Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967), directed by Arthur Penn.

It's a strange story. A couple and their gang became folk heroes for robbing stores and banks and murdering over 10 people. Thirty years later this became a semi-comic film vehicle to celebrate the late 60s values of youth, revolution and cleansing violence, along with the obligation to denigrate straight society as much as possible. The outlaw as hero, true representative of the common people.

What's also strange is that it works so well. We always excuse gun-crazy when it is accompanied by love-crazy. It's mainly an exterior story in that we don't get much of the inner life of the characters. The exception is Faye Dunaway, who projects dangerous sexual heat from the first scene. Warren Beatty tells her "I'm not much of a lover-boy", meaning he's not capable, which causes them considerable frustration. They work it out just before the end. The sexual innuendoes with guns are pretty obvious.

Notable at the time for explicit violence: people being shot and producing blood.

It's a much fictionalized story, as described in the wikipedia. Most interesting is the case of Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (played by Denver Pyle): "In 1968, Hamer's widow and son sued the movie producers for defamation of character over his portrayal and were awarded an out of court settlement in 1971."

The soundtrack: bluegrass wasn't invented until the 1940s. O Brother Where Art Thou used mostly appropriate period music, but all the reviewers described it as bluegrass.

Available on Blu-ray.

http://watershade.net/public/bonnie-and-clyde.jpg