Arthur Penn directed this film that came out in 1967 about a small-time thief, Clyde Barrow, that tries to steal a car and winds up with its owner’s daughter, a dissatisfied small-town girl Bonnie Parker. Their crimes quickly spiral from petty theft to bank robbery, but tensions between the couple and the other members of their gang, driver C.W., Clyde’s older brother Buck and Buck’s ditsy wife, Blanche that could destroy them all.
In the 1960’s, the film industry was going through times of reform and change. The United States was facing racial conflicts, a rise in militarism as well as feminism. There was a shift in audience demographics as well as directors who looked towards European films such as the French New Wave and Italian filmmakers for inspiration. Bonnie and Clyde is one of few films that came out during this New Hollywood era which had started to incorporate violence, promiscuity, disillusionment, and ideas of going against social norms. When Bonnie and Clyde rob their first bank towards the progression of their robberies when C.W. Moss, Buck and Blanche join them the country is relatively broke. Times are hard and banks don’t have much money due to the stock market crash as well as the thousands and millions of Americans who’ve lost their jobs and don’t have money to put away. In essence Bonnie and Clyde’s dream of becoming rich are unrealistic in such a time of depression which leads to their failure. When Bonnie meets Clyde she instantly develops an attraction towards him especially for his bold nature. She soon then decides to follow him in hopes of turning her life around to find adventure and true love. Along their journey the duo hook up with C.W. Moss, Clyde’s older brother Buck, and his wife, Blanche who is the daughter of a preacher. Small crimes that Bonnie and Clyde had once committed in stealing from a grocery store have now escalated with the help of more people. The “Barrow Gang” the group would call themselves, in the process of robbing banks has now started to kill anyone who would stand in their way. The scene in the film where Bonnie reunites with her mother and family is a significant scene in the film because it foreshadows the future for Bonnie as well as the rest of the gang. In this scene the colors of the film becomes misty and dream like as well as the atmosphere among the Barrow Gang and Bonnie’s family. There is this bitter sweet feeling that develops in this scene due to multiple takes of long shots as well as its relatively slow paced nature. Bonnie and Clyde’s initial decision to drive down a dangerous and violent road of crime in a time of depression conveys that there will be no happy ending as well as an ultimate road of doom for them both.