Monday, July 02, 2007
Bonnie and Clyde
****½ Bonnie and Clyde. Drama. Directed by: Arthur Penn.
Starring: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons.
We got this one from Netflix. I believe I put it in the queue when I was on my Gene Wilder spree. The boys spent the first half of the movie asking when Gene Wilder would show up. Turns out, it was his film debut. I hadn't seen this before, but I do remember all the controversy around it when it first came out. Funny, it seems so tame now.
Warren Beatty is Clyde Barrow; Faye Dunaway is Bonnie Parker. They rob banks during the depression, and they're joined by Clyde's brother Buck (Gene Hackman), Buck's wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons), and a young gas station attendant (Michael J. Pollard) they recruit as a driver.
They go on their merry way, with preacher's daughter Blanche's protests their only problem, until things start to catch up with them.
It's a wonderful blend of exciting action, humor, and pathos--the sort-of lovers racing gleefully toward their doom. Clyde in particular is almost innocently childlike in his self-centeredness and lack of consideration of the consequences of his actions, not to mention his ambiguous sexuality. I'm not that well-versed in evaluating acting performances, but I believed all these characters.
Which is not to say that I believe Beatty and Dunaway were just like the actual Barrow and Parker. Far from it, I'd say--rather than a portrayal of actual fact, the movie is more fiction based on the true story.
Oh, and Gene Wilder? He was wonderful as a man who's briefly caught up in the gang when they steal his car.
...more
Categories: Movies, 4.5stars, Drama
Labels: 4.5 stars, drama, Movies
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I think Bonnie and Clyde was one of the movie I have not seen but I heard alot about (controversy and all). Been meaning to put this in my netflix but I keep forgetting. Thanks, Darla for reminding me. It seem to turn out to be a good movie, since you gave it a good grade :) Great review as always, Darla!
Little piece of trivia: Bonnie and Clyde was the first film to be rated under the modern rating system.
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