by
      David
      Macdonald
     
     
      STAFF
      WRITER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Bonnie
      and
      Clyde
     
     
      (1967)
      was
      one
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      most
      famous,
      and
     
     
      ground
      breaking
      films
     
     
      in
      cinematic
      history.
     
     
      This
      was
      the
      retelling
     
     
      of
      the
      infamous
      De-
     
     
      pression-era
      bank
     
     
      robbers
      who
      became
     
     
      folk
      heroes,
      contain-
     
     
      ing
      classic
      perform-
     
     
      ances
      from
      Warren
     
     
      Beatty
      and
      Faye
     
     
      Dunaway,
      as
      well
      as
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      most
      contro-
     
     
      versial
      endings
      ever
      in
     
     
      film.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      film
      certainly
     
     
      gives
      an
      air
      of
      romanti-
     
     
      cism,
      at
      least
      at
      first,
     
     
      with
      its
      portrayal
      of
      the
     
     
      two
      people.
      Bonnie
      is
     
     
      persuaded
      by
      both
     
     
      Clyde’s
      charm
      and
      his
     
     
      threatening
      aura.
      She
     
     
      has
      the
      sort
      of
      person-
     
     
      ality
      which
      easily
      falls
     
     
      for
      Clyde’s
      comment
     
     
      that
      she
      is
      the
      best
      girl
     
     
      in
      the
      state,
      and
      in
      no
     
     
      time
      flat
      she
      is
      swept
     
     
      into
      the
      risky
      business
     
     
      of
      bank-robbing.
      Along
     
     
      the
      way,
      they
      pick
      up
      a
     
    

    
     
      young
      gas
      station
     
     
      attendant
      named
      Moss,
     
     
      and
      later,
      Clyde‘s
     
     
      brother
      (Gene
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hackman)
      and
      sister-
     
     
      in-law
      are
      part
      of
      the
     
     
      bunch.
     
    

    
     
      A
      combination
      of
     
     
      Bonnie
      and
      Clyde‘s
     
     
      rebellious
      youth,
      and
     
     
      their
      numerous
      run-ins
     
     
      with
      the
      law
      ensure
     
     
      their
      notoriety
      in
      a
     
     
      time
      in
      which
      people
     
     
      were
      in
      need
      of
      some-
     
     
      thing
      to
      free
      their
     
     
      minds
      of
      the
      miseries
     
     
      of
      poverty
      and
      hard-
     
     
      ship.
      Yet
      all
      good
     
     
      things
      must
      come
      to
     
     
      end,
      and
      they
      do
      here,
     
     
      as
      well,
      —
      and
      most
     
     
      violently.
     
    

    
     
      One
      major
      theme
     
     
      in
      the
      movie
      is
      the
      idea
     
     
      of
      celebrity.
      As
     
     
      Bonnie
      and
      Clyde
      make
     
     
      their
      way
      across
     
     
      America,
      everyone
     
     
      wants
      to
      be
      part
      of
      the
     
     
      story,
      to
      say
      that
      they
     
     
      saw
      (or
      in
      some
      cases
     
     
      were
      robbed
      by)
     
     
      Bonnie
      and
      Clyde,
     
     
      celebrity
      criminals.
     
     
      The
      newspapers
      in
      the
     
     
      country
      saw
      fit
      to
     
     
      fabricate
      the
      number
     
     
      of
      robberies
      commit-
     
     
      ted
      in
      order
      to
      sell
     
     
      more
      papers
      and
      to
     
     
      perpetuate
      the
      mys-
     
     
      tique.
     
    

    
     
      The
      movie
      makes
     
     
      the
      claim
      that
      these
     
     
      criminals
      were
      not
      out
     
     
      o
      harm
      the
      common
     
     
      folk,
      and
      in
      fact
      there
      is
     
     
      one
      scene
      in
      a
      bank
      in
     
     
      which
      Clyde
      kindly
     
    
   
   
    
     
      iews:
      Bonnie
      and
      Clyde
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tells
      an
      elderly
      cus-
     
     
      tomer
      that
      he
      is
      not
      out
     
     
      to
      take
      his
      money
      away.
     
     
      This
      anti-authoriatian
     
     
      attitude
      certainly
      didn‘t
     
     
      harm
      the
      heroic
      image
     
     
      they
      had
      acquried.
     
    

    
     
      I
      certainly
      did
      not
     
     
      find
      these
      characters
     
     
      endearing.
      For
      me
      they
     
     
      seemed
      more
      like
     
     
      white
      trash
      than
      radical
     
     
      socialists;
      foolish
      kids
     
     
      more
      than
      heroes.
      But
     
     
      that
      tension
      between
     
     
      what
      they
      really
      are,
     
     
      and
      what
      people
      (those
     
     
      following
      their
      story,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      the
      criminal
      gang
      itself,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      even
      the
      film’s
     
     
      audience)
      want
      them
      to
     
     
      be
      is
      strong
      stuff,
     
     
      especially
      as
      it
      soon
     
     
      becomes
      clear
      it
      will
     
     
      not
      be
      a
      happy
      ending.
     
     
      The
      actual
      rela-
     
     
      tionship
      of
      Bonnie
      and
     
     
      Clyde
      is
      also
      interest-
     
     
      ing.
      Warren
      Beatty,
      in
     
     
      playing
      this
      character,
     
     
      has
      a
      little
      joke
      on
     
     
      himself
      and
      his
      notori-
     
     
      ous
      womanizing
      image,
     
     
      when
      Clyde
      tells
     
     
      Bonnie
      clumsily
      that
      “I
     
     
      ain
      tno
      loverboy.”
     
     
      While
      this
      may
      seem
      to
     
     
      be
      modesty
      on
      his
      part,
     
     
      it
      is
      later
      clear
      there
      is
     
     
      more
      to
      it.
      Clyde
     
     
      suffers
      from
      impo-
     
     
      tence,
      as
      all
      his
      ener-
     
     
      gies
      are
      focussed
      on
     
     
      crime.
      Bonnie,
      on
      the
     
     
      other
      hand,
      is
      the
     
     
      sexual
      aggressor,
     
     
      equally
      comfortable
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      her
      own
      body,
      and
      in
     
     
      handling
      a
      gun.
      (The
     
     
      parallels
      between
      sex
     
     
      and
      violence
      are
      fairly
     
     
      clear.)
      Faye
      Dunaway
     
     
      successfully
      plays
      the
     
     
      character
      for
      her
     
     
      toughness,
      and,
      later
     
     
      on,
      for
      her
      fear
      that
      her
     
     
      fantastical
      lifestyle
      will
     
     
      start
      crumbling
      down
     
     
      on
      her.
     
    

    
     
      The
      infamous
     
     
      ending
      is
      no
      doubt
     
     
      known
      to
      many,
      ina
     
     
      bloody,
      utterly
      final
     
     
      shootout
      which
      broke
     
     
      taboos
      for
      both
      vio-
     
     
      lence
      and
      grim
      endings.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      te
      Oe
      ete
      Reet
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Despite
      the
      more
     
     
      bloodly
      (and
      senseless)
     
     
      violence
      in
      current
     
     
      films,
      those
      situations
     
     
      could
      never
      match
      up
     
    

    
     
      to
      the
      ending
      of
      this
     
     
      film,
      as
      it
      is
      so
      final,
      so.
     
     
      cold,
      so
      wrenching,
      that
     
     
      it
      will
      stick
      to
      you
      for
     
     
      at
      least
      a
      few
      minites.
     
     
      Basically,
      a
      number
      of
     
     
      thoughts
      should
      come
     
     
      to
      your
      head
      —
      Do
     
     
      they
      deserve
      punish-
     
     
      ment?
      Should
      the
     
     
      audience
      have
      been
     
     
      rooting
      for
      these
      char-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      acters?
     
     
      oO
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      m=
      ig
     
    
   
   
    
     
      As
      az