Customer Reviews

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

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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.