Bonnie And Clyde Movie Essay

Chris Shea

Professor Deborah Spillman

CINE 201

03/03/16

Editing and Cuts in Bonnie and Clyde

In the 1967 Warner Bros. film Bonnie and Clyde, there are two very important shots and scenes which lead to the resolution at the very end of the film (Bonnie and Clyde’s ultimate death). These two shots and scenes mainly serve as foreshadowing of this untimely end to the movie’s two main characters (not necessarily protagonists).

The first of these scenes takes place where the Barrow gang is parked next to a lake as Clyde is out of the car. Multiple cross-shots are exchanged between the Clyde-less Barrow gang having a good time in the car and the Texas sheriff quietly approaching this car with his gun drawn. This goes on for 30 seconds in silence until Clyde yells “Sheriff!” and he apprehends

But the most important point of this scene doesn’t come until later when Bonnie kisses him on the lips. The sheriff does not take too kindly to this action by Bonnie and he spits at her in the face.

I do not believe the sheriff cared too much about the Barrow gang that much until this very moment. At first he believed catching the Barrow gang was just a part of his job as a sheriff. But after Bonnie clearly showed social and sexual dominance over the handcuffed sheriff, he could not take this abuse anymore. Now his masculinity as a sheriff is in question. He is now forced to take this pursuit of the Barrow gang personally, for himself and his masculinity.

Another very important scene in the 1967 Warner Bros. film Bonnie and Clyde comes much later in the film. This one is more of a very quick shot than an actual scene however. It takes place in the street, where a citizen is trying to cross the road. A car quickly passes by this citizen to reveal a rater menacing appearance of the same sheriff the Barrow gang heckled in