Ebert's GREAT MOVIES, Part 3: "Bonnie and Clyde"

I voted for Estelle Parsons - good shrill performance; exactly what was needed.

So did i, Boss, she did the role to a tee . . .

Another one I forgot to stick in the "Digging The 60´s" topic.I´ll have to edit that list AGAIN.
I went with Hackman.

Bonnie and Clyde
Mr. Wizard, I didn't vote, but I still remember Gene Hackman in his dying scene, asking about his shoe. One little personal note. Evans W.Evans, the woman whose car B&C hijacked, I knew personally from the small town in Virginia where I grew up. I was, of course, fascinated with her bit part. Certainly remember the music and I think it was "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", but not certain. That was some banjo pickin' Later, the brothers who played the musical background, sued the producers of the movie, "Deliverence", for not giving them credit for their "Dueling Banjos".
As usual, I did not see the movie for the sake of its art, but for entertainment. Sorry

I agree that Bonnie & Clyde did trigger much needed change in the most important cinematography of the world.
I agree that they weren't the first bandits romantisized in film, and that the French were doing it ten years before.
I find that trasplanting to other movies the best scene of that film, the "kniting them with bullets" scene, has become some sort of a national American cinema sport. A perennial piece of Americana.
Otherwise, I find the film slightly amusing, morally ambivalent, well done, not great.

Michael J. Pollard got my vote simply because he totally shocked me from the moment he entered the the story and as the movie continued I found him to be outstanding and felt empathy for his charater. I really had to get past his physical looks and was able to do that to the extent that I actually followed his career afterwards.

We saw it in a drive in in Tucson, AZ, where along with the speaker hook up you got the added advantage of a small air conditioner too. At that time, 1967, there were only two walk in threaters in Tucson but many drive ins. As I recall this was a time in which the industry was suffering and I seem to remember a lot of talk about it and predictions that it was in its death throws due to color TV.

Faye Dunaway and fashion. I thought she was so beautiful and I loved the clothes. I was first in line when the style hit the stores, my mom laughed because she just could imagine wearing those dowdy fashions again. Now with the return of 70s fashion I know what she meant.

And I cried when these vicious criminals were killed I liked them is some odd way. The power of their performance must have turned me to their side. I cried when they died. The only other similar experience I have had is at the end of a Richard III stage performance where Stacy Keach was so powerful that I did not want RIII to die or the play to end. I was sad simply becase the movie ended not beause of the way it ended.

Estelle Parsons in a walk.

My favorite scene was the brief peaceful interlude where B&C are visiting Bonnie's relatives in Texas. The whole mood of the pictutre changes. The camera suddenly has a soft filter on it which makes the whole scene look almost surreal. It is such a stark contrast, it immediately makes the viewer "feel" the difference between the harsh life the two are living and the bucolic "what might have been."

Great Film,
"It's America in a nutshell. It's the desire to be rich, the desire to help others but do it by breaking the law and even killing people".






quote

Great movie! Everyone was shown as complex human beings. Ordinary people ,defining their own morality. Beatty was the most fascinating,...He displayed violent agression,impotence, and romance with equal aplomb.

I can't remember if I saw this movie.
The '60's were so long ago.

jeanbean- Then you probably never saw it. If you DID you would remember it!

Alright now, my transition is complete. I think I know how to deal with this new forum, and I suppose it's time for a moment of silence for abuzz.............



.....(Sniff)...Anyhoo,I notice, twice in a row the same actor I voted for was the most popular. I must be slipping, I;m usually the oddball.

I'm voting for Estelle Parsons.
A bit of trivia: Warren Beatty was nominated for Best Actor for Bonnie & Clyde, and Faye Dunaway for Best Actress. Beatty was up against Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate); Paul Newman (Cool Hand Luke); Rod Steiger (In the Heat of the Night) and Spencer Tracy (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). Steiger won.
Dunaway was up against: Anne Bancroft (The Graduate); Dame Edith Evans (The Whisperers); Audrey Hepburn (Wait Until Dark) and Katharine Hepburn (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). Katharine Hepburn won.
And the movie was up against: Dr. Dolittle, The Graduate; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner; and In The Heat of the Night which won.
Some stiff competition, with the exception of maybe two, wouldn't you say? I hope Ebert lists "In The Heat of the Night" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" among his favorites. I won't peek at his list, though. It's more fun this way.

Letty: That was Foggy Mountain Breakdown, and would you believe, that was Rudy Vallee singing a song called Deep Love during the opening credits.

Oops. Am I doing something wrong here. All my words are in full view, but the other posts go beyond the right side of the page. Should I change something in my format in order to save room?

I'm not sure why your formatting is scrolling left or right but it will probably correct itself when you log off and back on -- another anomaly
of Windows!

Good background information, Raggedy -- thanks.

Selecting 100 movies from the over 15,000 movies every made is quite an undertaking so films that our each of our favorites are going to get left out. Jespah had just asked me if "The Graduate" was on the list through PM and it's not so she started a thread. As it will take us up to two years to go through the whole book (I'll sometimes consolidate a director's films when they are listed in multiples), it's no big deal if someone wants to post a discussion about their favorites. If you want to PM me, that's fine. Many here have already logged onto Ebert's site and reviewed the Great Movies he has listed (there are about fifty more than in the book and I'm going by the book).

I sent a post but can't find it. Did it arrive? How do I tell.

Well, must not have. Saw that one. Loved Bonnie & Clyde. Was not a film afficiando. But I was Bonnie and Clyde was my man. Lived with the characters and cried at the inevitably at their deaths. Friends have arrived. Goodbye. Thanks Lightwizard.

"Now, you've heard the story of Jesse James,
of how he lived and died. If you're still in need of something to read, here's the story of 'Bonnie and Clyde . . .'"

A critic of the time said the film, "Bonnie and Clyde," is as American as apple pie. Yes, it is that and much more. Instead of "The Way We Were,"
"Bonnie and Clyde" is the way we ARE.

Director Arthur Penn borrows heavily from the popularity of the gangster Western genre, particularly in his portrayal of good vs. evil. He also paved the way for brutal depictions of violence in film. Without Penn's work, the recently discussed and ballyhooed "Pulp Fiction" is only one of many current popular films that could not exist without the antecedent, "Bonnie and Clyde."

"Bonnie and Clyde," one of the finest American films, only managed to eek out two Oscars. One was for the exquisite cinematography of Burnett Guffey and the other for the best supporting actress, Estelle Parsons ("My eye! My eye!).

Too bad the film's editor, Dede Allen, was overlooked. Her ballet of bullets at the denouement of the film recalls the work of Sergei Eisenstein,
but in slow motion.

That violence is as American as apple pie was evidenced in the Vietnam War, which was being waged afar and protested in the U.S when "Bonnie and Clyde" was produced. Thus, as do all films, this one, too, reflects the era in which it was made. As we approach another controversial war, one wonders how many films will reflect the stories of George Bush and Saddam Hussein? None will be better than "Bonnie and Clyde."

Peace.

Welcome TT!

So many Oscar losers that are now great classic films, WH. I don't know what we should think about that! That was a very competitive year and an exciting decade for American cinema.

If there had been an ensemble acting Oscar, "Bonnie and Clyde" would have won it hands down. One really believes in these characters throughout the film. One of my favorite scene is when Estelle Parsons inadvertantly spills Pollard's real name in the police station.

BTW, I believe that was Paulene Kael who commented about the film being as American as apple pie.