MovieChat Forums > Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Discussion > Overrated

Overrated

posted 5 years ago by PrimeMinisterX (8711)
7 replies | jump to latest

After several years of intending to get around to it, I finally sat down tonight and watched Bonnie and Clyde. I knew it was regarded as a classic. In fact, not just a classic, but according to the AFI it is one of the Top 100 American films of all time.

I thought it was good, but not great. The performances are very good and there are some really good individual scenes, but overall I felt like the movie was about a 7/10. The highlights, for me, were Gene Hackman's performance, Dunaway's looks, the hilarious scene with Gene Wilder (who I never expected to pop up in this thing), and the brutal death scene at the end. But there were some creative choices made that I didn't love and I also thought the script probably deserved another pass as well.

I should mention that I have a natural aversion to what was regarded as the cutting-edge filmmaking style of much of the 60s. While there were some great films produced during this era, certainly, I tend to regard it as a weird time for movies and there's something about much of the filmmaking during this time that I find very off-putting.

I know that film purists will want to kick me in the face for saying this, but when it comes to renditions of the Bonnie and Clyde story, I prefer the mini-series from a few years back:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2707792/

[–] MrFilmJunkie (898) 5 years ago

it wasn't highly rated by critics when it came out. it got its acknowledgement later on, when its effect on hollywood became apparent, hence what's now called new hollywood as opposed to "classic" hollywood.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

The mini series was too fake

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8711) 5 years ago

Fake in what way?

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Too dolled up and handsome

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8711) 5 years ago

You could certainly say the same about this film. I'm note sure the tale has ever been told on screen in a way that approaches reality. Perhaps in The Highwaymen, but that is not told from B&C's perspective and they're barely in the movie.

[–] BourbonKing (5777) 5 years ago

It was part of the revival of Hollywood after it had gone stale in the early 60s as the decline of Golden Age Hollywood was in full downward swing. Baby Boomers were tuning out of general American medium establishment like Network TV, National Radio, and Commercial Pop Music and embracing subversion. This movie captures some of the spirit of American Baby Boomer youth even though it features an older generation and era, so it stands to reason why it is at least highly regarded as a part of Americana.

I'm more curious about your aversion to cutting-edge filmmaking style though. What exactly is that? Are you referring to the influence of French New Wave on younger directors or are you referring to the directing style of Stanley Kubrick. There was no uniform approach.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8711) 5 years ago

The 60s were an experimental era for filmmakers and I think a lot of that experimentation didn't work. The approaches to editing in particular could get quite strange.

I would point to a movie like Easy Rider as being one that really breaks away from classic Hollywood style, and I largely don't care for the results.

A lot of my favorite movies from the 60s are films the hearken back to earlier eras, like Cleopatra or The Sound of Music. Though I also love 2001, which was clearly a forward-looking movie.