Bonnie and Clyde [Blu-ray]
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Movie Reviews of Bonnie and Clyde [Blu-ray]
Movie Review: Not a bad movie, but can we get a more authentic remake?
Summary: 4 Stars
Some of the previous reviewers have already hit upon the historical errors, how Bonnie and Clyde met, Clyde killed outside the car, the real Bonnie being a rehead, the CW Moss composite character, the fact that they never met Hammer. One point I would like to bring up and that is that the movie failed to show Clyde's weapon of choice, the BAR or Browning Automatic Rifle. Clyde used it most of the time, as a Thompson machine gun fire couldn't penetrate a car like a BAR could. A BAR was also very loud and intimidating. Clyde even cut off part of the barrel and end stock so he could wield it with ease. Why the movie failed to show this was most likely a plain lack of research by the script writers.
The real story of Bonnie and Clyde should be the next blockbuster remake.
Movie Review: Landmark of American Cinema
Summary: 5 Stars
1967 was a watershed year for American film. The Best Picture nominees were "Bonnie and Clyde", "In the Heat of the Night", "The Graduate", "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" and..."Dr. Doolittle". "In Cold Blood" wasn't nominated. "Bonnie and Clyde" was unlike any film that came before and that may account for it's spotty reception upon initial release. Is the film a treatise on the nature of violence? Is it a commentary on misguided hero worship? Whatever, it's a damn good movie. "Bonnie and Clyde" may not have influenced Peckinpah but it sure anticipated him. Director Arthur Penn does a terrific job of evoking the Great Depression, a time when it would be perfectly understandable for the mass public to embrace anti-social misfits like the Barrow Gang. Warren Beatty projects aw-shucks geniality as Clyde, a man who knows how to handle a six-shooter but shoots blanks in the bedroom. Faye Dunaway is sensuous as Bonnie, a waitress who joins Clyde not so much for altruistic reasons but more for thrill seeking. Terrific supporting cast includes Gene Hackman as Clyde's along for the ride brother, Buck, Estelle Parsons as Buck's highstrung wife, Blanche, and Michael J. Pollard as the lazy gaited mechanic who relishes the opportunity to rub elbows with notoriety. "Bonnie and Clyde" hasn't dated one iota from 1967 and is definitely deserving of it's status in the American Film Pantheon.Movie Review: They're Young...They're In Love...They Kill People....
Summary: 4 Stars
Bonnie and Clyde: The Ultimate Collector's Edition (Warner Home Video) gives us a chance to reexamine a classic film forty-one years after its initial release. If you're asking whether it's worth shelling out the money for this, the answer is a qualified "yes." Is it a "perfect package?" No, not by a long shot...no pun intended. My review will address the component parts of this product.
THE FILM
The film "Bonnie and Clyde" was released rather tepidly by Warner Brothers (which had been purchased by Seven Arts during post-production) in 1967. The film stands on its own (literally) in this box set, and unless improved picture quality is important to you, you would probably be satisfied with the earlier DVD issuance of the film.
Still, the film is astonishing enough. Unlike many 1960's films, it is ageless. "Bonnie and Clyde" is regarded by some reviewers as being one of two classic "anti-hero" films released that year ("The Graduate" being the other film). In case you haven't seen the film....
"Bonnie and Clyde" succeeded in reviving interest in the lives of two Depression-era outlaws, Clyde Barrow (1909-1934) and his girlfriend, Bonnie Parker (1910-1934). Skillfully combining some fact with quite a bit of fiction -- a device that's become commonplace in film -- "Bonnie and Clyde" boasts an outstanding cast. Warren Beatty, who also served as producer of the film, is Clyde -- a charming albeit criminal personality who is also impotent. Bonnie is portrayed by then newcomer Faye Dunaway as a tough young woman yearning for excitement even as she is frustrated by Clyde's lack of sexual interest or prowess ("You're advertising is just dandy," she tells Clyde in an early scene, "Folks would never guess you don't have a thing to sell."
The cast is rounded out by the always excellent Gene Hackman as Clyde's brother Buck alongside Oscar-winner Estelle Parsons as Blanche, his tightly-wound, unhappy and (portrayed rather shrewishly) wife. Michael J. Pollard portrays C.W. Moss -- the only fictional composite amongst the film version of the Barrow gang (he represents three of Clyde's real-life accomplices: Raymond Hamilton, W.D. Jones and Henry Methvin). Smaller roles feature Gene Wilder (his first film) and Evans Evans as a couple who are, in essence, kidnapped by the Barrow gang for a while and forced to accompany them until being released -- a slightly fictionalized incident that in real life involved Dillard Darby and Sophia Stone of Louisiana. Denver Pyle portrays Texas Ranger Frank Hamer and Dub Taylor portrays C.W.'s father. The film is directed by Arthur Penn.
One of the things that has always struck me about the film is the change in tempo and mood. The movie begins with Bonnie and Clyde flirting after Bonnie spies Clyde trying to steal her mother's car. There is the early comedic touch (Clyde trying to rob a bank that has failed). But then Clyde kills a bank teller during a bothched robbery, because C.W. has parked their getaway car and gets boxed in (a scene that goes from laughter to horror as effectively as the oft-mentioned scene in "Jaws" when Roy Scheider sees the shark for the first time aboard the Orca).
From that point on, the violence escalates and the comedic touches are gone. Instead, we are treated to various portents of what is to come. The Barrow gang escape their early shoot outs but then become increasingly bloody in subsequent engagements; dark clouds appear over a cornfield as Bonnie runs away from Clyde, missing her mother; Bonnie ejects the two captives (Wilder and Evans) after learning he is an undertaker -- death is now next to them. This culminates, of course, in the death ballet as Bonnie and Clyde are riddled with bullets.
I am sure others have commented on the historical inaccuracies in the film, but I'll mention a few:
* Bonnie and Clyde actually met at the home of a mutual friend in 1930, and Bonnie did not accompany Clyde on his criminal escapades until 1932.
* Contrary to the film depiction, Bonnie and Clyde seldom robbed banks. Most of their robberies involved small businesses.
* The motivation behind the formation of the Barrow gang was to perpetuate a raid on the Eastham Prison farm, where Barrow had been abused, and to free Raymond Hamilton.
* The most outrageous fictional event in the film, in my opinion, is the film incident where Clyde captures and humiliates Texas Ranger Frank Hamer -- who spits on Bonnie. In reality, Frank Hamer never met Bonnie and Clyde until May 23, 1934 when he was part of the posse that ambushed and killed them near Arcadia, Louisiana. Hamer had been hired as a special agent by the Texas Prison System, following Barrow's Eastham Prison raid, and he was assisted by five other men (B.F. "Manny" Gault, a former Texas Ranger colleague; Henderson Jordan and Prentiss Oakley from the Bienville Parish Sheriff's Office; and Robert Alcorn and Ted Hinton from the Dallas Sheriff's office).
THE EXTRAS
The second disc in this edition is certainly worth the price of admission. There is a three part "Making of.../Marketing of" featurette with interviews of Beatty, Dunaway, Hackman, Parsons, Pollard, Evans, screenwriter Robert Benton (his co-writer, David Newman, is deceased), editor Dede Allen, director Arthur Penn...
While it has been noted by others that Benton and Newman's screenplay owed much to the French New Wave cinema and that they sought Francois Truffault's involvement (he passed, but mentioned the screenplay to Beatty), I was not aware that the original treatment included a menage-a-trois involving Clyde-Bonnie-C.W. This was dropped from the final screenplay at the suggestion of Arthur Penn.
I also was unaware (or had forgotten) that the film bombed on its first release, and that Beatty had taken over the publicity campaign and the film was re-released, garnering a rave review from Pauline Kael. It's a nice bit of film history....and Faye Dunaway still looks stunning!
The second disc also features the A&E documentary, "Love and Death: The story of Bonnie and Clyde." It is well done, and features comments from historians and Clyde's sister Marie -- who died just a few years ago.
There are two deleted scenes offered as an extra, both of them without an audio track. They're interesting but not essential and it is easy to see why each ended up on the cutting room floor. There is also a Warren Beatty wardrobe test.
EXTRAS
There is a perfect bound "photo book" of stills from the movie, which is very nicely done. There is also a smaller "press book" which is a nice keepsake -- although some of the print is a tad small.
On the whole, I am happy I made the purchase.
Movie Review: Bonnie Was Smokin Hot
Summary: 5 Stars
I never knew Faye Dunaway was such a babe. She really played a perfect "Bonnie Parker". Everyone's young in this 1967 ride with great performances all around and beautiful cinematography. Great movie.Movie Review: We can be like Bonnie and Clyde, I'll be by your side
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a really great movie! I've never seen this movie until I bought the Blu-ray, and now I'm in love with it! This is what a real movie is supposed to be like. I'm a teenager and I hate the movies my generation has. I think we need more good quality movies like this! I never owned the VHS or DVD so I can't really say how much of an improvement the PQ is, but for a movie made in 1967 you would never be able to tell with the Blu-ray. Some people don't like the packaging, but I really like it. It's got a 34 page book filled with lots of fun trivia, and the movie case is literally shaped like a book! Though I have to admit, you'll have to take care of the case because it isn't as sturdy as a standard Blu-ray case, but I still like it. Seriously, buy this movie! You won't regret it!