CULT MOVIE: BONNIE & CLYDE (1967)

Despite Warner Bros giving the film only a limited release and the critical slaughtering at the hands of New York Times critic Bosley Crowther ( he later changed his review and subsequently left the newspaper), the film became an unprecedented success with the public and created ( or so it seemed at the time) a new Hollywood. The old Hollywood wasn't that impressed: studio boss Jack Warner, after a private screening, scolded Beatty about its length: "This is a three-piss picture." The tale of a 1920s gang of bank robbers led by Chris Barrow and Bonnie Parker is essentially a film about reacting against the establishment, a kind of Rebel Without a Cause but with a gun. Although Splendor In The Grass had been a hit for Beatty in 1961, Clyde made him, and was a turning point in the careers of Faye Dunaway and Gene Hackman. Funnily enough, Beatty had originally wanted to cast Bob Dylan as the "runtish" Clyde but was encouraged to star himself. Penn wanted the final scene where a bit of Clyde's head is blown away by a bullet to remind viewers of the assassination of JFK.
Director: Arthur Penn Cast: Warren Beatty, Faye Danaway

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