BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967) - Review

Bonnie and Clyde

Action/Biography/Crime
1 hour and 51 minutes
Rated: R

Written by: David Newman & Robert Benton
Directed by: Arthur Penn
Produced by: Warren Beatty

Cast:
Warren Beatty
Faye Dunaway
Michael J. Pollard
Gene Hackman
Estelle Parsons

There has never been... You have never seen... a motion picture like this one!

History has a disturbing habit of repeating itself. The era of cinema from roughly around 1967 till about 1974 showcases one of these specific historical repetitions that was occurring largely in the United States, but quite arguably around the world as well. It was a time when the disenfranchised few were beginning to scream at the silent majority who were in control of things, largely due to the direction the nation and the world was heading in. Vietnam, Nixon, LBJ, the military, banks, the older generation, etc. - these were all topics that were under fire, most, if not all, for a justifiable reason. This era in cinema, known as rebel cinema, was a time where Hollywood learned very quickly that it would be wise to tap into the voices of the disenfranchised few. By essentially allowing the lunatics - in form of (often) young filmmaker's who shared a message and vision for the nation - to essentially run the asylum (Hollywood itself), rebel cinema was born into creation and soared to innovative and artistic heights that breathed new life into a stale and dying film industry. Films like: The Graduate, Point Blank, The Dirty Dozen, Rosemary's Baby, Easy Rider, and of course Bonnie and Clyde.

The story of Bonnie and Clyde, much like the stories of most of the aforementioned films within the rebel cinema era, spoke directly to the lives and troubles of the disenfranchised few by paralleling it with a previous storyline set within a different era where the disenfranchised few were screaming at the silent majority: the era of the Great Depression. Throughout Bonnie and Clyde, one can see signs for Franklin Roosevelt's presidential campaign hanging in the background, obscured by buildings or trees or parked cars. By placing these posters in obscurity, almost out of sight, the political promises of yesteryear and how little they meant to the people of the time reflected the then political promises of the late 1960s, and just how little they meant to audience members. Audiences aren't meant to identify with politicians and peacekeepers, they're meant to identify with outlaws and murderers.

While there are some brilliant robbery sequences, almost all of them ending in some sort of shootout, the film largely focuses on its protagonists and their qualities as human beings. Several times Bonnie and Clyde show great compassion towards their fellow man including sequences where they listen to a man who tells them his house was taken by the bank before they offer the man a pistol and he fires several rounds into the home that was stolen from him. Another sequence during a robbery has Clyde ask a man if the money on the counter is his or the bank's. When the man responds that it's his, Clyde tells him to keep it. These were criminals no doubt, but Bonnie and Clyde were human beings meant to be seen as such, and therefore are construed as heroes to audience members who felt as if they too had been wronged in some way or another by the status quo. It's a simple but brilliant storyline whose writers, David Newman and Robert Benton ought to be commended for.

Director Arthur Penn too should be praised, largely for the performances he pulls from every single member of the cast - large roles or small. As mentioned previously, Bonnie and Clyde are almost always shown as compassionate heroes who care just as much about others as they do for themselves - if not more so. Gene Hackman is brilliant as always and provides much of the in-house entertainment. His character Buck, who's much rowdier than Beatty's Clyde, is an excellent edition to the gang of thieves. And while Estelle Parsons won an Academy Award for her role as the loudmouthed Blanche Barrow, it is Michael J. Pollard who delivers the best performance out of the supporting cast. As the young C.W. Moss, Pollard shows a naive spirit of a youth whose life is suddenly given purpose and meaning only to have that sensation of life pulled out from under him by the film's conclusion. It is Moss that is unquestionably the most affected character by the film's story.

Cinematographer Burnett Guffey won an Oscar for the film as well and it's easy to see why. The shots throughout Bonnie and Clyde are so pristinely framed one feels that they could pull any still from the film and hang it on their wall as art. The films climax, choreographed terrifically by Penn, is breathtaking to behold and no doubt leaves every first time viewer speechless. Guffey captures all the madness and murder just as gaily as he does the more heartfelt sequences. The film's editing, done by Dede Allen, should also be commended as brilliant, as it helps set the overall pace and gives every scene its intended atmosphere.

There are moments in our heroes performances that are unconvincing at times. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty are largely convincing, but in brief instances their performances don't seem to gel with precisely what is happening in a scene. A perfect example of this is when Clyde takes Bonnie back to see her mother - after several bank jobs have occurred and they are wanted for murder. Both Beatty and Dunaway don't seem to react in any sort of natural way to what Bonnie's mother tells them both and the overall sequence feels uncomfortable. This happens a few times throughout the movie, but it is never really as alarming as it is in the previously mentioned sequence. For the most part, as Bonnie and Clyde, Beatty and Dunaway deliver the goods.

While it has some relatively minor performance flaws that are easily overlooked, Bonnie and Clyde remains one of those extremely important movies that showcases just how well this artistic medium can do when it taps into the societal structure around it. At the very least, it is a fun and entertaining ride, and all first time viewers are more than likely going to find themselves enamored with the titular heroes.

8.5/10

THE AMAZING MR. X (1948) - Review

The Amazing Mr. X

Film-Noir/Horror/Thriller
1 hour and 18 minutes
Rated: Approved

Written by: Muriel Roy Bolton & Ian McLellan Hunter
Directed by: Bernard Vorhaus
Produced by: Benjamin Stoloff

Cast:
Turhan Bey
Lynn Bari
Cathy O'Donnell

In his eyes, the threat of terror! In his hands, the power to destroy!

The era of World War II saw a rather steady churning out of rather stale films when it came to the world of genre cinema, and the years immediately following the war were no exception to this matter. One could largely say this was due to the minds of Americans being preoccupied on much more pressing matters, but this isn't to say cinema didn't play an important part in helping Americans cope throughout the war. Genre cinema in particular offered a fantastical realm of escapism that allowed for audiences to forget about their everyday concerns of Japanese bombs and rising waves of fascism for an hour or so. It is because of this perhaps that the market for B genre pictures continued to grow at a rapid rate, as more and more market places for them such as the drive-in theatre increased in popularity. But therein is the issue, more product means less quality control.

The Amazing Mr. X falls largely into this problem. Whether the picture started off with the intention of being a straightforward ghost story and then became a film rooted in reality or vice versa is perhaps irrelevant. The resulting product, a film that tries to haphazardly sew the two plot lines together ends up being a rather unimpressive mess of a film.

To begin with its stronger elements, any cinema lover is sure to fall in love with some of the choices regarding the film's cinematography. John Alton, the film's cinematographer, frames many of the film's more bizarre moments in rather unique ways. Framing Lynn Bari's character between two branches of a dead tree as the sea crashes against the shore behind her, an up angled shot from within the drain of a sink staring up at Bari and Cathy O'Donnell, and the film's climax, a moment that requires near darkness to be pulled off, are all moments that showcase a visionary eye of a man who is perhaps much more talented than the content of this film would suggest. Then of course, there is the seance sequence, the film's absolute crowning achievement. Alton captures some rather unimpressive special effects in unique and interesting ways that make their otherwise dated funhouse qualities easily forgivable.

While the story is absolutely disjointed, The Amazing Mr. X does really pick up some steam by the end of its second act, when it is revealed that the story is much more grounded in reality than the first two thirds had implied. Once it is revealed the entire thing is meant to be a hoax and we as an audience can unravel the pieces of thread regarding the film's plot, it does become a much more fast paced, and engaging thriller. Unfortunately, the film spends way too much time lingering upon its ghost story setup that the damage is already done. The first two thirds of the film are incredibly boring and do nothing to set the film apart from any other B horror ghost story that had been produced during this era. This ultimately leads to the film's running time feeling much longer than it actually is.

The performances in The Amazing Mr. X aren't by any means incredible, but the sheer fact that they aren't wooden or amateur in nature is a commendable thing, especially considering this was a B movie made on an almost-nothing budget. Director Bernard Vorhaus manages to get believable enough performances out of all of his actors in an otherwise underwhelming story, and that perhaps is an absolutely commendable feat. Perhaps the characters are underdeveloped, but the performers all do the best with the material they are given, and it is unlikely anyone will find the acting to be the film's biggest problems.

Like most of the genre films that followed the era of World War II, The Amazing Mr. X is a problematic film that seemed to have a rather engaging thriller storyline that unfortunately was too washed and faded by a dull ghost story set up. Its cinematography is its saving grace, and anyone who finds themselves enjoying film for the more technical elements may in fact find the film to be a pleasant surprise. Otherwise, there's perhaps a reason why this genre picture has faded into obscurity since its release in 1948.

4/10