Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were two of American's most infamous criminals, and in 1967 they were the perfect anti-heroes for the 1960s, when discontented young Americans were likely to find the couple's anti-authoritarianism highly appealing. In Arthur Penn's version of the couple's escapades, they seem more like endearing Robin Hoods, stealing from the corrupt banks that bankrupted so many Americans in the 1930s. And, perhaps to increase this sense of sympathy, the film downplays the violence of Bonnie and Clyde's real-life crimes. Discuss how this infamous gangsters function as anti-heroes. How does the film encourage us to sympathize with them? Are their points where this sympathy is compromised? Are their places where it is most evident? What makes them heroic, despite their crimes?
Bonnie and Clyde were looked at as anti-hero's because they not only robbed banks for their own benefits, they also killed innocent people, time only increasing their violence. As spectators we sympathize for them because we see their personalities, their struggles, the relationship between Bonnie and Clyde as well as Bonnie missing her mom and getting a chance, among chaos, to have a reunion with family. The times we lose our sympathy is when they kill, of coarse, but also when they tease the Texas police officer. Three scenes that I think increase our sympathy for the gangsters are: When Clyde gives Bonnie an out and they share a some what special/intimate relationship but we are exposed to their emotions and struggles as normal humans, we also see this when Bonnie runs away because she wants to see her mom, we start to see the real struggles they have. The third scene I also relate this question to is when Bonnie is on the bed curled up, and Clyde tells her that he is her family. Despite their crimes, they could be seen as hero's for their one act to the old farmer at the bank. When in the act of robbing, Clyde asks a man if the money is his or the mans, and lets him keep it because he earned it. They could be seen as looking out for the working people when in actuality they are keeping all of the bank 'profits' for themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn the film Bonnie and Clyde, both characters were seen as anti-heroes because they were runaway criminals. To be an anti-hero, a character usually changes from being good and ends up being an enemy. Sometimes, anti-heroes desires something and in turn make them want to pursue things that are out of the ordinary that develops bad results affecting other characters in the movie. Bonnie and Clyde fits the label of being anti-heroes because of their actions: robbing banks and hold ups, and other things that are against society. The director used a comical yet romantic style to create this film. It also enables the audience to feel sympathy towards the characters by showing their actions. Even with all their wrongdoings, we as audience feel sympathy towards Bonnie and Clyde granted both of their existing pasts. Even though they were known as criminals, they have the potential to sympathize with others, especially with that old man at the bank. One thing we have to consider as well is that back then the banks corrupted the people and having Bonnie and Clyde rob them sort of take on the idea of people’s revenge to the banks. Our sympathy towards Bonnie and Clyde were being compromised when they started killing people, which was not okay at all. They also humiliated Officer Frank and that’s against our values. They became heroes only considering the idea that the banks corrupted people then and stealing all their monies, and then Bonnie and Clyde came along and had also given the money to those who earned it even though they robbed the bank.
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ReplyDeleteBonnie and Clyde most definitely function as anti-heroes for a variety of reasons. Both Bonnie and Clyde steal whenever they have the chance, and they have no real reason for why they do what they do other than the fact that the enjoy the thrill. The couple robs small business owners (grocery store), banks, and they steal countless cars throughout the film. Not only do they steal, Bonnie and Clyde also kill whoever gets in their way. There are multiple scenes throughout the movie in which both Bonnie and Clyde kill innocent people without a second thought, and most certainly no signs of remorse. Although Bonnie and Clyde commit awful crimes repeatedly the film includes scenes that encourage us to sympathize with them. For example, the scene in which Bonnie is crying on her bed because she misses her family (especially her mother). It is almost impossible not to feel sympathy for her in this scene, because to some degree each of us has experienced very similar feelings. I also felt myself sympathizing with Bonnie and Clyde when they were shown relaxing outside together or laughing in bed, as they feel asleep. These types of scenes made Bonnie and Clyde more human and relatable in my eyes. I felt myself sympathizing for Bonnie and Clyde in the final scene where Ivan Moss tricks them. As a viewer I knew what was coming and I felt bad when I saw the couple excitedly pull to the side of the road when they saw Ivan, and eagerly get out to help him change his flat tire. Of course for as many times as I found myself sympathizing with Bonnie and Clyde there was also a variety of times throughout the film that my sympathy for the two was compromised. For example, the scene in which the couple torments Frank (Texas Ranger) simply to get a good laugh causes viewers to see a disturbing side of both Bonnie and Clyde. In the end Bonnie and Clyde are in a way heroic despite their crimes because of their undying commitment to one another up until the very end. It is this commitment that makes the couple more human and relatable, and therefore creates sympathy in viewers even after seeing the horrific acts the two are capable of.
Anti-heroes in this modern age are full of Batman's and other superheroes or even plain people that are morally opposed to killing. Characters like Ryan Gosling's Driver in the film Drive blur the lines between anti-hero and hero. Though the viewer knows that people should be morally opposed to killing, more and more heroes are killing for the greater good. Bonnie and Clyde function as anti-heroes because they adhere to this idea and they are unlikely heroes because of their nonchalance towards killing. They take it upon themselves to help the people around them in the ways that they see most fit. Bonnie and Clyde knew that something had to change not only within their rural area but around the towns where they knew people needed help just as much as they did. I think that Bonnie and Clyde's sympathy is compromised when they seem remorseless for their crimes against humanity, which is Clyde viciously killing people for no reason. I think that the scene that truly brings this idea to light is the scene in which Clyde kills a shop keep for two cokes for him and Bonnie.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Bonnie and Clyde are anti-heroes in the film, I think its a romanticized version of the two mythic characters. Bonnie and Clyde will forever go down in history as an example of how utterly out of control and desperate people were during the Great Depression.
The audience gets to see a different side to Bonnie and Clyde on a personal level than looking at the facts of how they became murderous killers. In the movie the director sees the two as anti-heroes but in reality they were not heroes at all. The may have seemed like heroes because they were just stealing from the banks and that the working class got to keep their money, but it would be different if they gave the money they stole to the community. Even though that they killed innocent people the director had the audience sympathize for them. There are a couple scenes in the movie where the director really showed through. The first scene that comes to mind would be when Bonnie is homesick and she really wants to see her mom. Even though the law is looking for them the whole gang goes to the family reunion back in Texas. The second scene would be where Bonnie is upset cuddled in a ball on the bed when she feels like she has no family. Then Clyde tells her that he is her family which makes the audience have a warm feeling inside. The movie version shows the soft side to the couple, but in reality they did not do many good things unless it was for them. Bonnie and Clyde will be known for robbing banks around the country and seen as a couple that stood up for the middle class.
ReplyDeleteBonnie and Clyde were anti-heroes because they were doing wrong, stealing banks, cars and even killing people. They were not heroes in anyway, but something about their story made you like them, which isn’t very normal for robbers and murderers. This film gets us to sympothise with them by allowing us to see them in a nice light. By seeing them in love and with family made us like them even when they were bad. What makes them heroic would be stealing from corrupt banks and not just innocent people. They think it seems ok this way as shown in the beginning when they meet the man and his family that just lost their house to the bank.
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