English 299C:Film as Narrative Art

Mr. Kelley

Bonnie and Clyde

(Arthur Penn, 1967)

Points to Consider:

• Consider the mythic element in the film, particularly in its use of the popular culture.

• Consider the use of violence in the film. What points are being made about violence, socially and aesthetically?

• What is the function of the images we see in the credit sequence?

• What do Bonnie and Clyde want? What do they fear?

• Describe Bonnie and Clyde’s relationship. Why is Clyde able successfully to make love with Bonnie near the end of the film?

• How does C. W. Moss see Bonnie and Clyde?

• How do Bonnie and Clyde see themselves?

• How do the various “plain folk” see the Barrow gang?

• Consider the imagery by which the film establishes “seeing” as an important theme or motif.

• With whom is the audience made to identify? How, and to what end?

• How are the Barrow gang’s antagonists portrayed?

• What is the function of the visit to Bonnie’s mother? Why is the scene shot in soft focus?

• Consider the mixture of comic and tragic elements throughout the film. In what ways does this combination affect the audience?

• How does this film compare and contrast with other films about the Depression, such as John Ford’s 1940 film The Grapes of Wrath?

• What is the vision of American society offered in this film?

• Consider the tradition of the gangster film. What themes, images, patterns, or styles does Bonnie and Clyde share with other films in this tradition?

• Does Bonnie and Clyde share thematic concerns or styles with any of the other films seen this semester?

Selected Filmography of Arthur Penn

• The Left-Handed Gun (1958)• The Miracle Worker (1962)• Mickey One (1965)• Alice’s Restaurant (1969)• Little Big Man (1970)• Night Moves (1975)• The Missouri Breaks (1976)• Dead of Winter (1987)