Bonnie And Clyde example essay topic

Bonnie and Clyde directed by Arthur Penn changed the course of American cinema. Setting a high point for screen violence that life history should not label as a bloodbath but rather as a rare film that presents the absence of cruelty which throws the audience off balance. The film is more of a representation to the Great Depression, starring the remarkable team of Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as the so-called antiheroes who make their way across the South and Midwest robbing banks with Clyde's brother Buck, his wife Blanch, and their trustworthy driver C.W. Moss. Bonnie and Clyde is an unforgettable classic that has the ability to create suspense and meaning with the use of Arthur Penn's style of sound, symbols, and camera movement.

By today's standards, Bonnie and Clyde appears almost tame but, when it came out with its initial release, the level of violence was viewed as shocking. During these violent sequences the musical background always begins to play with a banjo get-a-way song to portray the characters that are in a hurry to escape, which is called mickey mousing. This theme song reoccurs throughout the film to intensify the situation then abruptly stops when they are no longer running from the law. As the film progresses the background music begins to change as the seasons change from a frantic fun hurry to romantic music linking the love that Bonnie and Clyde have for each other and their love of crime. Arthur Penn also uses sound effects such as the screeching of the cars, glass breaking, doors creaking, as well as the major sound effect of guns being shot. He uses at times non synchronous sound such as the guns being shot from inside the bushes where the police are hidden at one point in time of the film.

Overlapping dialog ed In this movie Arthur Penn's style is explored within his use of symbols. In the beginning credits the scenes are bland with frequently black and white colors with occasional light colors, but when an important element is being added to action needs to be noticed bright colors such as the deep red blood is brought out. This contrast is to let the view that the significant action will affect the characters in some way such as when " the getaway car pulls away from the scene, an elderly bank teller impulsively leaps on the vehicle, clinging to it as it roars through town. Seeing the old man's face in the window, Clyde panics and shoots him point black.

In a shocking close shot of the teller's bloodied face, the screen erupts in red. The transition from comedy to tragedy is swift as a gun blast" . One of the most unique aspects of the film is the seamless way in which it combines comedy, drama, and graphic violence into a tightly constructed whole. By this interweaving Bonnie and Clyde possesses a distinctive look. The opening scene radiates heat and sexuality, with close-ups of a nearly naked Bonnie putting on lipstick and an emphasis on "hot" colors which brought out the main character.

Throughout the film both Bonnie and Clyde have a balance on camera with illustrates that they are equal to the viewers as well as in each others eyes. When there are moments of emotion for instance when Bonnie is miserable, Clyde is nervous, or if the are both frighten Arthur Penn uses a close-up and the characters eyes to explain what they feel. This especially occurs when they are on the run. The camera shows a close up of their faces then a long shot of the car running then close up of their faces then a long shot of the car running continuously to illustrate that they are in a extreme situation as well as providing the thought that each runaway car shot is the amount of crimes the commit.

Once they stop the two scenes Penn creates a sign of relief by a long shot of a sign stating that they are now leaving a state and the car in the distance Later, a sequence in which the gang visits Bonnie's mother is presented with sepia-tinged images that offer an unreal, old time quality in slow motion which seems timeless. There's also a scene when a wide shot of a cloud passing over Bonnie and Clyde foreshadows the darkness that will eventually surround them. And, although the script plays fast and loose with the historical facts surrounding Bonnie and Clyde's exploits, no expense was spared in making the film appear as if it was taking place during the Great Depression. Bonnie and Clyde is a funny, violent, stylistically innovative film that refuses to be serious; its liveliness springs from richly-drawn characters with which viewers are able to empathize.

With the combination of theses elements Arthur Penn's style has the viewer sympathizes with the main characters and hope they succeed in terrorizing the law officers because they are low class citizen who only want to steal money from the rich not the elderly or poor. In this sense they are a newer version of Robin Hood, outcasts of society. He also uses laughter to get the audience to feel like a member of the gang so they to have the feeling of adventure.