Warren Beatty

Warren was born on March 30th, 1937 and his career as an actor and film maker spanned over 6 decades. This led him to winning a lot of significant awards in the film industry such as receiving an Academy Award but being nominated for 14 and 3 Golden Globes awards after being nominated endless times. He was also nominated 4 times for the ‘Best Actor’ award as well as ‘Best Director’ but also for ‘Original Screenplay’ showing his dedication and talent as well as creativity. Beatty mad his acting debut in the American period drama film ‘Splendor in the Grass’ (1961) followed by his infamous role as Clyde in ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ (1967) which made him over 6 million dollars alone though he was fully entitled to 40% of the film’s earnings, he made he generous decision of giving Arthur Penn 10% of that. He has also starred in films such as the American comedy film ‘Shampoo’ (1975) and more recently in the American romantic comedy ‘Rules Don’t Apply’ in 2016. Though Beatty was proven to the public eye to be an amazing film maker and actor, not many believed in him from the beginning therefore having to prove everyone that he was not just an actor being casted for his looks. Warren was described by his team and fellow cast members are incredibly hard working and innovative as well as caring and passionate about his career.

Faye Dunaway

Faye, born on January 14th, 1941, is an American actress who began her career in the early 1960s on Broadway, making her screen debut by starring in the American crime comedy film ‘The Happening’ in 1967 which was a very small role compared to her then 2nd role as the portrayal of Bonnie Parker in ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ the same year. Though she did not have much of a pronounced acting career prior to this famous role, it led her to winning an Academy Award and further on in her career she also won an Oscar. Some of her other well known roles were Evelyn Cross in the thriller ‘Chinatown’ (1974), Serena Joy in the Sci-fi thriller ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ (1990) and many others which made her very respected and loved by the public as not only was she classified as a very talented and dedicated actress but she was also described as beautiful, passionate and hard working as well as powerful and strong. Faye influenced many young women to start their own career and empowered and reinforced the importance of female roles and the power women hold in the film industry.

Michael J. Pollard

Michael, born on May 30th 1939, was an American actor who mostly got casted as simplistic but likable supporting characters due mainly to his facial features but also his bubbly and sometimes awkward manner. He is infamously known for playing the role of C.W. Moss in ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ from which he gained significant recognition and nominations for awards such as an ‘Academy Award’, a ‘British Academy Film Award’ and multiple ‘Golden Globe’ awards. Some other films he casted in are the outlaw biker film ‘The Wild Angels’ (1966), the romantic comedy film ‘Roxanne’ (1987), the revisionist Western ‘Dirty Little Billy’ (1972) and many others leading his to acquiring endless role opportunities and respect within the film industry.

Gene Hackman

Eugene was born January 30th, 1930, and he led an acting career spanning over 4 decades leading him to winning awards for numerous roles such as 2 ‘Academy Awards’, 2 ‘British Academy Film Awards’ and even 4 ‘Golden Globe’ awards further supporting his lengthy and well respected and loved career. After casting in films such as the American neo-noir film ‘The Conversation’ (1974), the political action thriller ‘Enemy of the State’ (1998) and most famously the character of Buck Barrow in ‘Bonnie & Clyde’, Hackman decided to retire from acting due to medical necessity though he has stated that he feels like he has accomplished more than enough.

Estelle Parsons

Estelle was born on November 20th, 1927 and after studying law, Parsons began singing before deciding she wants to pursue a career in acting. She first started working for the American morning TV programme ‘Today’ and made her stage debut in 1961. During the 1960s, Estelle established her career on Broadway before she began film acting, and during the 70s she even went on to produce her own Broadway shows as well as well as starring in films such as ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ which led her to winning an ‘Academy Award’ for best supporting actress as well as being nominated for her other work such as her role in the American drama film ‘Rachel, Rachel’ (1968). Estelle became very well known and well loved within the film industry due to her kindness and unmatched talent.

Denver Pyle

Pyle was born on May 11th, 1920 and passed away on Christmas day 1997 after a lengthy and successful acting career as well as being a director. He was well known for a umber of TV roles from the 60s through to the 80s such as his portrayal on Briscoe Darling in a number of episodes from the American sitcom series ‘The Andy Griffith Show’, ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ (1985) and many more while also developing his film acting career. As much as his career was more consistent when it came to TV shows rather than films, he has starred in 14 films including his infamous appearance in ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ as a Sheriff representing the older generation’s harsh feelings towards the younger generation.

Dub Taylor

Taylor was born on February 26, 1907 an he was an American character actor who mostly played in films and on TV, often in Westerns and comedies and he is the father of the famous actor Buck Taylor. He has had a lengthy acting career, playing roles in films and shows such as the American musical tragedy ‘A Star is Born’ (1954), the contemporary Western ‘Junior Bonner’ (1972) and of course playing the role of C.W.’s father in ‘Bonnie & Clyde’.

Gene Wilder

Gene was born on June 11th, 1933 and sadly passed away on August 29th 2016 after an admired career as an actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He was mainly known for his comedic roles such as his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ (1971) as well as his small but comedic role in ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ which also got some recognition even though it was his first time being casted for a motion picture. He began his career on stage and made his screen debut in an episode of the TV anthology series ‘The Play of the Week’ in 1961.

editing

• in full support of ‘The French New Wave’ movement, Arthur Penn did not follow the ‘classic’ opening of a film such as opening with a landscape shot through the use of an extreme long shot or just a long shot to establish where and what is happening, Penn started the film with an extreme close up of Bonnie’s lips followed by the camera panning to her in the mirror, making the viewer know who she is, though it wasn’t the traditional example of an establishing shot, it still served the same purpose but through a different method
• however, sometimes the editing in the film does match the traditional way of editing as the editor still wanted the film to make sense and flow but not in the same way ‘Casablanca’ uses editing for storytelling purposes
• discontinuity editing became very popular around the release of this film meaning that the spectator is aware of themselves watching a film therefore ruining the credibility of the world of the film or the film itself however it can also support a storyline or plot

mise en scene

• location – most of this film was shot on location as supposed to a sound stage of an artificially built set therefore implementing the Texas historical accuracy, Penn decided to shoot the film in Texas as that is where the story is set but also because it is really far away from LA where the all big studios were therefore allowing smaller directors such as actor to have full control, ownership and authenticity over the film
• due to Bonnie’s stylistic choices in the film, women started getting influenced by the character when the film came out therefore influencing a whole generation of women to not only try and look like her but to also wear what the want even though men can see it as revealing or inappropriate due to her wearing more 60s inspired clothes even though the film is set in the 30s

aesthetics

• the tone of the film changes all throughout the film, for example the spectator could be watching an almost comedic car chase scene or a romantic and heartfelt scene and suddenly the tone changes due to there being a mass amount of violence due to gun shots and people dying
• the overall aesthetic of the film is realism due to t=elements such as costumes. location, settings and music making the audience this this film was not only set but also filmed in the 30s

sound

• ‘Blue Grass’ music is dominant all throughout this film creating a sound motif for scenes such as car chases, this music is played on the banjo and it is up beat and very lively however this stops in serious situations or immediate tone changes
• some gunshots in the film had to be enhanced in post production for a bigger impact and effect almost shocking the audience

representations

men

• Clyde – he is represented as a confident ‘bad guy’ who is charming and good with his words however, we also get to see the vulnerable side of him when he expresses his feelings about his ability to sexually perform to Bonnie, this shows that men at that time had issues too and were not always in control
• Buck – he is represented as money thirsty however also very caring and compassionate towards his wife, always trying to take care of her
• C.W. – he is initially represented as a young and naïve character who just follows Bonnie and Clyde around however we then see him take charge when Bonnie and Clyde get seriously injured as he managed the get them cleaned up, fed and hydrated as well as finding them a place to go showing his loyalty and dedication

women

Bonnie – her role breaks away from stereotypical women roles as she is seen as powerful and confident and knowing what she wants and how to get it as we see her taking charge by doing things such as shooting guns and driving the car and overall partaking in all activities the men in the film are seen doing however, at the beginning of the film she was being represented as hopeless and sad and even naïve as she left her whole life and mother behind for a man she had just met

Blanch – she is seen as almost the opposite of Bonnie as she is loud, obnoxious and sometimes seen getting the whole group in trouble, she also gives the impression that she was just dragged into this whole plan by her husband and she has no choice but to follow them around even though she is seen getting money as well therefore benefitting also, she is represented as a compassionate and caring character especially towards her husband

authority figures

the lawman – he represents the older generation and their response and reaction to the younger generation which is seen through the was he is speaking to them and his actions such as spitting in Bonnie’s face

people of colour

though there are a couple people of colour in this film, they don’t play significant roles or have any lines whatsoever, this absence of people of colour represents the state of America during the 1930s, bringing attention to the discrimination and inequity happening

working class Americans

because of what was going on in America at the time this film was set such as the Great Depression, many Americans lost their jobs and were forced into poverty or making a significantly smaller amount of money than they used to especially farmers which is what we see in the film as their farms are being sold and they are represented as resentful and angry towards the government

political and social context

Produced in 1967, the ongoing Vietnam War influenced director Penn’s portrayal of graphic violence. He stated that people needed to view guns as terrifying instruments, and accordingly, violence in the film is often highly graphic and reflective of society at the time – demonstrated in the connection that can be drawn between Clyde’s sudden gunshot to the head and the shocking 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy 

the Wall Street Crash also took place, leading to the Great Depression which caused many to lose their jobs and money therefore everyone was looking for a way to make as much as possible, some resulted to crime as an easier option

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. She was mainly unknown before starring in the film Bonnie and Clyde.

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 C.W Moss. 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 never 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, as Bonnie and Clyde where from 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. The costume Faye Dunaway wore 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. The film was made in the 1960s however was made to look like the 1940s which was when the real Bonnie and Clyde was robbing banks.

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. The editing was more visible editing.The opening scene of Bonnie and Clyde uses mainly close up shots of the Bonnie. There are no establishing shots used in the opening scene. However, we can gather information from many props in the scene. The fist shot is an extreme close up, then pans to her in a mirror. Then there is a cut and shows a medium shot of her shoulders and up. When she is on her bed the shot is used to make her feel trapped and mimics the way you would feel trapped in jail. At times in the film, the shots are very unconventional and inspired by French new wave however sometimes does included editing from classical Hollywood which is important to the story.

Sound

Every time the group makes a quick getaway, a chorus of Banjo music, a Bluegrass song called “foggy mountain breakdown” begins to play that evokes time from the Great Depression. The music is quick and light- hearted, and even when the plot has been dramatic, the folksy music makes the scene feel more humours, comic and upbeat. 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 during the actual Robbery scenes lends them a sense of realism.

The mood changes from the banjo style music which shows a comic and humorous tone, to no music where Frank Hamer, who is hunting for Bonnie and Clyde, which shows the seriousness and the change in atmosphere going on. We can tell from the stop in music that something bad might happen.

Sound Bridge – is when a sound is played from scene to another scene. Dede Allen ( editor of Bonnie and Clyde) was an innovator of the Sound Bridge and they get used a lot in the film.

Foley Sound ( diegetic sound ) – The shootouts are typically loud and violent and the loudness of the sound effect is deliberate, and is very elevated for the audience and makes the audience aware of the scene.

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

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 Colour –

Women – Bonnie Parker starts the film feeling trapped and almost as if she is in jail and she doesn’t have much of a life, the extreme close up on her lips almost sexualises her and suggest this film will explore her identity, persona and characteristics. However, throughout the film Bonnie’s persona changes and becomes one of villainess protagonist go against her identity at eh start. Other than the start of the film Bonnie become comfortable with Clyde and shows her brave self off. She challenges the traditional Femme Fatal as she is the one rescuing other people and she is not in the need for rescuing by men, although she breaks taboo of the time by initiating intimacy with Clyde.
Blanche who is Buck’s wife is shown as being more vulnerable and a more realistic version of a Femme Fatal, who need constant reassuring and rescuing by the other gang members.

Men – Clyde is being represented as a strong male character. Clyde is represented as being a forerunners. Clyde helps Bonnie to show herself and others who she really is and who she wants to become, and not what other people want her to be. Clyde’s impotence, ‘I ain’t much of a lover boy”, was also a taboo subject and challenged stereotypes of the masculine virile hero.
C.W Moss importance to the plot of the film and to the gang in general is that he is loyal and idiocy. C.W moss is seen as being like a five year old kids for example parallel parking during one of the bank robbery scenes. When he finds out that Bonnie and Clyde would be killed he looks at them with great amount of sorrow and it shows he cares for them and he has a good heart.

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.

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.

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

first response

I decided to give this film an 8/10 because I really enjoyed the storyline, plot and love arc between Bonnie and Clyde as their relationship was emotional from when they met to when they died. Not only this but the rest of the characters were unique and entertaining but also humorous at times. The overall acting of the characters was powerful and raw, though the film was really violent at times making it a bit harder to watch. I also enjoyed the fact that the film was shot in colour rather than black and white as it personally made it more enjoyable and entertaining to watch.

memorable scene

In my opinion, the most memorable scene was the field scene with Bonnie & Clyde after Bonnie tries running away. Not only does this scene have beautiful cinematography and colouring making it pretty to look at but the acting from both actors was emotional and powerful especially as this is the first scene where we are fully exposed to Clyde’s true feelings towards Bonnie making it even more memorable.

Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967)

Critical Score-  6.5/10

Memorable Scene    For me the most memorable scene was the scene at the lake where Bonnie, Clyde and the rest of their group confront the sheriff. This is because it shows their characters very well and it establishes their group all together as a mischievous group of criminals for the first time. It is also a clumsy scene, so it shows Bonnie and Clyde’s inexperience but also their evilness.