use of close ups encourages the audience to focus on the dynamic between the characters as Clyde is revealed to be insightful and intuitive.

Sound

Every time the group makes a quick getaway, a chorus of Banjo music, a song called “foggy mountain breakdown” begins to play. The music is quick and light- hearted, and even when the plot has been dramatic, the folksy music makes the scene feel more humours and comic. This recurring motif suggests to the audience that to Bonnie and Clyde and their components, crime is all a mater of fun and games. . A score is used when Bonnie and Clyde are driving away from their first robbery. The music is a fast – paced tune played by Banjo.
however the lack of music in Robbery scenes lends them a sense of realism

Aesthetics

Very diverse shot types, varying pace and discontinuity edits – the lack of clear patterns convey the unpredictability of New
Hollywood and the film’s protagonists. Inspired by Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai for the closing scene of the film. Influenced by convention challenging French New Wave directors. Truffaut even made contributes to the script. There was a lot of verisimilitude location and costumes which felt very comfortable for the audience of that generation.

Representations

Gender – Bonnie starts the film ‘trapped’ inside the home and Clyde is first seen out in the world reflecting the gendered norms for the era the film is set in. The rest of the film challenges these roles. Clyde’s impotence, ‘I aint much of a lover boy”, was also a taboo subject and challenged
stereotypes of the masculine virile hero.
Class – Bonnie and Clyde support the working classes throughout e.g. encouraging the evicted Otis Harris to shoot at the bank sign, letting the man in the bank robbery keep his own money.
People of Class – there are no people of colour in the film.

Political and Social Context

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 1950s was a decade marked by the post World war ll boom, the dawn of the cold war and civils right movement in the united states.
The story of Bonnie and Clyde, the notorious twosome who went on a viscous crime spree during the Great Depression was retooled to reflect the turbulent late 1960s society. Bonnie and Clyde’s anarchic rebellion resonated with a society in the midst of intense Vietnam war and civils right protests.

Bonnie and Clyde

New Hollywood/Bonnie and Clyde

Leave a comment

First Response

Rating /10 Why?  Memorable Scene  
7/10 I really enjoyed the movie; I found that the pace worked an interesting level that you could personally feel the frantic energy of being on the run just by watching it. The Ending was also a very interesting point as throughout the movie you knew that they would be found but it was unexpected at that point.  My most memorable scene would be when they first meet as the movie goes from quite a relaxed environment of Bonnie following Clyde around the town, too suddenly bank robberies and action this really shocked me and stood out.  
French New wave, New Hollywood

French New Wave

Leave a comment

What is meant by the cinematic term French New Wave?

French New Wave 1958-1960s

New Wave was a film movement from the 50s the movement was known for breaking the traditional filmmaking conventions. The term came from film critics who turned into the leading directors of the era. This was a rejection of classical Hollywood film making

What specific stylistic and structural elements are present in French new wave films?

Directors had a Auteur on each of their films. Previously to this the movie was recognized by the stars or studio which made the film. In the new wave each director took control of their movie and put their own distinctive twist on it.

Selection of music was used that matches the tone of the movie and added emotion at vital moments

Directors had low budgets, however this is what made the movies so creative traditional movie rules were broken such as filming on location and natural light. This made film accessible for everyone to create

As they were filming on location this meant that they often used non professional actors and used people in the location this created a sense of realism.

Film was used a medium to express peoples emotions.

Which directors and films from the French new wave influenced Arthur Penn a he was making bonnie and Clyde? why do you think this was the case?

His main influences were Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. This was due to their style and knowledge of the new movement. I think the new movement and especially Jean-Luc Godard gave him the advice and inspiration to create something new

New Hollywood 1960-1990 

Bonnie and Clyde, Arthur Penn (American)  

What is meant by the term New Hollywood (Link to decline of the Hollywood Studio System)  

The term new Hollywood follows the decline of the the old Hollywood era. Tv had slowly become a stable in every American household, this led to the “habit” being broken by going to the cinema every week. The films also being made at this time didn’t resonate with the American people meaning that many “flops” happened for example Cleopatra. Young people also moved to enjoying Foreign films more, as the American studios were out of touch with the interests of the younger generation.

Name some films, directors and stars from this period. 

Jean-Luc Godard-

He was a French Swiss film director who came to prominence with New Wave group in France during the late 1950s and the 60s.

Francois Truffaut-

Francois was a French filmmaker, actor and critic, people see him as a icon of the French new wave movement

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

Cold War 1991

The cold war was a period of geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies.

Vietnam War 1955 – 1975

A conflict which pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam its principal ally, the united states.

French New wave, New Hollywood

New Hollywood and French New Wave

Leave a comment

New Hollywood

The term New Hollywood is a movement in American film history from the mid-1960s to the 1980s.

Some of the films, directors and stars from this period are: – Jack Nicholson (Actor), Dennis Hopper (Actor, Director), Woody Allen (Actor, Director), Robert De Niro (Actor), George Lucas (Director), David Lynch (Director), ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967), ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968), ‘Planet of The Apes’ (1968), ‘Midnight Cowboy’ (1969).

Some important cultural events that took place in America during the period of time in which the emergence of New Hollywood happened were: – The Flower Power Movement – The Vietnam War – The assassination of MLK Jr. – The assassination of JFK

The Influence of French New Wave on New Hollywood

French New Wave was a film movement in the late 1950s, which rejected the traditional conventions of Classical Hollywood film-making. The movement is seen as an embodiment of rejection and youthful rebellion and the people that are part of it are seen as innovators in the art of film. The directors who were making the films wanted the director to be seen as the main power behind the film, not the studio. This then leads to the idea of ‘auteur’ theory. The film makers within the period were working with low film budgets, due to the aftermath of WWII.

Some specific stylistic and structural elements present in French New Wave are:

– Handheld cameras: Handheld cameras were used by French filmmakers as they were cheaper to get a hold of than a bigger mounted camera, like the ones that would be used in Hollywood. This would give the films a documentary aesthetic.

–On location filming: French New Wave films typically filmed on natural locations, not big, constructed sets, due to their low budgets and financial constraints that the directors of these films had.

–Natural Lighting: French New Wave films most of the time used natural lighting, as they were filming on location and using handheld cameras. It also meant that the films had smaller crews and that the camera could swing around 360, as there is no film crew behind that would be filmed

–Deemphasized Plot: In French New Wave films, there are no clear plots and typically just follow around the events of the people within the film. If there is a plot within the film, the structure is usually messed around with, an idea presented by the director Goddard, ‘Every plot has a beginning, middle and end, its just the order in which it is told can be changed’.

–The Use of Non-Actors: French New Wave directors favoured not using trained actors but rather, mainly for smaller roles, used amateur actors and people that they just found out on the street, which certainly adds to this realism aesthetic that these films have. The directors also gave the actors a lot more freedom, allowing them to improvise their own lines and just allowing to them to carry out their own actions.

–Breaking the Fourth Wall: French New Wave directors used the technique of looking into the camera and breaking into the fourth wall to highlight to the audience that this a film they are watching. This may of made the audience feel quite disenfranchised towards the films.

Some directors and French New Wave techniques that influenced Arthur Penn as he was making Bonnie and Clyde were:

–Fast paced music: Bonnie and Clyde uses fast paced music in the car chase scenes, which evokes this sense of humour in running away from the police, which presents this real clash of tones within the film, as one moment you’ve got this humorous car chase scene and the next you are being shown people getting shot and dying in quite a graphic way.

–Costume Elements: In the famous final scene of ‘Bonnie and Clyde’, Clyde wears a pair of glasses with one lense missing. This is a direct homage to Godard debut 1960 film, ‘Breathless’, in which the main character suffers an awful fate wearing a similar pair of sunglasses with a lense missing.

– Graphic Content: Bonnie and Clyde’s graphic content and scenes were too taboo for the American audience of the time, but they do have substance, and the, in some people’s opinions too grotesque, graphic content does take its influence from French New Wave films.

– Intense Close-ups and Jump Cuts: In the final sequence of Bonnie and Clyde, an abrupt ending which sees our two main protagonists getting brutally murdered, director Arthur Penn has the two main protagonists look at each other in a series of match cuts, which closer towards the characters face, which, in my opinion, shows to the audience the deep love and personal connection these two characters have. This technique is once again used in Goddard’s debut ‘Breathless’, in which he uses jump cuts to also show the intimacy between the two main characters.

New Hollywood Style

Penn and other New Hollywood directors approached narratives by placing an uncommon emphasis on irresolution, particularly at the moment of climax or in epilogues, when more conventional Hollywood movies busy themselves tying up loose ends. They also hindered on narrative linearity and momentum and scuttled their potential to generate suspense and excitement.

Discontinuity editing is when the audience visually notices a cut, because something about the cut calls attention to itself and it does not feel natural and seamless.

This period of time in film production is known as ‘The Rise of Auteurs’ because directors were influenced by this French New Wave ideology that directors should be the ‘stars’ of film production and that they should have their own distinct styles and far much more control over the creation and the elements of their films for them to stand out.

The lasting impact of the New Hollywood style on modern day films is that it has allowed directors to have a much greater role in creating their films rather than the studio having all the power and telling the directors what to make. It’s also allowed for more graphic content to be shown in films, as the ‘Hayes’ code, which forbid things such as nudity, sex and drugs to be shown in films, was replaced with the MPAA film rating system in 1968.

Uncategorised

French New Wave

Leave a comment

French New Wave – 1958 to 1960s

  • When American director took ideas and inspired by from French film makers. French New wave filmmakers explored new approaches to editing, visual style, and narrative, as well as the engagement with the social and political upheavals of the era. The movement was characterised by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favour of experimentation and a spirit of iconoclasm. Rejection of mainstream or old Hollywood film conventions. Working with low budgets as they are working with the end of WW2
  • Specific stylistic and structure Elements:
    – The auteur style – The auteur theory holds that the director is the “author” of their movies, with a personal signature visible from film to film.
    – Low Budget – natural lighting used, and natural set design using the most of the surroundings near by. There was many tight budgeting in the 1950s – 1960s when filmmaking so on location sets meant that the filmmakers are spending less money.
    – visual style – The cinematic stylings of the French New Wave brought a fresh look to the cinema with improvised dialogue, rapid changes of scene, and shots that broke the common 180 degrees axis of camera movement. In many films of the French – New Wave, the camera was used not to mesmerize the audience with elaborate narrative and illusory images, but rather to play with audience expectations. They used hand held camera which makes it feel like its a documentary style.
    – Experimentation – The French New wave is characterised by its innovative techniques, bold experimentation, and rejection of traditional cinema conventions. Directors employed unconventional editing techniques such as jump cuts and discontinuous narratives, creating a sense of spontaneity and subjectivity in their films.
  • Directors and Films from the French New wave that influenced Arthur Penn as he was making Bonnie and Clyde ?
    – Jump cuts used inspired by the French New wave directors like Jean-LucGdard and Francois Truffaut show Penn’s film school background. Use of the bluegrass song foggy Mountain Breakdown by Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt keeps the tone light during crime scenes lending a comedic tone to some moments. Bonnie and Clyde used a lot of music which was a lot of Banjo music
  • Three moment from Bonnie and Clyde that depict the French New Wave?
    – The opening credits, depicting period photographs accompanied by the sound of the camera clicks suggestive of gun shots.
    – The films boldly original framing, employing windows, glass and mirrors as recurring visual motifs.
New Hollywood

New Hollywood

Leave a comment

New Hollywood – It was a movement in American film history from the mid – 1960s to the early 1980s, when a new generation of filmmakers came to prominence. They influenced the types of film produced, their production and marketing and the way the major studios approached filmmaking.

Four films from New Hollywood


– Bonnie and Clyde

– The graduate


– Rosemary’s Baby


– Night of the Living Dead

Four Directors from New Hollywood

– Steven Spielberg


– John Milius


– Christopher Nolan


– Martin Scorsese


Four Stars from New Hollywood

– Max Von Sydow


– Shelley Winters


– Walter Matthau


– Robert Shaw

What events where taking place in America and elsewhere in the world around the period identified as the New Hollywood Era of cinema ?
The civils Right movement – equal rights for African Americans and for an end to racial segregation and exclusion , and the escalation of the Vietnam war.

New Hollywood Style

  • How did New Hollywood directors like Penn approach film narrative?
    – Filmmakers of the New Hollywood era embraced innovative and experimental visual style. The use of Handheld camera, unconventional angles and naturalistic lighting contributed to the immersive and authentic feel of the film, which made visual storytelling a crucial aspect of the new wave film.
  • What is discontinuity editing?
    – when the audience visually notices a cut, because something about the cut calls attention to itself and it does not feel natural or seamless.
  • The rise of the Auteurs in Hollywood?
    – New Hollywood is often known as the rise of the Auteurs as it as the beginning of when many films where being made by the same directors which meant you could tell the visual style and the differences in the directors. “It was a rallying cry for director as artists to say ” we can influence what these movies are.”
  • What is the lasting impact of the New Hollywood style of modern films?
    – While the era eventually gave way to the blockbuster-dominated landscape of the 1980s, its impact on filmmaking techniques, narrative structures, and thematic exploration remains profound. The New Hollywood movement demonstrated that commercially successful films could also be artistically daring and socially relevant.
Uncategorised

Bonnie and Clyde first response

Leave a comment

Rating 8/10

I really enjoyed this film, i think the cinematography is unique to previous stuff i have seen before. I think the love story combined to the gangster aspect was setting a path for a new sub-genre of two partners in crime being lovers. A scene that sticks out to me is the opening scene of the film, I think the way Penn camera moved and follows Bonnie’s actions is seamless and a unique shot.

Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde First response

Leave a comment

Critical score: 8/10

I enjoyed the film but I think the ending was unnecessarily graphic as we watch Bonnie and Clyde get aggressively shot without dying instantly as we see Clyde roll over in agony and Bonnie’s body fall out the car. However apart from this I enjoyed the film as it caused continuous apprehension to if they would survive another close encounter.

Stand out scene: I selected this scene where Bonnie attempts to leave Clyde and the other criminals but he chases her and they reunite in a field. This scene stands out to me as, for me it is the most prominent display of emotion from Clyde towards Bonnie as he is put in a position where he could have to continue alone and how he’d struggle. I also like the angle of this shot as due to the low angle tilting upwards we perceive Clyde in a more vulnerable position highlighting his care for Bonnie

French New wave

French new wave

Leave a comment

What is meant by the cinematic term French New Wave?

A film movement that began in 1958 and lasted into the late 1960s, known for its change in conventional filmmaking techniques. Many of the directors involved in this movement began as film critics for Cahiers Du Cinema, a French magazine that promoted new ideas through experimentation and innovation. It was a rejection of mainstream cinema and old Hollywood, a youthful movement driven by young people who were passionate about film overall. Preference for directors to be the artistic driving force and be credited rather then the studio and stars.

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

French New Wave films often utilized natural light, used actors with less experience, improvisation, voice overs (non-diegetic) and real locations. This was a result of the low-budget nature of the films in addition to creating a strong feel of realism. For technique, handheld cameras contributed to the distinctive, more naturalistic style of these films as well as giving a doctumentryesque aesthetic. Jump cuts, often used by Jean-Luc Godard, became a distinct reflection of the movement, leading other filmmakers to challenge conventional filmmaking methods, and breaking through into mainstream cinema while working with low budgets and being restrained by the limited amount of money available to them. Democratisation style of cinema, allowing anyone to be a film-maker and create films.

Which directors and films from the French New Wave influenced Arthur Penn as he was making Bonnie and Clyde?

Directors François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard had a large impact on Arthur Penn throughout the making of Bonnie and Clyde. Originally, writers Robert Benton and David Newman initially approached them to direct the film, however they declined. Two of Truffaut’s films, Shoot the Pianist (1960) and Jules et Jim (1962), were particularly influential on Penn throughout production. French New Wave films were known for breaking traditional cinematic rules, Bonnie and Clyde echoed this by portraying two lovers who committed crimes consisting of robbery, burglary, and murder, stepping away from the usual depiction and representation of law-abiding American citizens. The turbulent nature of their relationship also reflected the movement’s shift from conventional storytelling. Bonnie and Clyde was a character study, historically based but far from historically accurate. Music was prominent in the scenes of their escapes in the van, this music was fast-paced banjo music (bluegrass music). It brings a comedic element to these dramatic scenes.

Identify 3 scenes from Bonnie and Clyde where stylistic links are created with French new wave cinema, explaining why this was the case

Location filming is often used in Bonnie and Clyde, embracing the French new wave style of filmmaking as it relies less on studios to create film but rather real places to create the set of the film.

Natural lighting is common in Bonnie and Clyde, as the normal sunlight is most prominent, this gives the film a more naturalistic look. This links to the French new wave as the natural light enhances the classic low-budget nature of the French new wave.

Jump cuts were seen as a trademark of the French new wave era, they were well used in Bonnie and Clyde especially before their deaths at the end of the film. The camera jumps from close-up shots of Bonnie and then to Clyde of them looking at each other and then to the police ready to shoot them, as well as some scenery shots leading into their separate deaths. By using jump cuts, it creates a tense atmosphere and dramatize their deaths.

The influence of French new wave

Uncategorised

NEW HOLLYWOOD/INFLUENCE OF FRENCH NEW WAVE

Leave a comment

What is meant by “New Hollywood” New Hollywood, also known as the American New Wave, refers to the innovative movement in American film history during the late 1960s to early 1980s where young filmmakers gained creative control, emphasizing narrative style, and realism. 

The Hollywood studio system started declining when TVs became more prominent and popular in American households. The habit of going to the cinema once a week was being broken because of at home entertainment. The film Cleopatra was a big flop, 20th century fox lost a lot of profit because of this film, which weakened young people’s confidence in the current studios. Young people found entertainment in French NewWave cinema, which was on topic for their generation and more experimental.  

1. The Graduate (director) mike Nichols, melodrama, romance 1967 

2. Midnight Cowboy (director) John Schlesinger, drama 1969 

3. The Wild Bunch (director) Sam Peckinpah, western adventure 1969 

4. Easy Rider: (director) Dennis Hopper, road adventure 1969 

He establishment had lost its audience and not addressed them, leading to films like the graduate and easy rider being made.  

Disgraced politician  RICHARD NIXON. Watergate revolved around members of a group associated with Nixon’s 1972 re-election campaign breaking into and planting listening devices in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 1972,   

Vietnam war, proxy war America tried to stop the spread of communism through the Vietcong. Protests all over America rose which led to violence around the country.  

In the ghettos black Americans started protesting because of racial discrimination.  

RFK and MLK get shot weeks apart in the late 1960s  

What is meant by the cinematic term French New Wave– The term French New Wave comes from the French film movement which was incredibly self-aware and rejected the traditional styles of classical filmmaking, leading to an experimental era of film, which notably influenced American filmmaking styles for years to come. 50s-60s. Working with a low budget because of post ww2 France.

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

  • Deemphasized plot & dialogue was often improvised
  • Jump cuts rather than continuity editing
  • Location shooting
  • Handheld cameras- Gives a documentary style
  • Long takes
  • Direct sound & available light (live recordings, often didn’t adjust light)

•Which directors and films from the French New Wave influenced Arthur Penn as he was making Bonnie and Clyde? Why do you think this was the case?  François Truffaut inspired Arthur Penn, particularly with his film Jules Et Jim which was a 1962 French new wave film- this film challenged the gender ideals of men and women which could also be seen in Bonnie and Clyde 1967 while also utilising voiceovers, snappy editing and fast pacing to show the newer European era of cinema.

•Identify at least 3 scenes from Bonnie and Clyde where stylistic links are created with French New Wave cinema and say why this was the case. In the opening scene of Bonnie and Clyde we can see an extreme close-up shot of Bonnie which breaks the traditional style of the classic establishing shot. The multiple jump cuts of Bonnie in the first scene creatively showcase the influence of snappy fast paced editing that French directors started to use in this era. The use of jump cuts speed up the pace of the film which was enjoyable for younger generations of America and Europe.

Another notable scene in Bonnie and Clyde which showcased the French new wave influence was the famous death scene. Penn ends this film with a cut to black to show that his characters were dead and gone. There was no tidying up the end of the story or hopeful resolutions which was a direct steer away from the traditional classical Hollywood style. There was an abundance of violence in this scene, it was bloody and chaotic. Penn’s use of violence shows the move away from the Hayes code which limited violence and crude acts. This showcase of violence was an allegory for the Vietnam war which acts were dutifully hidden from the Americans at home. The ending of Bonnie and Clyde ushered ideas that criminals might be loveable, adding to the idea that violence could be art.

Lastly, when bonnie meets her family, and then cuts to her running through the field this scene is another notable example of the break away from the classical Hollywood style which always made the effort to frame the characters. The handheld shaky camera shows the influence of a documentary style of filmmaking which made its way over from France during this era. A filter is used in this scene which creatives a dream-like atmosphere which connotes a life that Bonnie could have lived if her life was not corrupted by crime. This also subverts from the technical rules followed by directors in classical Hollywood who did not experiment with filters and colour (post 1927).

1.How did New Hollywood directors like Penn approach film narratives? Penn abandoned the traditional “prude” style of filmmaking commonly used by directors in the classical era who were under the Hayes code. Penn used brutal violence, sexual innuendos, and casual humour in Bonnie and Clyde specifically to show the change from traditional Hollywood to the new Hollywood.

2.What is discontinuity editing? discontinuity editing is an editing style that is the opposite of classical editing. In a discontinuous sequence, the filmmaker will deliberately use an arrangement of shots that seem out of place or confusing relative to a traditional narrative. There’s no smooth or logical flow to the shots as they are edited together. This can seem disorienting or ambiguous, but it is used to demand participation on the part of the audience to engage in the intention of the plot

A great example of discontinuity editing is the famous (and favourite of mine) ritual/killing of colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. The disorientating cuts between Willard and the ritual show the morality and differences between the American soldiers compared to the Cambodian tribe, ultimately showing the death, killing, and violence takes shape in every culture, but is perceived differently as to reason of cause. To further explain this… Willard has been sent on a mission by the American government to kill Kurtz for his actions with the Cambodian tribe. Willard began his journey travelling up the Cambodian river from Vietnam, he starts with American ideals of patriotism which is paired with continuity editing. Slowly as he gets closer to Kurtz leading him to the ritual scene, discontinuity editing takes over showing Willard’s loss of morality as he begins to take the place of Kurtz, falling into ideals of animalistic killing shown through the water buffalo killing (which was a very real water Buffalo being killed)

3.Why is this time in film production sometimes referred to as “The Rise of the Auteurs” in Hollywood? in “Old Hollywood” many actors, producers and studios were credited as the main workers on a film and given the spotlight. Once the French new wave era started many thought that the directors or the “Auteurs” should be credited as the storytellers of the film. The directors started to be seen as the creative driving force.

4.What is the lasting impact of the New Hollywood style on modern films? We can see the lasting impact of the French new Wave era in films today, With projects like Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis (2024) which used experimental editing with aspect ratio. Or we could go back to 1994 to see Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction which creatively used discontinuity editing to piece together multiple storylines into one. Martin Scorsese also used many French New Wave influences in his films like Casino which used snappy jump cuts to showcase the rise of Ace Goldstein’s casino.