Bonnie and Clyde- Themes of Crime and Fame

The film, Bonnie and Clyde is a 1967 American biographical crime film that was directed by Arthur Penn. The film stars Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as the two leads: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

This film presents an interesting portrayal of the real life criminals. While watching this film, I couldn’t help but get drawn into the historical facts surrounding the two.

While researching Bonnie and Clyde on my own I came across my details that were not at all mentioned in the film, while the film does have an accurate portrayal and real historical pieces, it’s not entirely accurate in all things.

For one, Bonnie Parker was married and it wasn’t to Clyde Barrow. She was married young at the age of 15 just before her 16th birthday and it seems she may have had a type as her husband was shortly arrested afterwards for armed robbery. Her and her husband never divorced and she died wearing her wedding ring.

Another thing they left out of the film was that while Clyde was in prison he was sexually assaulted, repeatedly. This may have been why he had trouble being intimate with Bonnie.

Bonnie and Clyde in similar fashion to Chicago brings up the themes of fame and criminal activity. Bonnie and Clyde by robbing banks became famous for being in the papers and eluding the police. Also during this time (the depression) people were angry with the banks for foreclosing on their homes and taking their money. As a result, they were seen as “Robin Hood” type figures because even though they didn’t give to the poor, they still stole from the rich.

Bonnie and Clyde, like Chicago, focuses on the crime and fame of that era.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would recommend it to other history buffs and people who are enamored with the themes of crime and fame.