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 Clydes 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 gangs antagonists
portrayed?

 What is the function of the visit to Bonnies

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 Fords 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)
Alices Restaurant (1969)
Little Big Man (1970)
Night Moves (1975)
The Missouri Breaks (1976)
Dead of Winter (1987)