When someone mentions "Bonnie and Clyde," one most likely think of outlaws. You automatically link them to crime. Although the center focus is about them breaking the law, I found that there is an underlying theme of Bonnie and Clyde striving to be famous, mainly Clyde. Clyde wants to be like Robin Hood, famous and helping the innocent and poor. Even though that doesn't sound like your typical criminal, it works for Clyde well until the end; we get a foreshadowing of that from the very beginning when the title goes from white to red, meaning something bad will end up happening, some blood will be shed.
Based on a true story, Bonnie and Clyde is like the real life Robin Hood. In contrast to your usual criminals, Bonnie and Clyde were not stealing from innocent people; instead they were stealing from the bank. For Examples, when Bonnie and Clyde rob a bank, Clyde notices that there is a dollar bill between the bank teller and a farmer at a bank teller counter. He asks the farmer if that is his dollar and the farmer says yes. Clyde lets the farmer keep the dollar This shows that Clyde doesn't want to steal from the innocent or poor but rather the wealthy banks just to make sure no harm is done to the innocent or poor.
Towards the beginning of the movie, Clyde shows off his gun in hopes of impressing Bonnie. She caresses the barrel and that was all it took for Clyde to want more. He wanted everyone to know his name; that is why when Bonnie tells some other people Clyde's story he begins to get aroused because he knew that, that is how you got famous by making the newspaper (which he already made headlines) and just by word of mouth of his story (which was what Bonnie was doing).
There are quite a few similarities between Bonnie and Clyde and Sunset Boulevard. Norma Desmond had a taste of fame when she was younger but then as began to age, Hollywood shunned her out and she cannot accept; she was willing to do anything to become famous. Just like Desmond, Clyde sole ambition is to become famous, to be like an idol. Like American Idol, people do not want to become artists, they just want everyone to know who they are. This is such a tragedy in America today. Clyde experienced this tragedy when he said, "They are blaming for a bank robbery in Oklahoma when I was in New Mexico." The excitement of becoming famous slowly begins to fade because he is now beginning to get accused of things he didn't even do.
When Bonnie finally confesses, "I wanna see my mama," it breaks your heart because it shows her innocence that the audience had forgotten about. Bonnie and Clyde go see her family. Everyone seems amazed by Clyde's gun, it was like they were celebrities, even to Bonnie's family. The only person that thought it was weird that Bonnie was killing people was her mom. She was like the voice of reason but that still didn't stop Bonnie and Clyde from their outlaw ways which eventually lead to their death.
The connection you made between Bonnie and Clyde and Sunset Boulevard was very interesting. I wouldn’t have thought that such different movies would end up having similar underlying messages. The fact that Norma was willing to do anything to be famous was what resulted in her downfall, is similar to what happened in Bonnie and Clyde. Clyde was very wrapped up in trying to be famous. This brings up a good question. Did he have intentions on trying to make a point by stealing from banks and not actual people, or trying to make a name for himself? It is hard to distinct. Because Clyde stole ambitions to become famous makes me believe that he was in it just to become famous. Like Norma his whole life was consumed with one thing—being famous, which eventually lead to Clyde’s death and Norma going insane.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your connection to the film and today’s pop culture. American Idol and other reality shows are just a way for people to become famous. Do they really care about singing, or helping people, or is it just a way for people to know their name? This is just like Clyde. He wasn’t stealing from the bank just to be wealthy. He was trying to make a name for himself, so that everyone across the country would know who he was.
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ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a strong correlation between Clyde and Robin Hood that I did not necessarily put together myself, but it is a good point. Clyde does not seem to want harm to come to the disadvantaged. Though he doesn't "rob from the rich to give to the poor," he does not rob from the poor. This is one good quality that we see in Clyde. The duo of Bonnie and Clyde are definitely given the title of both lovers and bandits, but they were never shown harming the disadvantaged in any way, and the scene in the bank with the farmer is a great example of Clyde's good nature toward the poor.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem that Clyde has a need to be well-known, no matter what for. Bonnie seems to want similar to this, but more so just attention from a lover - in this case, Clyde. She did not have anything to live for, just waiting tables at a local restaurant. She saw an opportunity of happiness with Clyde and she took it.
I do not necessarily agree with your comment about American Idol simply because most of those people go on the show to get a contract so that they can have money to make a living. In today's American society, people cannot live solely off of fame, though fame usually is accompanied by wealth. Americans are money hungry, and I think this is shown in Bonnie and Clyde as well. The two are living in the depression, and no one has anything. They find it a game to take money from others in order to get famous. I do think that Clyde really just wanted to be famous, no matter by what means, I just do not see the connection with American Idol.
I agree with your comments on the scene where Bonnie meets with her mom for the first time since she has met Clyde and started the robberies. Her mother tried to reason with Bonnie, but this was an instance of foreshadowing; her mother said her final goodbye just scenes before the brutal murder of the duo. Foreshadowing was a crucial part of this film.
-Beth Bailey