Bonnie and Clyde a Dramatic Gangster Film

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway Portray Depression Era Bank Robbers

Aug 21, 2009 Christine Nyholm

Bonnie and Clyde were real life Depression Era bank robbers who were portrayed by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in this romanticized drama about the criminal couple.

Bonnie and Clyde is a 1967 Warner Brothers film based on the lives of real life Texas bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, although he film version is a glamorized version of the Depression era criminals of the 1930’s. The movie stars Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow and Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker. The cast of the movie also includes Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Denver Pyle, Dub Taylor, Evans Evans and Gene Wilder.

Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) were an attractive couple but were not nearly as glamourous as Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. The film made Bonnie and Clyde prettier and more romantic than they were in real life and put forth a romanticized picture of the criminal couple.

The movie focused on the relationships between Bonnie and Clyde and their associates, including C.W. Moss (Michael Pollard), Buck Barrow (Gene Hackman) and Buck’s wife Blanche Barrow (Estelle Parsons). Ultimately, it was their trust in C.W. Moss and his father that brought the couple down.

Bonnie and Clyde on a Crime Spree

The move was filmed on location in Texas, with the dry and dusty air swirling in the wind, giving viewers a feel for the location and the mood of the area they lived in. The movie showed the Barrow gang robbing banks and their daring getaways. According to the FBI website, in the year before Bonnie and Clyde were gunned down they had crisscrossed across the Midwest and were chased by the law in eight states. Their activities included robbery, car theft, taking hostages and gunning down police officers.

Bonnie and Clyde Killed in a Hailstorm of Bullets

The real life Bonnie and Clyde were killed in a hailstorm of bullets 75 years ago, on May 23, 1934, according the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website. The pair were ambushed by a posse of heavily armed lawmen in Louisiana, after being betrayed by the father of gang member C.W. Moss. The movie ends as their lives did, in a shocking spectacle of violence. Viewers that sympathize with the romanticized pair may left feeling saddened by the shocking ending, even though the historic ending is a foregone conclusion.

Bonnie and Clyde a “Watershed” Movie

Even though the film may not have been entirely accurate in the portrayal of the criminals, it was considered a “watershed” film, in terms of cultural impact and influence on future filmmakers, according to TMC.

Bonnie and Clyde was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. The film won Oscars for Best Supporting Actress for Estelle Parsons and Best Cinematography for Burnett Guffey.

The American Film Institute (AFI) named Bonnie and Clyde one of the top ten gangster films of all time.

Cast of Bonnie and Clyde

• Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow
• Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker
• Michael J. Pollard as C.W. Moss
• Gene Hackman as Buck Barrow
• Estelle Parsons as Blanche Barrow
• Denver Pyle as Frank Harner
• Dub Taylor as Ivan Moss
• Evans Evans as Velma Davis
• Gene Wilder as Eugene Grizzard
• Producer – Warren Beatty
• Director – Arthur Penn

Bonnie and Clyde is a Warner Brothers film that can sometimes be found on Turner Movie Classics

(TCM) cable television channel. The movie is also available on DVD.

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The copyright of the article Bonnie and Clyde a Dramatic Gangster Film in Classic Films is owned by Christine Nyholm. Permission to republish Bonnie and Clyde a Dramatic Gangster Film in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie Parker

Bullet Holes in Car of Bonnie and Clyde