Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde (Cambridge Film Handbooks) (Paperback)

~ Lester D. Friedman (Editor) "The script for Bonnie and Clyde entered and exited my life a few years before it eventually became a film..." (more)
Key Phrases: discontinuous cuts, final ambush, fictive audience, New York, Arthur Penn, Bonnie Parker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Few films in the history of American cinema caused more intense critical discussion and greater emotional debate than Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde. This volume includes freshly-commissioned essays by leading scholars of Arthur Penn's work, as well as contributions from Penn himself and scriptwriter David Newman. They analyze the cultural history, technical brilliance, visual strategies, and violent imagery that marked Bonnie and Clyde as a significant turning point in American film.

Book Description

Few films in the history of American cinema caused more intense critical discussion and greater emotional debate than Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde." This volume includes freshly-commissioned essays by leading scholars of Arthur Penn's work, as well as contributions from Penn himself and scriptwriter David Newman. They analyze the cultural history, technical brilliance, visual strategies, and violent imagery that marked "Bonnie and Clyde" as a significant turning point in American film.

Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (December 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521596971
• ISBN-13: 978-0521596978
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,258,403 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Bonnie and Clyde" Now and Then, March 28, 2000

By	Anja Kootz (New York City, USA) - See all my reviews

This book is a very good collection of essays that review and analyze Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde" in the context of the 60's and our own time. Discussions around the movie that have taken place at the time of its release and today have altered significantly. And that is what the book reflects on. Arthur Penn's essay in the collection gives an enlightening impression on the making of "Bonnie and Clyde" and describes the difficulties connected with the production of the film. His and David Newman's (who is analyzing the on going discussion of what "Bonnie and Clyde" is really about)pieces stand in refreshing contrast to the "academic" interpretations of the movie, because they reveal more than a view from outside that only sees the movie and succeed in giving a feeling for the artistic process instead of just analysing the final result. Steven Alan Carr's and Stephen Prince's essays offer wonderful contextualizations by looking at "Bonnie and Clyde" in the context of the film's influence on and from society and the film's influence on violence in American film history. This is for sure one of the books one should read in an attempt to understand "Bonnie and Clyde" in its historical context and its significance for American film history. And it is not only a source of knowledge and thought it's definitely also a lot of fun.