Bonnie and Clyde
September 2nd, 2007
Bonnie and Clyde are the names of the cats we’re currently staying with, so there was no way around rewatching Arthur Penn’s 1967 classic. The film is still horrifying and hilarious in its casual depiction of murder, love, and grand theft Ford Model T, and it’s this last part I found most curious: Bonnie and Clyde provides the blueprint for a gazillion crime-spree romances to follow, and the car already occupies a central role, as if American lawbreaking in the 20th century wasn’t even possible without the automobile — even when there weren’t roads to drive on. You know Ms. Parker and Mr. Barrow are doomed when their escape vehicle is hit by a hand grenade, and the final machine-gunning riddles not just their bodies but also their “death car” with bullets. This movie has led to many ruthless but gentle mock machine gun executions of our feline friends.
Bonnie and Clyde. Arthur Penn, 1967. *****
- Bonnie and Clyde on Wikipedia
- Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow on Wikipedia
- Bright Lights on Pauline Kael and Bonnie and Clyde
- A review of Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde, Lester D. Friedman (ed.)
- Bonnie and Clyde on All Things Considered
- Greenbriar Picture Shows on the film’s 40th anniversary (via)
- Brigitte Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg: Bonnie & Clyde
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