Bonnie & Clyde

Bonnie & Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde – Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde (1967) is often referred to as 

1) One of the most successful and influential entry films into the Hollywood Renaissance.
2) The protagonists of the film are outlaws and the antagonists are legal, respectable citizens.
3) These new murderers were also charming, exciting, and funny.
4) Furthermore, the violence in the film was much more graphic than gangster films of the 1930s.

Filmsite discussion of the historical details of the film:
1) The Actors:
The film's (producer, 28 year-old Warren Beatty, was also its title-role star Clyde Barrow, and his co-star Bonnie Parker, newcomer Faye Dunaway, became a major screen actress as a result of her breakthrough in (the) film. Likewise, unknown Gene Hackman was recognized as a solid actor and went on to star in many substantial roles (his next major role was in The French Connection [1971]).

Clyde:
1) The story of Clyde's rise and self-destructive fall as an anti-authoritarian criminal gangster is clearly
    depicted. 
2)Both tragic outlaw figures exemplify 'innocents on the run' who cling to each other and try to function
   as a family.

Opposing Moods and Tone Shifts
The film, with many opposing moods and shifts in tone (from serious to comical),
is a cross between a gangster film,
tragic-romantic traditions,
a road film and buddy film,
and screwball comedy.

Exemplified New Filmmaking:
 1)It exemplified many of the characteristics of experimental film-making
    from the French New Wave (Nouvelle Vague) movement.
   [Originally, the film was intended to be directed by Jean-Luc Godard or Francois Truffaut,
   who opted out and made Fahrenheit 451 (1966) instead.]
2)The film's major poster about the infamous couple romanticized violence and proclaimed:
   "They're young...they're in love...and they kill people."

Earlier films that recounted similar adventures of infamous, doomed lovers-on-the-run who
   are free and accountable to no one include
    a) Fritz Lang's You Only Live Once (1937) with Henry Fonda and Sylvia Sidney,
    b)Joseph H. Lewis' cult classic Gun Crazy (1949) with John Dall and Peggy Cummins
    c) Nicholas Ray's They Live By Night (1949) (remade by Robert Altman with its original title
      Thieves Like Us (1974) from Edward Anderson's source novel and starring Shelley Duvall and
      Keith Carradine)
   d)The Bonnie Parker Story (1958) with Dorothy Provine and Jack Hogan.
   e) Later outlaw-couple films include B-movie Killers Three (1968) with Diane Varsi and Robert
    Walker, Jr.,
   f) Terrence Malick's Badlands (1973),
   g) Ridley Scott's Thelma and Louise (1991)
   h) Kalifornia (1993)
   i) Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994).]

How it was received:
1) The landmark film by post-WWII director Arthur Penn (who had previously directed The Miracle
     Worker (1962), The Train (1964) (uncredited and replaced by John Frankenheimer),
      and MickeyOne  (1965) - also with Beatty) was ultimately a popular and commercial success,
2)But it was first widely denounced by film reviewers for glamorizing the two killers and only had
    mediocre box-office results.
3) In the autumn of 1967, it opened and closed quite quickly - enough time for it to be indignantly
    criticized for its shocking violence, graphic bullet-ridden finale and for its blending of humorous
    farce with brutal killings.
4)Then, after a period of reassessment, there were glowing reviews, critical acclaim, a Time Magazine
   cover story on December 8, 1967 (for a feature titled The New Cinema: Violence...Sex...Art...),
5)And the film's re-release (with advertising that stressed its artistic merit) with a huge box-office take 
6)And it was nominated for ten Academy Awards."

The Film Clip:
The following clip depicts Bonnie & Clyde's finale and highlights how the film's violence (and ultimate success) contributed to the deterioration of the Production Code.

Bonnie & Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967)

The scene is the last few minutes of the movie where Bonnie and Clyde are shot.
Found it on YouTube Click Here

Birds fly up

Man hides under car

hundreds of bullets go into both Bonnie and Clyde where they are convulsing from the
bullets and Bonnie falls out of car. 

Artistic scene with the birds and they look up and smile. 
3 way close ups - Bonnie looking out of car, the farmer looking at the van, Clyde smiling and then understanding. Close up of Bonnie looking at Clyde. Lots of cuts and edits. back and forth close up on the faces and close ups on the bodies getting shot. some farther away cuts of the overall action but mainly close ups.