Realistic documentary style film Bonnie and Clyde ( Warner Brothers, 1967) directed by Arthur Penn revolves around two partners and their adventures in traveling around central U.S. robbing banks in hopes of becoming rich and famous. Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) is a young woman who is fed up with her job as a waitress meets Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) who happens to be in the midst of stealing her mother’s car develop a special relationship. When Bonnie meets Clyde she instantly develops an attraction towards him especially for his bold and audacious nature that she soon decides to follow him in hopes of turning her life around to find adventure and true love. Along their journey the duo hook up with a man by C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard) who they encounter at a gas station and later with Clyde’s older brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his wife, Blanche (Estelle Parsons) who is the daughter of a preacher. Small crimes that Bonnie and Clyde had once committed in stealing from a grocery store have now escalated with the help of more people. The “Barrow Gang” the group would call themselves, in the process of robbing banks has now started to kill anyone who would stand in their way. The scene in the film where Bonnie reunites with her mother and family is a significant scene in the film because it foreshadows the future for Bonnie as well as the rest of the gang. In this scene the colors of the film becomes misty and dream like as well as the atmosphere among the Barrow Gang and Bonnie’s family. There is this bitter sweet feeling that develops in this scene due to multiple takes of long shots as well as its relatively slow paced nature. Bonnie and Clyde’s initial decision to drive down a dangerous and violent road of crime in a time of depression conveys that there will be no happy ending as well as an ultimate road of doom for them both.
In the 1960’s, the film industry as well as the rest of America was going through times of reform and change. The United States was facing racial conflicts, a rise in militarism as well as feminism. There was a shift in audience demographics as well as directors who looked towards European films such as the French New Wave and Italian filmmakers for inspiration. Bonnie and Clyde is one of few films that came out during this New Hollywood era which had started to incorporate violence, promiscuity, disillusionment, and ideas of going against social norms. It paved the way for new movies in the U.S. to adopt similar ideas. There was also this shift to realism and a new color palette for film to make them appear more “real” and believable. Technological advances during the time also exposed filmmakers to use new cameras such as the hand held cameras and zoom lenses. Many studios also faced financial troubles during this time due to high production costs. The idea of filming people in their natural settings without having to be staged and the loose style of editing were on the rise. The film Bonnie and Clyde embodies many if not all of these new ideas and changes despite having it set in the Great Depression.
In the film there are multiple scenes where the audience is both hinted and told that the United States during this time wasn’t doing so well both economically and financially. When Bonnie and Clyde rob their first bank towards the progression of their robberies when C.W. Moss, Buck and Blanche join them the country is relatively broke. Times are hard and banks don’t have much money due to the stock market crash as well as the thousands and millions of Americans who’ve lost their jobs and don’t have money to put away. In essence Bonnie and Clyde’s dream of becoming rich are unrealistic in such a time of depression which leads to their failure.
In the scene where Bonnie reunites with her family there are hints throughout its entirety where Arthur Penn establishes shots that foreshadow the outcome of the gang if they continue to rob, steal and kill. We first enter the scene through a long shot where we encounter Bonnie’s family and the gang interacting with one another outdoors near a hill. We then zoom in to a close up shot of Bonnie’s mother looking at Bonnie with a slight smile and Bonnie looking back. Followed by this we see a long shot of C.W. Moss standing on a hill holding a gun staring right back at us. This simple shot which tends to be overlooked hints the idea that although Moss is part of the gang, he will eventually rise to the top. Throughout the scene we notice that he stands on this hill overlooking what is happening, which essentially is what C.W. Moss does later on in the film. He watches over and anticipates for both Bonnie and Clyde’s death because he is forced to do so by his father. The scene progresses as we go towards another long shot of Bonnie interacting with a woman from her family and possibly her son. The swaying of the branches around them also indicate the disorder that is about to come. We then see Bonnie, the rest of the gang, the women and child go through a photo album where they reminisce about the past. These continual long shot develop a sense of distance yet closeness between Bonnie and her family which conveys the fact that this will be the last and final time Bonnie will see her family. To further enhance this idea, in the following shot we see Bonnie giving a member of her family a hug. This shot then follows Bonnie and Clyde’s enactment as if they were caught in crime. The two individuals raise their hands as they are being pointed at with a gun. This is ironic because this act that Bonnie and Clyde puts on is going to happen to them in the future where the two will be gunned down for their sins.
Additional foreshadow of the negative outcomes for the rest of the gang is portrayed through the young boys rolling down a hill. These repetitious slow paced shots are trying to convey the fact that if Bonnie, Clyde, Buck and Blanche continue down this road of crime they will face hardships and be punished by society. Followed by this scene we see Bonnie hug her mother. The interesting aspect about this shot is that throughout the beginning of the scene where we see Bonnie bonding with her family, her mother who she came to see in particular stands far away watching her and has the least amount of interaction. We also see Buck playing with one of the boys in the gathering. He allows the child to sit on his lap and essentially ride him like a horse. The two also fall down the hill foreshadowing how Buck will fall from society and lose his life. Bonnie then has one final meal with her family. Succeeding this shot we see Clyde building a sand castle, however, one of the child hits Clyde in the face with his branch of leaves and eventually falls on top of Clyde’s work. This humorous scene shows more than what simply appears to be on the surface. It conveys Clyde’s punishment of what he built of himself as well as his life. The child represents in this situation, justice which is going to put Clyde to an end. The scene ends with Bonnie’s family departing and the gang getting back on the road to do what they do best. However, just before that Bonnie and Clyde has a talk with Bonnie’s mother who clearly shows disapproval of Clyde and what he does for a living. “You best be keep running Clyde Barrow, and you know it,” is the last line she says to Clyde before saying goodbye to Bonnie and departing. This shot is extremely vital and it serves as a warning to Clyde as well as Bonnie, for she sees that her daughter will face just as dreadful of an ending as Clyde’s destiny but there is nothing she can do as a mother because she understands that her daughter has made up her mind.
The colors in this entire scene are also off. They appear bright, yet misty as if its entirety were merely just a dream created from Bonnie’s imagination. The slight alteration of color in this scene affects the mood of the scene dramatically. The atmosphere of the scene is bitter sweet due to multiple takes of long shots as well as its relatively slow paced nature such as the children rolling down the hill, which foreshadows Clyde and Bonnie’s slow and painful death. The entire scene is relatively slow paced and calm as it transitions from one shot to another. In this scene the audience can see how Bonnie spends this short amount of time with her family profitably. The bitter sweet tone is further developed because although the occasion is suppose to be happy for everyone, however because we, the audience understand that it will be Bonnie’s last and final encounter with her family this scene becomes depressing and gloomy. What also makes this scene in the film appear bitter sweet is due to the underlying messages of death that are being foreshadowed throughout the entire clip.
There is no denial that the road Bonnie, Clyde and the rest of the gang are going down is unacceptable to society. It is not only against the law and proves to be dangerous, however, their bold and daring nature to decide to rob banks in a time where there is a depression is not a wise choice. And although we the audience are able to perceive these characters through understanding and accepting eyes we realize that these individuals have committed huge sins. Despite this fact we also continue to sympathize with these characters till the very end and their demise.
In Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie’s reunion with her mother and family is a significant scene in the film because it foreshadows the future to come for Bonnie as well as the rest of the Barrel Gang. Arthur Penn portrays this through the color of the film by using light to create a misty and dream like atmosphere. There is this bitter sweet feeling that develops in this scene due to multiple takes of long shots as well as its relatively slow paced nature. Bonnie and Clyde’s initial decision to drive down a dangerous and violent road of crime in a time of depression conveys that there will be no happy ending as well as a guaranteed road of doom for the two individuals. This road toward wealth and fame through acts of robbery may appear fun and adventurous at fist, however, end tragic and gruesome.
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