Bonnie and Clyde
Discuss you reactions to Bonnie and Clyde here. If you're not sure what to address, take a look at the "Perspectives" questions and address one of the ideas there.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
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10 Comments:
I haven't seen Natural Born Killers, but I remember that especially around the time of the Colombine shootings, the film drew a lot of criticism for extreme violence. During the movie, I kept being surprised that the movie was produced in 1967. I probably just have an overly idealized view of the 1960s, but I thought the amount of violence (although by today's graphic standards, it wasn't much) and rather frank discussion of sex was surprising. In just the ten years between the making of Vertigo and Bonnie and Clyde, Hollywood jumped from conservative costuming to suggested nudity. Of course, those are only two films, but I wonder how this movie was originally recieved in that context. Overall, I thought Bonnie and Clyde was very well made. The main characters made wonderful "bad" protagonists, the way the scene of the picnic with Bonnie's mother is overexposed is interesting, and it's also notable that Warren Beatty both starred in and produced the film.
I forgot to sign the above comment! Oops!
~Karen Donaldson
There isn't much I can add about this movie that hasn't been discussed already. One of the ideas that we discussed in class is the types of roles that certain actors play repeatedly. This cast was comprised of some very successful actors, Dunaway, Beatty, Hackman, and must have drawn in their respective fans when the film debuted. The stars respective fans must have had some expectations of the film which were blown away once they saw it. The violence and sexual content in this film must have been extremely shocking at the time.
Another thing that I noticed was the Sheriff that shot down Bonnie and Clyde looked and sounded like Jesse Duke from the Dukes of Hazzard. Could it be?
Jason Chafin
Try the Internet Movie Database.
I just wanted to comment on a couple of things I noticed while watching the film -
One thing was the use of closeups from the beginning of the film (when the focus is on Bonnie's lips) through to the end (when Bonnie and Clyde catch each others' eye before being shot up). I thought that the film really seemed to focus a lot on the characters' faces. This was especially true for Bonnie and Clyde. I think that it made the movie seem a bit more personal - I felt more like a part of the action and more in touch with the characters.
Another thing was the visual effect in the "reunion" scene. I thought that it was very interesting the way the camera seemed to be clouded over a bit. It really made the footage seem old and sort of out of touch with the scenes of violence - a bit of a respite from all the action. The way the scene looked almost made it seem like a dream. I thought it was a really effective technique.
Overall, I enjoyed the film and thought it was very well made. Even though I knew the story it still kept my attention throughout.
Jacob N.
I enjoyed the film. I think that as we look back on history there is a tendency to romanticize the actual events. In this case, I believe that this movie is an attempt to get close to reality. Of course by today's standards it doesn't seem too real. But, I think it is about as close as possible in the 1960's. This film really pushed the bounds of showing realistic sex and violence. It also managed to convey the ignorance and simplicity of the criminals at that time.
Also, I think that the way the media is presented is very interesting. It is almost making fun of the way the media can blow things out of proportion even when the major form of communication was only the newspaper.
One thing did really bother me. Was it my imagination, or was Blanche the woman who played Roseanne's Mom on TV?
Geoff D.
Jacob and Geoff: I think you're both right. The sheriff also played on "Grizzly Adams," and Estelle Parsons is a well known character actress (who was on "Roseanne").
In the opening scene of the movie, Bonnie is seen looking out the window at Clyde. This shot reminded me of the one in Meshes of the Afternoon. I know we talked in class about how the scene of Maya Darren looking out the window is referenced often in movies and music videos. Is this one of those instances?
-John R.
I never saw Bonnie and Clyde but heard alot about the movie before. Now I would have to say that this my favorite one so far. Bonnie and Clyde reminded me of an old western movie. I agree with my classmates om that this film really pushed the bar in Hollywood on how much violence, sex, and nudity you could show. There was so much killing going on is probaly why I liked the film so much. It was ironic how Clyde wasn't afraid of anything but when it came to making love he was terrified.
I thought it was a little unreal how Bonnie just up and left with Clyde. But I guess that was a part of the thrill. I also couldnt understand Clyde's actions whenever he and Bonnie were about to get intimate. Especially when she was about to give him oral pleasure. I thought there would have been a better explaination for why he acted that way.
-Christopher Dunlap
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