Violence and a type of criminal
romance, dramatized by frustrated sex, are the
themes of this action film, based on a real
episode in the lawless period of depression
America. Warren Beatty hardly seems the
desperado type, but Faye Dunaway is
convincing in her role as his companion in
robbery and murder. Beatty is also the
producer, with Arthur Penn (stage director for
"Toys in the Attic" and "The Miracle Worker") as
director, from a story by Robert Newman and
David Benton, both writers for Esquire
Magazine. Of its kind, this is an excellent
dramatization of outlaws against society who
kill and loot, partly for the thrill and partly for
monetary gain. Pitting themselves against the
law, they lead officers a merry chase and play
a dangerous game when they humiliate one
they neglect to kill afterwards. Bonnie writes
some doggerel verse that Clyde is foolish
enough to send to a newspaper, which
publishes it. This pinpoints their whereabouts,
so their saga ends abruptly as it began. That
crime does not pay can be deduced from the
end of the unique couple -- but it has been
paying at the motion picture theatre boxoffice
for so long that this will probably be no
exception. In Technicolor.
THE
STORY:
Faye Dunaway interrupts
Warren Beatty trying to steal her mother's car.
Bored with her job as a small town waitress,
she teams up with him for a series of
robberies of grocery stores, filling stations and
banks. Along with their teaming up as outlaws
is a romantic attachment, frustrated by his
impotence. They add Michael J. Pollard to their
activities as car heister and wheelman -- then
Beatty's recently released-from-prison brother
(Gene Hackman) whose nervous wife (Estelle
Parsons) earns Faye's scorn during holdup
jobs. The five are being hunted by police in
several states and in Joplin they are
surrounded, the brother and wife killed. The
wounded Beatty and Faye escape and take
refuge with Pollard's father, who turns them in
to get a mild sentence for his son. Trapped,
the notorious couple are riddled by gunfire
from an ambush and their career of crime
ended. Ironically, he had just been able to
become Faye's real lover in a physical sense.
EXPLOITIPS:
Dig up old
newspaper clippings about the crime career
of "Bonnie and Clyde" and make up a
composite ad from these. Have the song of
that title sung on local radio stations.
CATCHLINES:
All in all they
killed 19 people, robbing stores, gas stations
and banks... "Bonnie and Clyde" -- Notorious
lovers of the 30's... Outlaws on a rampage.
Warner Bros.-7 Arts 111 mins.
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