470. Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde
1967
Directed by Arthur Penn

I am still going strong although nap time might be on the horizon.  I will power through my annoying exhaustion, however, since I haven't gotten to this blog in so long.

Okay, I lied.  It is several hours later now since I took a nap.  Maybe every blog post will require me to take a two hour nap.  Okay, let's just get to Bonnie and Clyde before my heads hits the keyboard.

Most people have seen this movie and even if you haven't, the plot has been so done to death that for all intents and purposes, you have seen it.  But for continuity's I will do a brief summary.  Bonnie meets the possibly homosexual Clyde as he attempts to steal her mother's car.  Bonnie is bored with her life as  an average waitress and is therefore fascinated by Clyde, who has just been paroled and is a known thief.  The two set off together, robbing banks across the country and acquiring their own gang while they are hunted by every law enforcement officer in America.

Frequent readers of my blog know how much I like stories where ordinary, unhappy people become anything but.  I have a few problems with the film but they are relatively minor.  For one thing, Faye Dunaway has always gotten on my nerves a bit (I never gotten over her performance in Mommie Dearest).  I will admit she is absolutely beautiful here and fiercely stylish which makes up for any qualms I have about her.

I also think the movie dragged a bit in certain places; I have no problem with dialogue scenes, but some of the conversations between the gangs just felt repetitive and took away valuable time that could have been used for tense bank robbing scenes.

It is, of course, an absolutely beautiful film; everything from the costumes to the cinematography was gorgeous.  The last scene alone is worth the price of admission.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

For the last year of her life, Bonnie Parker could barely walk after a car accident damaged her legs.

Bonnie Parker was married to Ray Thornton her whole life.  Thornton served a life sentence for murder.

Blanche Barrow sued because of her negative depiction in the film.