Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde’s relationship and subsequent image in Arthur Penn’s version of their story is not easily defined nor understood.  While Bonnie and Clyde’s relationship is often at the foreground of this film, it is arguable that a major motif also presented is one of their public image.  In his film, Arthur Penn strategically placed Bonnie and Clyde in a sort of duality.  While Bonnie and Clyde are actual people in history, Arthur Penn takes what we know about actual events and instead molds them to create the more complex characters of Bonnie, played by Faye Dunaway, and Clyde, played by William Beattes.  

            When we first meet these characters Bonnie is trapped in a life not of her liking, while Clyde travels, seemingly with no purpose.   Both are friendly enough, perhaps even childlike in their attraction to each other.  Even their first few robberies are innocent enough with an element of humor incorporated in them, especially their first bank robbery.  Humor, in this film, is used to endear our anti-heroes to the viewers.  In fact, it is their playful attitudes that endear them to the public as well, their funny pictures used as an effective publicity stunt.  Additionally the diegetic music Penn incorporates helps to lessen the gravity of their more horrible crimes. 

Emerging from such an era as the depression and World War II, Bonnie and Clyde’s “stand” against the bank establishments only serves to further motivate their fans. The effect their publicity has on the public is especially represented when Bonnie reunites with her family.  While her family seems approving of her and Clyde, having kept a photo album of their criminal activity, they dually seem in awe of them and their “stardom.”  This scene, while it gives us an insight into the veracity of the Barrow gang’s popularity, we as the viewer are additionally endeared to the gang as we see the warm and happy environment provided by Bonnie’s family.  This warmth and softness is arguably a factor which helps us to see them in a different light when compared to the law enforcement officers chasing them.  When compared to the lighthearted manner in which Bonnie and Clyde live their lifestyle, there are few moments when we see their darker sides, particularly during their attempted escapes.  In these scenes we see the Barrow gang’s ruthlessness. 

In spite of their crimes, Penn masterfully portrays Bonnie and Clyde as victims rather than as hardened criminals.  I believe one manner in which he accomplishes this is Bonnie and Clyde’s ultimate demise scene.  Where we have been used to Bonnie and Clyde effectively defending themselves and securing their escape, in their last scene we witness them being gunned down without so much as a clue beforehand and no way to defend themselves.  To audiences, this act on the part of the law enforcement is a cheap shot and so pushes us to sympathize with the couple.  I especially enjoyed this film and have found a new appreciation for those aspects of film that reach beyond the mind.