One of the most notable formalities observed in Arthur Penn’s 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde are the aspects of character relatability in accordance with the time period of both when the film was made and the era it was set in. Penn portrays Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) as an outlaw with a moral compass that drives him to kill and steal but at the same time commit what can be seen as acts of selflessness due to his empathetic feelings. This can be observed in the scene where he and his gang rob a bank and he asks a somewhat exhausted and disheveled man if the money on the table was his. When the man says yes, he allows him to keep it and proceeds to rob everybody else. While it can be initially thought of as just an act of good will by a controversial hero, this scene and many others like it within the film have a direct relation to both the time period it was filmed in and the era the story takes place. Bonnie (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde were depression era criminals. Because of the vast amounts of economic instability and its effects on the country, many of those who felt the brunt of the Great Depression grew feelings of animosity towards the federal banks and government for letting these predicaments occur. As it happens the film was produced in the late sixties, when the United States had begun to experience of a somewhat societal rift due to changes in cultural norms and the feelings and expenses of the Vietnam War. The resulting economic hardships that occurred during the late 1960s caused many people to develop a level of hatred towards the political system of governance which the movie, by formulating the character in a sort of Robin Hood format, taps into in order to develop some relatability between the audience and Clyde, a homicidal bank robber.
There are several notable editing and cinematographic strategies that are incorporated in order to express the levels of emotion that are present within the characters’ situation. Penn, the film’s editor Dede Allen and cinematographer Burnett Guffey use a multitude of different shot types to express the characters’ feelings. An example of this is seen in the film with a close up shot at Bonnie’s mother after hearing how Clyde say that Bonnie wants to live close to her. Knowing that would be a foolish and near-suicidal idea, Bonnie’s mother has a look of depressed-resignation, knowing that she will never see her daughter again. The camera’s zooming in on her face shows her sad look, as well as her old wrinkled face which illustrates how her life must have been harsh and the events taking place in the great depression weren’t making them any easier. Another example of a shot in the film is at the beginning with Bonnie and shows an extreme close up of her lower face and her applying lipstick. This is to show that despite her financial situation and the men she deals with regularly at her job, she still cares greatly about her appearance.
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