Search - Bonnie and Clyde on DVD

Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Not For Children Movie Release: 1967 DVD Release: 05/18/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 52 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 16 Genres: Crime, Road Movie, Crime Drama, Gangster Film See Also: Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie and Clyde [Special Edition], Bonnie and Clyde [Ultimate Collector's Edition], Bonnie and Clyde [HD DVD], Bonnie and Clyde [Blu-ray] [Digi Book Packaging], Bonnie and Clyde [Blu-ray]

Producer/star Warren Beatty had to convince Warner Bros. to finance this film, which went on to become the studio's second-highest grosser. It also caused major controversy by redefining violence in cinema and casting its criminal protagonists as sympathetic anti-heroes. Based loosely on the true exploits of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker during the 30s, the film begins as Clyde (Beatty) tries to steal the car of Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway)'s mother. Bonnie is excited by Clyde's outlaw demeanor, and he further stimulates her by robbing a store in her presence. Clyde steals a car, with Bonnie in tow, and their legendary crime spree begins. The two move from town to town, pulling off small heists, until they join up with Clyde's brother Buck (Gene Hackman), his shrill wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons), and a slow-witted gas station attendant named C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard). The new gang robs a bank and Clyde is soon painted in the press as a Depression-era Robin Hood when he allows one bank customer to hold onto his money. Soon the police are on the gang's trail and they are constantly on the run, even kidnapping a Texas Ranger (Denver Pyle) and setting him adrift on a raft, handcuffed, after he spits in Bonnie's face when she kisses him. That same ranger leads a later raid on the gang that leaves Buck dying, Blanche captured, and both Clyde and Bonnie injured. The ever-loyal C.W. takes them to his father's house. C.W.'s father disaproves his son's affiliation with gangsters and enters a plea bargain with the Texas Rangers. A trap is set that ends in one of the bloodiest death scenes in cinematic history. The film made stars out of Beatty and Dunaway, and it also featured the screen debut of Gene Wilder as a mortician briefly captured by the gang. Its portrayal of Bonnie and Clyde as rebels who empathized with the poor working folks of the 1930s struck a chord with the counterculture of the 1960s and helped generate a new, young audience for American movies that carried over into Hollywood's renewal of the 1970s. Its combination of sex and violence with dynamic stars, social relevance, a traditional Hollywood genre, and an appeal to hip young audiences set the pace for many American movies to come. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Warren Beatty - Clyde Barrow
Faye Dunaway - Bonnie Parker
Michael J. Pollard - C.W. Moss
Gene Hackman - Buck Barrow
Estelle Parsons - Blanche
Gene Wilder - Eugene Grizzard

The DVD of Bonnie and Clyde, Arthur Penn's innovative 1967 epic about the legendary gangster lovers, offers a crisp transfer of the film and a few extras that enhance it nicely. Both the standard and (especially) widescreen formats showcase Burnett Guffey's Academy award-winning cinematography, while the Dolby Digital Mono Audio is adequate. Filmographies of the major cast and crew, production notes, and the theatrical trailer round out the disc. While features like interviews with Penn or any of the principals, galleries of Theadora Van Runkle's Oscar-nominated costumes, or Robert Jiras' makeup designs would have made the DVD even more impressive, the film's merit makes Bonnie and Clyde a more than worthwhile disc. ~ Heather Phares, All Movie Guide