Before watching the movie in class, I had never seen Bonnie and Clyde (1967) by director Arthur Penn. As a matter of fact, the only thing I knew about the story behind the two was that they were a pair of bank robbers who went from state to state on a robbing-spree. Before the movie, I had always assumed them to be married. Having no real knowledge behind the story, I found the film to be very enjoyable with the most exciting cinematography thus far. Penn did an amazing job of balancing the scene time as well as casting and making the action scenes exciting through the use of music and sound.
As stated in class, the director did a wonderful job of balancing the scenes and making each second count with the cuts and jumps. There was no down time on the scenes, which often make me lose interest in too many other movies; and each scene had fantastic timing of switching just as the interest was dying down. No particular part of the film was boring. It was wonderfully edited.
Another aspect that made Bonnie and Clyde great was the use of the actors. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were excellently cast, and their acting abilities really helped me as an audience member build a connection with the two. I can see the love build between the two as time passes. I can also see in her emotional ways in which Bonnie perceives what they are doing as not bad, but a way of life until they get things sorted out. For the two, I saw it as a thrill ride that got out of hand; and by the end of the movie, I was hoping for Bonnie and Clyde to make a getaway and flee again and build their life together. I believe this is exactly what the director intended.
While cheesy at times, the banjo music that played as the action was heating up when they were fleeing a crime scene at the bank or local store played a key role in keeping the action scenes upbeat and exciting. This too made the two seem more like they were out for fun than blood, the way the media and most of society viewed them.
A lot of time and attention to detail went into directing and making this movie, which has not gone without notice, which I think makes it one of the best films we have seen in class.