Bonnie and Clyde

Arthur Penn's 1967 masterpiece Bonnie and Clyde was initially dismissed by critics as a thinly veiled paean to violence. But after renowned film critic Pauline Kael's influential review in The New Yorker, the pendulum began to swing in the other direction, and today the film is considered one of the finest evocations of Depression-era America ever put to celluloid. Combining fact and legend (and wisely relying on the latter for dramatic purposes), screenwriters David Newman and Robert Benton crafted a cinematic ballad inspired by the lives of notorious bank robbers Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty). One of the real strokes of genius was to make Clyde impotent (rather than homosexual, as history suggests), which turned the renegade duo into a poignant couple. The mesmerizing leads are backed by great supporting performances from Gene Hackman as Clyde's brother Buck, Estelle Parsons (who garnered an Oscar) as Buck's wife Blanche, and Michael J. Pollard as C.W. Moss, all of whom become members of the gang. For those viewers who only recall the ultra-violent slow-motion shootout finale, this new release of Bonnie and Clyde—nominated for numerous Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor (Hackman and Pollard), and Screenplay—will be a revelation. Boasting an excellent standard DVD transfer and a Blu-ray 1080p transfer that is simply gorgeous (with Dolby Digital mono sound that is as good as can be expected), DVD/Blu-ray extras include a fascinating 65-minute 40th anniversary retrospective documentary (featuring virtually all of the principal cast and crew—and Morgan Fairchild, who was Dunaway's double), the History Channel-aired profile “Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde,” additional scenes, Beatty's wardrobe tests, and trailers (and, on the Blu-ray version, a built-into-the-package 36-page booklet with publicity materials and essays). Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)