Bonnie & Clyde

Bonnie & Clyde

Varieties of Film & Filmmaking

Hollywood 1930-1990 (comparative)

Pre-screening note

• Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur, penn: 1967)
• Set in the 1930s - reflecting standards of that year
• Genre: Crime drama - based on real events and characters
• Begins - Still photography, suggesting documentary like approach/Realism
• Stars and Stardom: Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway
• Beatty also influences the script
• Fatal flaw - Bonnie and Clyde coming multiple murders yet we still like them
• Taboos - sexually 
• Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker run off together (Not married) - Bonnie is only 19
• Opening sequence - Bonnie seen as sexual woman - close ups
• Violence - often thought to be the most violent closing sequence in Hollywood

New departure

• Thematically
• Chronology - time line
• Evident that controversial subject matter would not have passed the high censorious standards of the Hays Code (Now reformed as the MPAA since 1964)
• MPSS - Motion Picture Association of America since 1964 - Film rating system used in the USA and its territories to rate a films suitability for certain audiences based on its content.

Contexts: Social, cultural and Economic

• Production context: New Hollywood; new departure with younger generation (some backlash towards the control of the old system/The studios)
• Cultural and social context: heart of 1960s; San Fransisco and the LGBT movement, Pacifism, Vietnam, Civil rights, Liberal politics, Youth culture
• LBJ - Democrat succeeds JFK 1963
• Feminist movement

1930s Great Depression

• Bonnie is ideal when we first meet her - in the south
• Barren - Hitting agricultural communities
• N.B - Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
• Repossession of homes

Racism

• The concession to civil rights which we see within the films narrative reflects the mood and politics of the 1960s, rather than the lack of civil rights in the 1930s
• In one sequence - a black man is given the opportunity to show his anger and pain - this emerges as a symbolic gesture

Initial Comparative analysis

• Exploration of gender issues and sexuality
• Clyde Barrows impotence, his feminine sensitivity in contrast to Bonnies masculine attributes, her daring approach to crime and her attitude to Clyde, her confidence
• Note: Film produced in the mid- 1960s  thus influenced by the mores of its more liberal times, but the narrative reflects events which took place in the 1930s

Comparisons - Some Like it Hot + Bonnie & Clyde

• In many respects - both break taboos around sexuality and gender, but…
• Some Like it Hot: Uses disguise and comedy to represent and explore gender and sexuality-
• The 8 years which separate the two films do make a difference in these aspects
• They emerge as films which hugely reflect the social and production contexts of their era

Production Context

• Made in 1967 - younger generation of actors
• Youth culture (Beatles, London Hard Days Night)
• Second wave of feminism - reflected in the film through Bonnie an her personality
• Youth = Rebellion
• After the Hays Code was repealed so there’s more violence and sexual content on screen
• Beginning of Stone Wall Riots for the LGBTQ movement

Films Historical Context

• Set in the 1930s during the time of the great depression - poverty and repossession of homes
• Lack of civil rights especially for POC during the time the movie was set. But the films reflects the mood the the 1960s politics
• During the time of the second wave of feminism, LGBTQ and Civil rights movement
• Echoes of black oppression - Lynching and KKK was still going on during the 1930s 

Personal Notes

• During the bedroom scene we can feel the tension between them during the pauses as we are able to see the whole room and we can only hear their breathing and nothing else
• Blanche and Bonnie are two opposites when It comes to female stereotypes - Blanche is more conformed to the stereotype (Sensitive, scared and rely on men) whilst Bonnie is more aggressive
• Bonnie takes the more manly personality in the relationship and Clyde is more timid
• We can question Clyde’s sexuality due to his personality compared to Bonnies
• They seem to enjoy and almost take pride in committing crimes, and they make sure everyone knows who they are
• We can see Blanche trying to change her personality
• Pattern of stealing cars

Narrative

• Linear - Biopic documentary style with the pictures of the real Bonnie and Clyde at the beginning
• Faithful to classical Hollywood
• No other Narrative styles to distract us
• Movement and Travel within the movie, philosophical idea for the linear narrative The whole reasoning of the film is to faithfully express the story of Bonnie and Clyde (Louis)

Bonnie and Clyde film review notes - Homework

• Contemporary in feeling
• Divided audiences
• Once a film has entered mass art, it can never again belong to a minority, or be a private possessing of an educated/“Knowing” group
• Anti-heroism of American life
• Bring about what’s always just below the surface in its newest forms
• Romanticism in American movies lie sentimentally and traditionally (stopped working in 1967)
• Bonnie and Clyde substitutes sexual fulfilment for a change of heart - only sophisticated audiences enjoyed this
• Story of love on the run
• Barrow gang - Loyalty and sex appeal from Bonnie and Clyde
• The real Bonnie and Clyde acted out of forbidden role and the relish their roles

Pauline Kael (review author) Questions

1) According to Kael - Why is Bonnie and Clyde a ‘good film’

2) What does she say about Bonnie and Clyde as the films protagonists?

3) In what ways is Bonnie and Clyde ground breaking?

4) How might we situate the film pithing a wider movement ‘counter culture’?

Time Line/Events

1. Bonnies frustration of boredom in her bedroom and runs away with Clyde in her mums car
2. Man tries to kill Clyde with a meat clever after he tries to rob a shop - then tries to rob a bank and there’s nothing there (great depression)
3. Meet CW Moss at petrol station and he proves his worth as a criminal by taking the money out the register and gets in their car
4. They go to rob a bank but CW parks the car instead of waiting so the police arrive and Clyde kills a man
5. Bonnie and Clyde get a bit awkward in the bedroom due to their different personalities
6. They go to Clyde’s brother house and meet Blanche his wife and get shot by at the police
7. Mock a Texas ranger and put him in a boat whilst he’s tied up
8. The gang is open fired at in the middle of a field and Buck (Clyde’s  brother) was shot i the head and died, and Blanche was shot in the eyes
9. Bonnie and Clyde get to Moss’s dads house whilst the others are captured and they stay and rehabilitate at the fathers house
10. They went out for a shopping trip and left Moss behind and when they were coming home, they were set up and brutally killed

REPRESENTATION

Women

• Womanist = Pacifist (vietnam war)
• 1963 - second wave of the woman’s movement commences - Betty Friedan the Feminine mystique
• Blanche is more into the traditional sense of fashion and living as a woman as she’s the daughter of a preacher - Bonnie is more into the new age and wanting to do what SHE likes not what’s traditional
• Bonnie represents masculine personality traits and characteristic - she’s very into (almost enjoying) committing crimes. Very confident with guns
• Bonnie & Clyde are more equal rather than Bonnie being a female side kick to the man, they’re equally important (hence the title Bonnie and Clyde)
• Blanche is quite important in terms of comparison - Shows how there should be more females in power/Lead as at the end of the day, blanche is the one who got shot and taken in to custody then told them all about CW’s plan
• Woman's rights movement was very big with lots of protests and demonstrations during the time the film was made - Wide impact across social, political and economic spheres of the movement 

Race

Gender

Masculinity and Femininity - through both characters

Bonnie Parker

• Represented as both sexual and feminine at the same time
• She has ‘gumption’ and she is fearless - she possessed masculine attributes : forthcoming in the early phase of her liaison with Clyde - she makes the moves; fascinated by the gun - male power (symbol for virility)
• ‘Male Attributes’ - in relation to violence, crime, power, fearlessness
• Bored and cooped up in her room in the beginning - restless - banging the walls in frustration
• Matured in a way where she’s had her exiting adventure and she now knows what she wants and wishes to be free and not on the run from the law

Clyde

• Offended by Bonnies sexual advancements
• He is the opposite of a ‘stud’ - reference to male prowess with woman
• The role requires a male actor who can play a male character~ without being threatened by any commentary about their sexual identity and confidence - Beatty pulls it off and represents a gentle, sensitive masculinity which makes up empathise
• When Bonnie accuses him of advertising something he doesn’t have ‘your advertising is all dandy’ - he is really offended; arguing that he wants the best for her - without sexually exploiting her
• After they consummated their relationship, Clyde kept asking if she was okay and if he did good which could be seen as childish but its also quite mature and kind
• Matured but not quite the same way as Bonnie as he still wants to commit crime but in a more organised way

Representation: First Considerations

Using the ideas from our first consideration of representational issues in the film identity and explain how these inform our understanding of the film

-Overview of America in the 1960s

-Bonnies Role/Character/Gender attributes

-Blanche

-Clyde

America in the 1960s was the heart of the feminist and civil rights movement. During the time the movie was made, they were experiencing a second wave of the feminist movement. America was also giving new life to the nations democrat ideals. America at the time was a huge hub for civil right movements against sexism, racism and many other inequalities. Within the movie, we are introduced to Bonnie, who seems t be a woman of the younger generation who wishes not to conform the the stereotypical norms of the 1930s (When the movie was set). Bonnie is shown to be a very invigorated and independent woman who seems to take on quite masculine characteristics and personalities. On the contrary, we meet Clyde who seems to be a sensitive man. He seems to lack the stereotypical masculine personality traits that Bonnie possesses. Clyde is shown to be almost intimidated and offended from Bonnies sexual progresses and advancements as she’s taking a more dominant stance in the relationship rather than him. This may of been a bit more common at the time the movie was made, however it would of been frowned upon in the time the movie is set.

Similarly to the contrast between Bonnie and Clyde, we can compare the characteristics and personalities of Bonnie and Blanche. We are told that Blanche is the daughter of a preacher, and you can see that through her demeanour and behaviour compared to Bonnies. You can see when it comes to things like physical appearance, Blanche seems to have a much more traditional approach as she’s wearing a hat, short hair and smart traditional clothing, compared to Bonnie who take the new more modern approach and wear what she wants to wear. You can also compare their behaviour during action scenes, Blanche just screams and runs around in hopes that her husband will save her which conforms to the stereotype that women rely on men to save them as they’re too helpless themselves. Whereas on the contrary, Bonnie doesn’t rely on Clyde and gets into the action herself, and she almost seems to enjoy it.