Directed by Arthur Penn

On DVD

*****

The New American Cinema was born upon the release of Bonnie and Clyde (1967) though, sadly, those first seeing the film had no idea that at that very moment everything about cinema was changing.

With the social upheaval of the 60s, all forms of art were dramatically changed and impacted. The last to change would be film, as old Hollywood hung on tight to the dream of what once was.

Warren Beatty was the first major movie star to pitch a film with himself acting as producer. He got the go-ahead to make the film he wanted, which was a biography of Depression-era outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. Beatty turned to his friend Arthur Penn and they headed to Texas to create art and, without knowing so, American film history.

When the film was released critics did not know what to make of it. Premiering in Canada at the Montreal Film Festival, it was given a negative review by the powerful New York Times critic Bosley Crowder although he later recanted, admitting he was out of touch with modern film. Though the film had many admirers, those that detested it could not deny its raw power and the fact it was new, breathtaking and full of energy, unlike anything ever seen before. It would be Pauline Kael, the brilliant critic for the New Yorker who saw first the genius within the film and wrote in celebration of it.

Penn's genius was making Bonnie and Clyde living and breathing metaphors for the restless youth of the 60s. Like the young people in the 60s, Bonnie and Clyde lived their lives in the Depression, not trusting anyone older than them, watching their country plummet to ruin due to the government and had only themselves. The film's tagline was: "They're young... they're in love... and they kill people."

Beatty brilliantly convinced Warner Brothers to re-release the film in the fall, knowing his film was driving the engine of change. He was right to do so as the second release saw the film bring in more than $40 million and earn 10 Academy Award nominations. On Oscar night the film took home a pair, for supporting actress Estelle Parsons and cinematography, but like many great films, Bonnie and Clyde did not need an Oscar to be elevated to the status of masterpiece.

The film makes no secret of the fact the two are doomed and their death scene is a bloody ballet of machine guns, each doing a peculiar death dance as their bodies are riddled. On every level this picture was a stunner.

The film made Beatty a wealthy man and began a thirst to direct that was culminated when he won the Oscar for best director for his Russian epic Reds (1981). Faye Dunaway became a major star, Gene Hackman and Michael J. Pollard enjoyed healthy boosts to their career and Penn was among the finest directors of the 60s.

Warner Brothers has released the Ultimate Collector's Edition which contains a pristine print of the film. What is truly exciting is the documentary about the making of the film, the impact of the picture when released, and the constant uphill battles fought by Beatty before the film was hailed for the work of art it was.

Tame by today's standards, Bonnie and Clyde was sensational without being sensationalistic. It changed the way movies were made and the subject matter within. Suddenly taboo subjects could be explored on film.

This is a dark tale, a film about robbing and killing, but jaunty, buoyed with energy brought on by a sheer love of cinema. Without even knowing they were doing it, Beatty, Penn and company were breathing fresh life into the American cinema.