Official Synopsis:
Depression-era drifters Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) embark on a life of crime. They crave adventure - and each other. Nothing in film history has prepared us for the cascading violence to follow. We learn they can be hurt - and dread they can be killed. The vivid title-role performances get superb support from Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman and Estelle Parsons, 1967 Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winner. Director Arthur Penn keeps the film's tone tough but never cruel. It continually dazzles, especially in the work of cinematographer Burnett Guffey (winner of the film's second Oscar) and editor Dede Allen. Generations later, it's still a thunderous, thrilling ride.

Our Take:
Finally! I can get rid of that old snapper case DVD of Bonnie and Clyde, a monumentally important film in American film history that always deserved better treatment on DVD.  Well, that better treatment has arrived in Warner Brothers’ re-release of Bonnie and Clyde, which has never looked better or contained more bonus material. 

The reason for the film’s importance is the fact that it destroyed whatever lingering hold the Production Code had in Hollywood following its release in 1967.  In fact, it marked the first time in American film history that the effects of gunshots were shown in a single frame as opposed to the shot of the gun firing – cut – person on ground showing effects of gun wound.  Without this film, modern American cinema as we know it may not exist; no Bonnie and Clyde, then no Reservoir Dogs.  It also helps that Bonnie and Clyde is a brilliantly directed and acted film.  Looking back, one almost has to laugh at the fact that it was first released as a B-movie given all the talent involved.  Six years after his wonderfully acted turn in Splendor in the Grass, Warren Beatty stars here and expertly tackles another difficult role.  Beatty’s take on Clyde Barrow as a confident, quick-to-violence family man is the mold from which all future likeable bad guys would be cast.  The same is true of Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker.  This film’s influence can probably most directly be seen on the Quentin Tarantino and Tony Scott film True Romance.

It’s not only the headlining stars Beatty and Dunaway that make Bonnie and Clyde the classic it has become, but the excellent work of the supporting cast as well.  Gene Hackman, pre-Popeye Doyle, nails the loveable big bear of a man type (that also happens to be a cold-hearted killer or tough as nails) that he has become famous for in his career.  Estelle Parsons, in all her shrieking glory, won an Academy Award for her performance as one of the most irritating bank robbers in screen history. My favorite performance in the film, though, is actually one of the shortest, the screen debut of Gene Wilder as Eugene, the nervous undertaker.  In his brief moments on screen, Wilder showcases the many talents that would make him one of the greatest comedic actors of the 1970’s.  We see him first as awkward lover, and then we see forced rage followed by an immediate realization he’s in over his head and both a literal and emotional reversal of course.  Once he and his girlfriend are “captured” by the Barrow gang Wilder’s neurotic nervousness shines through and he steals absolutely every second he is on screen.  When his paramour reveals her real age, Wilder’s expression is the high point of the film.  One cannot escape a review of Bonnie and Clyde without mentioning the famed and forever talked about ending of the film that involves an elegant hail of gunfire.  This famous finale is one of my favorites in film history since, among other reasons, it is the direct pre-cursor to the slow motion bullet barrage featured two years later in Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch.  And to this day, it is Arthur Penn’s killing of Bonnie and Clyde that remains the most elegant and brutal killing of a film’s main characters.

Bonnie and Clyde: Two-Disc Special Edition contains a host of extra features.  It is worth noting that there is an Ultimate Edition as well, which is slightly more expensive, but contains (in addition to everything listed below), a 36-page hardcover book of rare behind-the-scenes photos and a 24-page reproduction of the original 1967 Pressbook.  The Blu-ray release of the film features the 36-page hardcover book as the case, but sadly omits the pressbook reproduction.  The following bonus material is contained on Disc 2:

* Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde (43 minutes) – A history channel documentary about the real Bonnie and Clyde.

* Revolution! The Making of Bonnie and Clyde (65 minutes).

* Warren Beatty Wardrobe Tests (8 minutes).

* Deleted Scenes (6 minutes) – These two scenes were deleted prior to the film’s 1967 release.  Unfortunately, the audio for these scenes could not be located and is presumed lost.  The dialogue intended for these scenes is available with subtitles, sourced from the film’s original shooting script.

Bonnie and Clyde is an American classic that finally has gotten the DVD treatment it deserves.  The film has never looked better and this release is packed with a second disc of value adding extras.  Normally, I would say something along the lines of “fans of x” will like this or may want to purchase this film, but to do so here would be silly since x = film.  One can simply not claim to seriously like modern cinema without seeing Bonnie and Clyde. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! MANDATORY!

Overall Picture:
Movie: A+
DVD:   A (The ultimate edition gets the A+)

- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer