Questi due giovani spavaldi rimangono nell’immaginario collettivo per la loro storia straordinaria. Per coloro i quali non se li ricordassero vi narrerò la brutta vicena di Bonnie Parker e di Clyde Barrow. I due giovani nascono negli Stati Uniti d’America, in anni difficili, diventeranno presto grandi e si confronteranno con il periodo della grande depressione. Nel ‘29 la crisi finanziaria aggrava la già difficile situazione delle desolate lande americane, popolate dalle frange più povere del paese. Clyde ben presto inizia a rubare; prima piccoli furti poi rapine mano armata. La sua vita si svolge così, tra furti e prigione. Ladruncolo di poco conto arraffa tutto ciò che può, in prigione si mutilerà un piede per evitare i duri lavori forzati. Presto conosce Bonnie. Di umile famiglia, attraente, intelligente, capace negli studi e con velleità da scrittrice (saranno ritrovati numerosi racconti scritti di suo pugno in cui narrava la loro storia in modo quasi epico). 

Il loro incontro non è narrato con precisione ma i racconti più attendibili parlano di un colpo di fulmine avvenuto a casa di conoscenti comuni. La leggenda vuole che Clyde abbia affascinato Bonnie narrandole le sue spericolate peripezie, con i suoi modi spavaldi e che abbia fatto presa sulla già volitiva personalità di Bonnie. Per niente sconvolta dal “mestiere” di Clyde se ne innamorerà perdutamente, vedrà in lui un’alternativa alla sua vita noiosa e scontata. Il fato non li aiuterà; durante una rapina Clyde ucciderà il proprietario di un negozio, così è costretto a fuggire, se dovessero prenderlo lo attenderebbe la morte! Assieme fuggono. Saranno raggiunti dal fratello di Clyde, Buck, anch’egli fuorilegge appena uscito di galera e da sua moglie, che tentò sempre di dissuadere il marito da tale vita. Arruolano un altro complice, inesperto ma spericolato e incoscente almeno quanto loro. La banda si sposta in lungo e in largo, rapine, sparatorie, uccidono molti poliziotti che odiano profondamente, sibolo della loro subordinazione. Spesso gli ostaggi vengono da loro trattati con modi amichevoli e anche per questo verranno ricoldati come ladri dal cuore buono e come eroi che si ribellavano ad un sistema che impoveriva i più deboli. Braccati saranno costretti a lasciare in fretta e furia un’abitazione di fortuna dove verranno ritrovate le foto che vi sto mostrando.

Le immagini passeranno alla storia; fieri delle loro malefatte, innamorati e irrimediabilmente spacciati…

Bonnie vuole essere ritratta per quella che è; una dura senza paura che impugna le armi e fuma come un uomo, incurante del pericolo, provocatoria, coscente della sua imminente fine.

Clyde si fa ritrarre come un Boss; elegante, gradasso e armato fino ai denti ma innamoratissimo della sua anima gemella!

Ma la fine è vicina! Buck rimarrà ucciso in un inseguimento e la moglie di questo arrestata per complicità. La banda inizia a sgretolarsi… Il padre del loro ultimo amico in vita li tradirà con le forze dell’ordine. Ormai sono soli. Un giorno i due amanti notano un furgoncino in difficoltà  sul ciglio di una stradina di campagna, riconoscono un veicolo familiare, si fermano per dare una mano. Verranno sorpresi da raffiche di fucile, completamente circondati dai poliziotti decisi ad eliminarli. Sono caduti nella trappola. Bonnie aveva 24 anni, Clyde 25.  I poliziotti inferociti massacrano la coppia e sparano più del necessario.

La macchina dell’ultimo viaggio, emblema di questa brutta storia è ancora esposta al museo del crimine negli Stati Uniti. Questa è la strana storia di Bonnie e Clyde, direttamente dai giornali del passato… Non giudicate, è solo una storia tra tante!

Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967), is a classic film born out of the Hollywood Renaissance era. Arthur Penn, the director, was one of the directors who gained his popularity (with Bonnie and Clyde) during the first wave of Renaissance directors along with Stanley Kubrick, Robert Altman, Sam Peckinpah, and others.  While the film does contain some modernist elements, it clearly breaks down the gangster film genre through demythologization.

This classic film is an exemplary example of the Hollywood Renaissance era in the way and time that it was made.  Not only was it made during the Renaissance period but the director was  fresh and new and the studio, Warner Bros/Seven Arts and Tatira-Hiller Productions, took a chance on such a young director in the hopes of making money after the Hollywood Depression (evidenced by Warner Bros joining with Seven Arts and it’s sharing of production with Tatira-Hiller).  The film also contains an unprecedented amount of violence for its time.  Throughout the film we see people be shot and beat up however none of this amounts to the long ending scene in which we see Bonnie and Clyde be filled with bullets.  Previously we hadn’t even been able to see a bullet hit someone, only the shot, but now we see bloodied heads and bullet ridden dead bodies.  The film also opens with a shot of Faye Dunaway (Bonnie) naked.  While we never see any explicit body parts we do see her naked in her underwear from the back and front which was new to the big screens of Hollywood.  Due to the disparity of Hollywood as well as the influence of foreign art films, censorship was becoming more relaxed and Bonnie and Clyde clearly utilized this.

Bonnie and Clyde contains numerous elements of a modern film including breaking spacio-temporal unity and troubled, introspective protagonists as well as breaking down genre conventions.  It breaks spacio-temporal unity by its use of jump cuts throughout the film (found in many of the shooting scenes and the opening scene with Faye Dunaway).  These jump cuts break the tradition of Classic Hollywood Cinema’s continuity editing and draw attention to the film as a piece of work rather than something that’s viewed passively.  Clyde, the film’s protagonist is a highly troubled and highly introspective protagonist.  Throughout the film I found myself wondering “what was his deal”?  He speaks very little and hardly explains himself or his background.  I feel like the most we ever learn from him is in the title card that explains a little bit about his birth and other minute details.  His interaction with Bonnie is also very troubled.  They are clearly two troubled people who need each other and seem to be the only ones who truly understand each other in the world.  Without Bonnie there to counteract him (and Clyde to counteract her), I feel that this film could have very easily followed the modernist convention of narrative fragmentation where things happen without logical cause or explanation – like Clyde would have just randomly done things and we would never have really understood why.  Clyde’s troubles include his lack of people skills, his “peculiar ideas about lovemakin’” (as Bonnie calls it), his criminal history, his arrogance, and the fact that robbing banks has been since childhood and is forever his life.  Bonnie functions as a troubled, introspective protagonist in that she feels trapped (first at home and then on the run with Clyde), she’s stubborn, misses her mother, has grand ideas of herself as a big girl in a small town, her perception that every man wants her, and her fascination with (and full participation) in crime.  These attributes all help contribute to two fascinating protagonists who we never quite fully understand but still manage to somewhat associate with.   An element in modern films is that they break down a genre, and this particular case, Bonnie and Clyde breaks down the gangster film genre.  This is further discussed in the following paragraph.

The film utilizes the form of generic transformation known as demythologization.  Demythologization involves using the characteristics of a genre, in this case the gangster genre, to call attention to how that genre is false (in that it is an inadequate and destructive myth).  Like gangster films, Bonnie and Clyde creates the clear separation between the gangster and society who feud and clash throughout the film.  While the protagonist in a traditional gangster film may be likable and identifiable in the beginning of the film, the audience (through the gangster’s violent actions and general nature) comes to see that this character brings upon his own demise through his reliance on violence.  However, in Bonnie and Clyde, we see the duo as victims of a flawed and desperate society.  Bonnie and Clyde become the heroes and we root for them to outsmart society and the police and in the end when they are shot I was angry at society rather than Bonnie and Clyde, thinking that society was corrupt instead of the thieves. This audience association with the Barrow gang (as the two couples come to be known) is further cultivated by the newspaper’s hype of the gang who the journalists and society seem to throw all their troubles onto, the reactions (more like fascination and adoration) of the people they come across, and Bonnie and Clyde’s (particularly Bonnie’s) desire to assimilate back into the society that has rejected them.  The two protagonists also don’t follow the general gangster film archetype of being forced into a life of crime by financial need, revenge, or force.  Instead the two character’s choose on their own free will their lifestyle and in the end they do not try to bite off more than they can chew and their greediness, craziness, or love of violence do not necessarily lead to their violent end – in the end it is society that causes the ultimate and bloodiest violence of the film (in the murders of Bonnie and Clyde).  Due to the film’s reversal of the roles of the outlaws and society, the film illustrates how the gangster genre is solely myth, and a destructive myth at that.  By placing society as essentially the root of the evil and violence that Bonnie and Clyde commit (rather than the individuals themselves) and saying that it is society who perpetuates and ultimately commits the most violence, it truly breaks the gangster genre’s tradition of a protagonist born of violence and whose on commitment to it create his own turbulent and bloody downfall.

Bonnie and Clyde is a landmark film and has clearly influenced many films that were later to come – I couldn’t help but notice how incredibly similar the scenes in which Bonnie and Clyde had to shoot and run their way out of the houses are to scenes from Public Enemies (Mann 2009).  It contains many modern elements but what really makes it stand out in my mind is how thoroughly it demythologizes the traditional gangster genre.

Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967) would at first glance be seen as another crime film, though it is one of many that helped usher in the Hollywood Renaissance. By looking at its fluctuations in tone, jump-cuts, and the conflicted protagonists, labeling this film as something that was “inspired” by French New Wave comes as no surprise. Bonnie and Clyde is also a prime example of the demythologization of gangster films; the protagonists don’t seek power or revenge from robbing banks. They’re just in it for the money.

As an “art film”, Bonnie and Clyde demonstrates the elements of sudden changes in tone and jumbled jump-cuts. The audience wouldn’t have expected such a gruesomely violent film if it wasn’t for the banjos playing during the Barrow gang’s getaway.  We also see some other comical, lighthearted moments in the film: the Barrow gang laughing in the backseat, fooling around with their Kodak camera, and Buck, Clyde’s brother, even dares to casually snatch an officer’s sunglasses away during a heist. But these jolly scenes are a stark contrast to the more violent ones interspersed in the film.

The gunfighting scenes are either prolonged and dramatic, or quick and shocking. When the bank manager gets shot in the face, the shot only lasts for a second. No dramatic music, no extreme close-ups; just a few quick glimpses of spattered blood and shattered glass, and then the scene cuts to a lighthearted musical playing in a movie theater. Director Arthur Penn must have done this effect to shock the audience, giving them time to pick their jaws off from the floor and contemplate what the heck just happened after the scene cuts away. Also, when Buck, Clyde’s brother, finally gives into his wounds, he takes his last breath, and the camera zooms in on his twitching fingers. As his wife cries over his death, the mood is notably somber and tragic, but it quickly moves onto Bonnie, Clyde, and C.W. making their escape. Of course, the most revered shot in the movie is the ending, when Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed by the police. The chain of jump-cuts added a great deal of suspense and confusion, which definitely keeps the audience on the edge of their seat; even after watching it numerous times, my heart still races. With these film mechanics, Bonnie and Clyde separates itself from a typical crime film; they act as devices that let the audience know that this is a movie they’re watching, and not a romanticized story riding on the coattails of Classical Hollywood Cinema.

Despite their happy-go-lucky attitude, the protagonists are by no means heroic figures. Bonnie, who is suddenly thrust into the world of crime, simply wants to get away from the humdrum farmlands and escape her repetitious lifestyle as a waitress. She later becomes homesick, wishing to see her family. But because of the paper trail she and the rest of the gang they have left behind, her mother doesn’t think she will “live long” if Bonnie decides to get a house close to her family. Clyde, despite his manly and charming appearance, is sexually awkward, which is the last thing you would expect from a handsome guy like him, even with all the sexual chemistry that was formulating between him and Bonnie in the beginning.

The demythologization of gangster films is apparent in Bonnie and Clyde: typically, the gangster would turn into a violent figure because he didn’t realize the limits of his criminal activity (which would lead to his tragic death). However, Bonnie and Clyde don’t rob banks for the sake of being financially secure and being free from the law. For one, we don’t see the duo and the rest of the Barrow crew splurging their money on jewelry and huge houses. They’re seen wearing the same raggedy clothes, living in the same, worn-down houses. And even though they don’t channel their inner Robin Hood and give their money out to the poor, they don’t see any benefit in robbing them or shooting them to death. Also, Clyde comes to the conclusion that Bonnie simply needs an escape from the monotonous, predictable life as a waitress. But despite the Barrow crew’s carefree attitude about their bank heists, the end of this film is tragic: Buck, Clyde’s brother, eventually succumbs to his head wound, his wife is blinded by a stray bullet, and Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed by the police, killed in a hailstorm of bullets and blood. The changing tones throughout this film is also integral to the genre convention of demythologization; crime is supposed to be seen as evil, but Penn depicts their escapades as fun and innocent, while the law is shown to be clumsy and unskilled.

It’s important to note that Bonnie and Clyde was one of the first films to show gratuitous violence (and depictions of sex), and through art film, it gives a sense of realism and authenticity that couldn’t be conveyed before due to the Hays Code. I would also like to think that the exploitation of sex and violence most likely played a role in the film’s commercial success, despite Warner Bros. lack of faith in the film. In retrospect, the showers of bullets and blood and sexual innuendos are pretty tame compared to what has been shown in theaters these days. I, personally, enjoyed the film, and it was a nice change of pace from watching Shoot the Piano Player last week. Even though my expectations of an absolute bloodbath in the ending were somewhat deflated, the climax leading up to Bonnie and Clyde’s death is unquestionably a nail-biting moment. I also enjoyed how Bonnie and Clyde were depicted as being more human and tangible, instead of portraying them as (predictably) heartless, gun-toting, cigar-smoking criminals.

          The story of Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967) has always intrigued me and although I know that some of what was in the film to be untrue I was still was able to get lost inside of this Hollywood renaissance film. While watching this well crafted film I point out why this film was such a smash hit during the time it was made. The Hollywood depression/Hollywood Renaissance could not have come at a better time for Warren Beatty and the many others who took part in this film. Because this film was made during the Hollywood depression, Warner Brothers decided to take a huge risk by allowing Warren Beatty, the producer and star of this film to hire who ever he thought could do the job and not only that but because they thought the movie would do so poorly they also told Beatty that he could have 40% of the gross. Beatty went on to hire inexperienced screenwriters Robert Denton and David Newman and Arthur Penn whom he had worked with on Mickey one. Thanks to Bonnie and Clyde, and his new wave influence implemented in Bonnie and Clyde, Arthur Penn is now considered to be part of the legendary Renaissance directors.

                In Bonnie and Clyde it was very clear that the censorship codes were nearly non-existent at this point, which in my opinion strongly factored into making it such a huge hit. Penn made sure to splurge the fact that there were no censorship codes standing at this time. He especially pushed the limits on the amount of violence that audiences were used to seeing at this point in Hollywood. With all of the gun fights and the intensely shot final scene of the movie, Bonnie and Clyde was the start of a new Hollywood just because of that alone. Along with the violence in the movie, Bonnie and Clyde took cracks at other censorship codes that were followed up until this point in Hollywood. Although they do not show Bonnie and Clyde having intercourse they make inferences to sexual tension between Bonnie and Clyde all throughout the movie by showing several instances were they are lustfully kissing moving into the beginning of intercourse but thanks to Clyde’s “non-lover” quality, they don’t imply them actually having sex until  later in the movie ( or at least that’s how it seemed to me). To name a few more codes that Penn made seem to have never existed, he showed several men being shot and killed, with the majority of them being police officers.

                Aside from slaughtering the censorship codes, Penn, Beatty, Denton and Newman created a film that broke down and challenged the traditional American value of criminals and the law. Even though the script was written to reflect a true story, they could have easily taken a different route and changed up the story a bit and could have not made the Barrow gang look like celebrities/hero-like. But because this film was made for counter cultural audiences, they knew the audiences would be open to this challenge and boy did they accept it. Like I just implied, this film was made for a niche film audience and the youth at this time rebelled against traditional American values very well by going to watch it, grossing it over $70 million dollars.

                Before doing Bonnie and Clyde, Penn had done other movies that were heavily influenced by the French new wave movement and actually as a little side note/interesting fact; Godard was asked to direct this film but was taken off the project when he proposed to drastically change the Bonnie and Clyde story. Penn though, in my opinion continued using some of his French new wave influences in this film and in particular the editing. To me it was most notable in the closing scene when Bonnie and Clyde are blown away by the police. There are fast cuts back and forth between Bonnie and Clyde and in doing this; I feel created an amazing ending. The audience in a way was able to better connect with Bonnie and Clyde by not really having a grasp on what was about to happen because of the fast cuts. The pacing of that scene shifts so rapidly as well which I think added to the climax of the scene. The camera cuts back and forth from Bonnie to Clyde and then once the gun fire starts continues cutting back and forth and then holds on each of them for longer takes when the gun fire stops which slows everything down and allows the audience to process what just happened. 

                As far as genre conventions go, I feel that Bonnie and Clyde possessed both burlesque proper and demythologization. There is clearly a comical tone to this movie shown with the music and some of the dialogue. Some could even argue that the acting was comical at some points as well. I couldn’t tell if I was laughing at Faye Dunaway’s tossing of the hair to display her anger and annoyance because I wasn’t used to seeing actresses now a day using their hair to portray anger or if she did that on purpose and it was actually supposed to be funny. Either way, I think Bonnie and Clyde succeeded very well in taking the gangster genre and putting “crazy/comedic contexts” into it. I know the music heavily emphasized these crazy contexts because one minute Bonnie and Clyde were robbing a bank (intense/serious) and the next second there was Hill-Billy like music playing as they drove away. One can not help but laugh and think of burlesque proper. Along with burlesque proper, there was also a very clear depiction of demythologization in this movie. Penn took the gangster/criminal genre and made it it’s own by shedding a different light on it. Penn showed how not all criminals in the gangster/criminal genre have to be seen as strictly bad people. They showed how Bonnie and Clyde were seen as celebrities and how they were also sympathized with.

                I can not say anything better about this movie besides that it was just pure fun to watch. It may just be the fact that I haven’t seen many movies made from this time period but this movie truly stands apart from any other movie I have seen.

            Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967) is set during the Great Depression. Bonnie Parker meets Clyde Barrow after she stops Clyde from trying to steal her mother’s car. Bonnie makes it obvious that she is bored with her job as a waitress, and she soon becomes intrigued with Clyde, even after he explains his criminal record. Bonnie then decides to take off with Clyde in a vehicle that he had stolen. Soon thereafter, they attempt a few holdups, but their attempts are clumsy. Bonnie and Clyde seem to get a thrill out of trying to rob stores, so they decide to shift their crime spree into high gear by recruiting C.W. Moss to help them out.  C.W. Moss is a gas station attendant that is knowledgeable about automobiles, and he goes with Bonnie and Clyde to meet up with Clyde’s brother, Buck. Inevitably, Buck and his wife, Blanche, are also pulled into the criminal lifestyle. As the movie progresses, Bonnie and Clyde begin to rob banks and become more violent. The Barrow gang (as they call themselves because of the addition of Buck) knows that they are being pursued by law enforcement after Frank Hamer, a Texas Ranger, tries to shoot them. Instead, Hamer is caught by the Barrow gang and humiliated before they set him free on a nearby river. The gang goes on to kill more people, but Buck receives a fatal wound, Blanche is shot and cannot see, and Bonnie and Clyde receive serious injuries that make them vulnerable. Blanche is found by police who were not able to catch the others, and they take her into custody.  Since she is sightless, Hamer tricks her into giving him the name of C.W. Moss, who had been known as an unnamed accomplice. Hamer then discovers C.W., Bonnie, and Clyde hiding out at the home of C.W.’s father, and Hamer makes a deal with C.W.’s father. Hamer tells the father that C.W. will get an easy sentence if he will set up a trap Bonnie and Clyde. The trap works, and Bonnie and Clyde are ambuscaded on the side of a road until their bodies are pouring blood.

"This here's Miss Bonnie Parker. I'm Clyde Barrow. We rob banks."

            As anyone can see from the story line, the film came across as a comic and romanticized version of early gangster films. I believe that Penn purposely added a comic tone to some of the violent scenes, and these scenes almost seem to reference slapstick films. Since Penn was clearly trying to turn the gangster genre upside down, I would say that this film is a display of burlesque proper. Elements of the gangster genre were situated throughout the whole movie, and parts of the film could be categorized as parody.  Ironically, the police are portrayed as unfeeling characters who only want to ruin Bonnie and Clyde’s fun. Usually, Bonnie and Clyde would be viewed as the villains in a story such as this, but their characters have the ability to draw sympathy from the viewers, while the cops are portrayed as the true antiheroes. However, macabre and gory violence was introduced into the film, especially when Bonnie and Clyde were being brutally ambushed. Therefore, the film has a serious underlying message within it about how people must face the consequences of their actions.  

            During last week’s lecture, we learned that the breakdown of censorship codes was a cause for the Hollywood Renaissance, and Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967) is clearly a film that was disintegrating those codes in the late 1960s. In older films, you never see the firing of the gun and the bullet hitting the victim within the same camera shot, but you see this happen in Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967). Sexuality was another forthright component of the film. In the beginning of the film, Clyde pulls out his gun to show Bonnie, and this is Clyde’s way of displaying his manhood. Bonnie then strokes the gun, which suggests it is a phallic symbol. Sex is not necessarily a part of the narrative, but it is a topic that Bonnie continuously brings up. Clearly, Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967), paved the way for future films by introducing risque topics and racy scenes to the big screen.

            In class, we also learned about Hollywood Renaissance films, such as Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967) being presented as art films, and I definitely think that this one references French New Wave Cinema. Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967) had a lyrical intensity about it that was reminiscent of French New Wave films, and this is the element that stood out the most to me. Influence from French New Wave directors can also be seen in the choppy editing techniques and rapid shifts of tone, especially in the closing sequence. As the action of the film progresses, the jump-cut style of editing secures the sparseness of the film, which is the crux of French New Wave cinema. For example, there is a scene where Clyde lets go of a newspaper that flies away in the swirling wind. This image accentuates the useless, hollow existence of the protagonists.

            Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967) stands out among other films I have watched because it is very aesthetically appealing. The rural locations that are used hint at the emptiness and freedom that Bonnie and Clyde experience throughout the film. The landscape seems to participate in the story, especially wheb Bonnie runs through the countryside while she feels distraught and the need to distance herself from Clyde. The films also looks as though it is overexposed and washed yellow, but these visual elements make this film seem more realistic. What I loved most about this film is the juxtaposing characteristics within it that were wisely situated next to one another.  Bonnie and Clyde (Penn 1967) portrays violation of the law as playful and fun, it mixes fear with humor, it turns a love affair into a tragedy, it turns a gangster storyline into a comedic one, and it is both abstract and true.  Penn was able to deliver a film that rides the fine line of pleasurable and catastrophic events. It is hard not to love a movie that has you laughing in the beginning and gasping during the final scene. This is a must watch, especially if you are interested in seeing an action packed movie that turns morose, while still managing to pay homage to America’s favorite outlaws.

I wrote these when I was in my 20’s and I was into Springsteen. I later updated them with the “Sampson and Delilah” and the “Vampire”verse- I couldn’t resist trying to find a rhyming scheme for “Deliliah” and there are just too few uses of vampires in music lyrics. There is a piano part that goes with these. Of all the songs I’ve written this is probably my favorite.

Any buyers?

IN THIS LAND (Copyright 2004)

You know I have this crazy dream

We meet so secret and sweet

We hide in The Crowd where we can’t be found

With the Legions of Defeat

You in your napalm sweater

Me in my gasoline jeans

We’ll burn This Town to the ground tonight

And find Refuge in the Heat

In this land

Where nothing is sacred man

In this land

We can live like Bonny and Clyde

But leave our guns and our gangs behind us

We’ll park our car on Nowhere St.

No lawman will ever find us

We won’t need no telephone lines

Or contracts that may bind us

We’ll shoot Silver Bullets between our teeth

And Run naked down a back water beach

In this land

We won’t let ‘em run us down

In this land

Someday, I may, come home to be

Your Sampson, and you my Delilah

You pledge your love eternally

Then smile at me all the time while ya’

Plan to steal my secret powers from me

But all the time, I would still try ta’

Find you, my love, and take your hand

And run away with you into the Desert Sand

IN this land

Betray me not, cause I’m your man

In this land

( In This Land, Con’t)

To keep our love forever I’ll be

Your sweet and secret Vampire

I’ll marry you in a Gothic Church

Then turn you at the top of the spire

Immortally, we’d see the world at night

Free from the False Fruits of man’s fires

When the world of man was finally done

We’d walk hand-in-hand into the Morning Sun

In the land

Nothing lasts forever man

In this land

10. Toy Story (1995)

Toy Story was the first full-length CG animated feature film which went on to be a huge success. It spawned the recent Pixar empire (and arguably the death of Disney) and ushered in a whole new era of animated films, giving us such modern classics as Shrek, Finding Nemo, and WallE.

CG animation will only grow larger as the years go on, and Toy Story may only grow in influence as the Snow White of CG animation.

9. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Bonnie and Clyde set a whole new standard of what was acceptable to be seen or heard in a film.  This was the beginning of Hollywood’s dark golden era, where violence would take center stage in the films of Coppola and Scorsese.   Bonnie and Clyde showed that, if done right, even violence, sexuality and vulgarity can be art when put up on the screen.

8. King Kong (1933)

Ask almost any film-maker out there what movies made them want to make movies themselves, and King Kong may possibly be on each list. This film was a true landmark for the adventure that movies could provide. It also took special effects to a new level and legitimized the monster movie. This film turns generations of kids into movie lovers and for that it take s a spot on this list.

7. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)

Hollywood’s first animated feature film. Snow White made animation popular and kicked off an entirely new medium for stories to be told at the movies. It also set up Disney’s dominance in the animation business for decades, allowing it to be one of thee biggest empires of modern time.

6. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Not many movies can claim to have captured the imagination of as many people as The Wizard of Oz. The true magic of film-making was seen on a level it had never been experienced before this movie came out. This is a landmark family film which changed what people believed movies could do.

On a more technical note, this was also the first movie shown on network television. That’s not why it has this position on the list, but its worth noting regardless.

5. Star Wars (1977)

When that Star Destroyer came roaring down from the top of the screen and over the head of the audience, the face of cinema was changed forever. Star Wars was a huge turning point for the movie industry, and not only for its revolutionary effects, sound and musical score and the fact that it created possibly the biggest movie franchise to date with legions of fans. Star Wars changed the direction of the ‘dark’ 60’s and 70’s realist films and brought a new wave of fun and adventure to the theater.

4. The Jazz Singer (1927)

There has been no bigger turning point in film history than the introduction of the ‘talkie’. When sound was introduced, it completely changed the nature of movies.
From what I hear, the Jazz Singer was a mediocre movie and actually only had a line or two of dialogue, but none the less it was the first film with sound, giving it very high significance historically.

3. The Battleship Potemkin (1925)

Sergei Eisenstein’s Soviet celebration film has made some significant contributions to film-making. First of all, it was revolutionary in terms of editing techniques. Potemkin showed how short, quick clips could be put together in the right way so as to tell a fluent story. Editing is one of the biggest components of movie-making and Potemkin is the film which really showed the power in it.
Potemkin also showed the political influence that film can have through promoting the values of the film-makers. In this case it was the Soviet revolution in Russia, starting off an important time period of film propaganda.

2. The Birth of a Nation (1915)

The first epic full-length features which was really the granddaddy of the movie industry. Yes, its racist as all else, but it is what it is, and it doesn’t change the fact that it is one of the most important movies made, simply because it really set up what movies were to become.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)

Often considered by many as the best film of all time, Citizen Kane showed what movie making could be at the height of its art form. Whether you are looking at the technical aspect of cinematography and art direction, or whether you look more at the storytelling, Citizen Kane has set a standard which many, many films aspire to reach to this very day.

I just left the Communications Building at Elon.  What started off as a way to spend an afternoon, observing a video production for some Broadway guy, turned into wonderful time spent with music and storytelling.  I was in for way more than I planned.

The Broadway figure and centerpiece for a crowd of about 30 people was, Charles Strouse.  If you’ve never heard his name before, which was my case, you’ve definitely heard his music.  This is the man responsible for writing the music for “Bye Bye Birdie,” the score for “Bonnie and Clyde,” and most well known for the famous lineup of songs from, “Annie” (there’s a lot lot more).

The stage was set in a Behind the Music format in which Strouse weaved stories in between songs about his successes, fears of failure, and what he enjoys about his work and marriage.  He opened with the theme song from “Bye Bye Birdie,” and continued through highlights of his catalogue, ending with a Q&A session.  Throughout his performance I kept thinking what an honor and privilege it was to hear the man responsible for the music that has shaped Broadway perform.

Since I am relatively unfamiliar with some of the productions that he built with music, my favorite part came at the end when he performed a four piece montage from “Annie.” It had all the major players, “Maybe,” “Hard Knock Life” (Jay-Z’s got nothing on this guy), the duet between Annie and Daddy Warbucks, and finished with “Tomorrow.”

He spoke of collaborations with other various artists, and how he worked with Mel Brooks and ultimately introduced him to the woman he would marry.

The funniest story dealt with Warren Beatty.  He mentioned how Warren called him to work on the music for “Bonnie and Clyde,” but wasn’t convinced that it was actually Warren Beatty on the phone.  His son, he explained, has always been a prankster and frequently calls him impersonating someone else.  Charles was determined not to fall for one of his son’s little jokes, and assumed that this phone call, which was actually from Warren Beatty was his son.  When Warren told him about the project and asked how much he would work for, Charles responded with a figure that was top dollar for the time that the film was made, $50,oo0.  Beatty was surprised at the high cost and said that he would have to get back with him.  After not much time, Warren Beatty called him back and agreed to pay him the desired amount.  Charles couldn’t believe it and confessed to the audience that he would have done the work for free, but didn’t actually tell Warren this until many years later.

One of the ground rules mentioned before the performance was that the audience was not allowed to sing along because this was a live recording.  The very last question came from a student asking Strouse that because his melodies are so contagious and they weren’t allowed to sing along, would he mind playing “Tomorrow” with the assistance of the audience.  With a smile, Strouse began to play the opening bars and the entire crowd sang in unison.

They allowed Mr. Strouse to leave the studio first so that he could prepare to sign books for everyone, and as he walked past me I said, “thank you.”  He gave a genuine, heartfelt smile and shook my hand.

It’s about that time of year when the weather turns colder, the air a little crispier, pumpkin flavored things are taking over menus by storm…and girls are breaking out the costumes for Halloween.  Calling it a “costume” is kind of like saying a MacDonald’s cheeseburger is made of the best Kobe beef there is.

In other words. what most females refer to as a “costume” is really nothing more than scraps of clothing barely keeping it together with a little more than a hope, a prayer…and thread holding on for dear life.  Extra points if you have shreds of lace, sequins and other various bits of bling.  What can I say?  I’m a glitter freak.

My grandmother passed away recently so out of respect for her (and because my aunt told me when my grandpa passed away last year), we’re not supposed to dress up as anything evil, witchy or if it has references to dark creatures.

I guess this means I can’t wear this one.  That’s okay. 
I recycle.  I hear it’s great for the environment.

So that kind of put me in a bit of a jam.  What the hell do I dress up as now?  I ruled out the whole naughty nurse thing because I’m already a nurse by day (SUPERHERO BY NIGHT!!  haa haa haa, just kidding), so I figured this is kind of redundant.  And then I found it!

What better to ring in a new year for me than as the QUEEN OF FRIGGIN HEARTS?!

At least, that’s what I thought.  I ordered a larger size since everyone who bought this was saying that it runs on the waaaay smaller side.  Problem averted by buying bigger!!  Or so I thought.  Imagine my disappointment when I realized that my chest fit (thank you, Mommy, for encoding me with the genes for your boobs and your legs) but the waist and hip parts were too big.  OMFGWTF @#$%(*&@#$!!!!

* sigh *

This is getting way too complicated.  I didn’t want to dress up as a cop again (*yawn*) or as a pink Geisha (been there, done that) so I’m running out of ideas…and fast.

About this time, a little light went off in my head and I searched the darkest corners of my closet before I hit the jackpot.  It was still sitting pretty in the protective plastic.  I took it out, put it on and smiled.  I know what I’m going to be for Halloween this year.

Yup yup.  I’m going as myself.

“What?”, you ask?  “What do you mean?”

Simple.  My name is Bonnie so I’m going as Bonnie and Clyde.  Notice, however, that Clyde is not an accessory that comes with this costume.  That was the reason I never wore it.  I kept hoping that I would finally have a man in my life who could be the Clyde I’ve been looking for.

But you know what?  Staring 30 in the face has taught me a few things.  One of these things is that I don’t need a man to complete my outfit or my life.  Don’t get me wrong.  I would love to have a man share my life with me but putting things on hold simply because he isn’t here yet (the operative word here is “yet”) doesn’t mean I can’t go on with my plans.  He’ll come along when it’s time for him to come along.

Until then, I’m going to be me.  I’m gonna rock the Bonnie and Clyde outfit because I can and I will.

Period.  End of story.

Now I gotta go buy a fedora, some white lace thigh high stockings and those super cute garter thingies.  I can’t wait for this year. 

Segue abaixo as duplas já inscritas, ainda dá tempo de se inscrever!

Entre em contato via msn : flow@kmilleproducoes.com.br

B.Boy Pedro & B.Girl Lê

B.Boy Bugs & B.Girl Day

B.Boy Stuart & B.Girl Ingrid

B.Boy Manú & B.Girl Dai

B.Boy Denis & B.Girl Aline

B.Boy Gugu & B.Girl Danylla

B.Boy Kid Bronx e B.Girl Potira

B.Boy Linno & B.Girl Monike

B.Boy Allan & B.Girl Bruna

B.Boy Marquinhos & B.Girl Paki

Where has the strangely inspiring athletic animal whisperer Kevin Zegers gone to? All throughout the ‘90s, you knew that if there was a field or court that allowed animals Zegers was there inspiring his pets to be all that they could be so they could win the big game.

To the general public Kevin Zegers will be forever known as Josh “that boy from Air-Bud.”And for good reason; despite lack of popularity, he continued to make the same movie repeatedly. Zegers reappeared in two Air Bud sequels (Air bud:Golden Receiver, and Air bud World Pup) and a cheap knock-off with a hockey playing monkey (MVP: Most Valuable Primate).

Somehow knowing that Zegers is out there on his own, hiding from the public eye frightens me. I decided to track down his whereabouts and surprisingly it was not hard. He has been working non-stop since World Pup in 2000! Sneakily appearing in shows like Smallville and House.  Then it came back to me, a blocked memory from 2005, where Kevin frequently has sex with grotesque truck drivers for money and eventually ends up working in the porn industry in the film Transamerica.

Apparently Zac Effron's style icon.

Apparently Zegers has not vanished from the public eye at all. Next year, he will not only be appearing  in the CW’s Gossip Girl but also in the remake of Bonnie and Clyde (with H-Duff and another gem of the ‘90s, Thora Birch). 2010 could very well be the most popular year of his life.  Kevin, despite constant subconscious exposure to you since 2000, I miss your persuasive animal talk, your various oversized sport uniforms and your floppy-sloppy ‘90s bowl cut.

Kevin Zegers, I miss your face- Shassie

All my bags are packed and I’m ready to go. Marfa, Texas or Bust. I’ll be staying at the historic Paisano Hotel. This is where James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor stayed while filming “Giant.” I hope to see the infamous “Marfa Lights.”

Departure time 10 a.m. on Monday, October 5, 2009.

I have a confession. I’ve been sick to my stomach every morning for the last three days! No, I’m not nervous! Every few minutes it’s “What are doing you crazy woman?” I have mapped out the entire trip, and quite frankly, I can’t even imagine driving all the way to Maine. I can’t even imagine Maine.

I friend of mine who now lives in Illinois said, “This ain’t no road trip! It’s a Sunday drive!” He then alluded to the fact that just driving between Texas cities was its own road trip. True that. I have noticed when mapping the eastern states that I can cross a couple of them in the time it will take to get to Marfa.

It has felt unique to be doing this. Nobody I know has done anything like this. Or so I thought when I started out. Since then several people have shared with me their road trip adventures. Then there are the road trips of legend, such as “Travels with Charley” and Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road.” On the lower end of the spectrum there is Bonnie and Clyde and “Family Vacation.”

I identify more with “Thelma and Louise,” at least up to the end. Guess I’ll settle for “Travels with Cookie.”

Damn that Henny got ni$@@as making bad decisions

R.I.P. Steve McNair, but this is bigger than the loss of a good man and a better QB.  You are getting played bro, and you only have a few more days to come to your senses.

I really don’t care that you are marrying Chyna.  That is your business.  But, I want you to remember that she has a thing for Black athletes.  Maybe she wants to outdo Kim and have a man that actually can win something as a pro.  You qualify.

Look at the Donald. He went broke, got rich again and didn't have to give out his stacks....

Not to have a prenuptial for a woman that you have only recently starting dating is a recipe for disaster.  Do not forget that you are in CA, which means your sh!t is now her sh!t now too.  E! Magazine tells the story of how Lamar Odom got emasculated.

Khloé Kardashian has nothing to worry about.

Even at his bachelor party last night, Laker Lamar Odom was on his best behavior with his best bros.

While he decided to cancel the big bash at Les Deux that was originally planned, he opted for a small dinner party at STK with Joe Francis, Rob Kardashian, Scott Disick (aka Kourtney Kardashian’s baby daddy), fellow Lakers Ron Artest, Sasha Vujacic, Josh Powell and D.J. Mbenga.

Kobe stood you up?  It’s because he knows you are making a mistake.  For all that everyone says about Kobe, at least he has a family and his wife seems to be in charge of the family while Kobe is ballin outta control.

Lamar’s crew was even joined by some Clippers, including Baron Davis, Marcus Camby and rookie Blake Griffin, who just happened to be having their own party at the club.

Of course they came to the party, because they want to hang out with winners.

Joe, Scott and Rob held court at a table in the main dining room, while Lamar mostly mingled with his basketball boys in the bar area.

Despite one pretty partyer who approached him, Lamar showed little interest in any ladies. Girls were even banned from their booths at Guys & Dolls later in the night. Way to regulate!

See?  This is what I mean.  You had Joe F. ready to throw you a huge blowout with strippers, hookers and…well what else do you want?  Kobe and more of the Lakers might have shown up for the party if it was this type of party.

The only complaint guests might have?

Lamar was tardy to his own party! Teammate Derek Fisher showed at STK at 9 p.m. and waited for Lamar for an hour before ditching to head home to his wife and kids.

Before he left, though, Fisher said he planned to get Odom a whopper of a wedding present: “How about another [NBA championship] ring!”

After dinner, Lamar, Rob, Scott and some Lakers who stayed headed over to Guys & Dolls, where Ron made a toast to his teammate. The guys drank magnums of Ace of Spades champagne.

Lamar was in great spirits, dancing and taking photos with fans. Before calling it a night, he requested Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s “Bonnie and Clyde,” perhaps as a tribute to himself and the bride-to-be.

Another reason why I dislike what you are doing Lamar.  Really?  At least play the damn original with Tupac.  The damn song is about gun love and Jay f’ed up the whole song.  Listen to the REAL song.

Although there was a fight that broke out while the boys were inside partying, a source says they weren’t involved.

Remember that other fight that went down at Guys, between Jayde Nicole and Joe Francis?

Speaking of that lawsuit-inducing spat, Jayde’s boyfriend and defender, Brody Jenner, happens to be Khloé’s stepbrother, who wasn’t spotted at the bachelor party last night.

Since Joe threw the party last night, we’re assuming he’s invited to the wedding. And we know Brody’s attending.

The people making the seating chart should have their work cut out for them.

—Additional reporting by Amy Paffrath

Then you got put on blast by your jump-off.  I have Bossip to thank for the letter and funny picture.

Really? LO, you can do much better

IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I HAVE BEEN WATCHING A CIRCUS UNFOLD. NOW THAT KHLOE KARDASHIAN HAS ANNOUNCED THE WEDDING, I CAN NO LONGER BE QUIET.
I HAVE BEEN WITH LAMAR FOR YEARS. YES WE F*CK. YES HE PAYS MY BILLS. YES…… I HAVE AN APARTMENT. YES HE HAS BOUGHT ME A CAR. YES I WAS WITH HIM EVEN WHEN HE WAS WITH HIS BABY MAMA. SOME PEOPLE CALL ME A JUMP OFF. I KNOW WE HAVE A CONNECTION. I HAVE NOT TALKED TO HIM IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT HE WILL BE BACK. HE ALWAYS COMES BACK.

Yes, you are a jump-off.  You give him the freedom to roam like a free safety on Sunday.

I SEE THAT THE KARDASHIANS HAVE MANIPULATED THIS SITUATION, MADE THIS A FAIRYTALE.

LET ME TELL YOU THE TRUTH.

LAMAR ODOM IS A DOG. HE CANNOT BE FAITHFUL TO ONE WOMAN. PERIOD. HE WILL WAKE UP IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND WILL REALIZE HE HAS F*CKED HIMSELF. LAMAR IS UNSTABLE. LAMAR IS BIPOLAR. LAMAR HAS GIRLS IN EVERY CITY. KHLOE AND HER FAMILY MAY THINK THEY HAVE STRUCK GOLD – BUT WHEN HE TRAVELS DURING THE SEASON, HE WILL F*CK AROUND. HE HAS F*CKED HER FRIENDS BEFORE THEY EVEN MET. I KNOW MY SITUATION AND I DEAL WITH IT, BUT I AM NOT OKAY WITH THE KARDASHIANS PRETENDING HE IS SOMETHING HE IS NOT.

I DO NOT LIKE HIS BABY MAMA, LIZA. BUT I KNOW HE DID HER DIRTY. WHEN HIS SON PASSED AWAY, HE WASN’T WITH HER. HE WAS WITH ME. HE DOESN’T SPEND TIME WITH THE KIDS. DOES NOT PAY CHILD SUPPORT. OBVIOUSLY, HE HAS LOST HIS MIND BECAUSE HE DOES NOT CARE THAT THE KIDS ARE IN SHOCK. WILL NOT ATTEND THEIR OWN DAD’S WEDDING. HE IS RUINING HIS FAMILY AND HIS CHILDREN’S LIVES FOR THIS TRICK NAMED KHLOE. NBA AND NFL D*CK HAS RAN THROUGH THAT. SIX DEGREES OF KHLOE KARDASHIAN. LOOK AT THEIR GOLD DIGGING MOTHER. SHE WHORES OUT HER OWN CHILDREN. I HEAR FROM HIS PEOPLE THAT THERE IS NO PRENUP. WHAT AN IDIOT. I HOPE HE IS BROKE FROM THIS. BETTER BELIEVE I WILL MAKE SURE I CASH OUT BEFORE ALL OF IT IS GONE. HE DID SIGN A HUGE CONTRACT, AFTER ALL.

Damn, Lamar, I didn't know you were this naive...

HIS FAMILY WILL HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM. HE IS TURNING HIS BACK ON HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. PUT IT LIKE THIS, IF YOU ARE BROKE AND BLACK – YOU ARE NO LONGER IN HIS LIFE. TRUE LOVE MY @SS. TAKE NOTE HOW NO BLACK PEOPLE WILL BE THERE. MAYBE A SPRINKLE OF THE ACCEPTABLE ONES THAT KRIS APPROVES OF.

LO, how are you just going to get your business out in the street?  Even if the “wedding” is just a stunt for the failing ratings of the show, you are put on front street as a clown.  STEP YOUR GAME UP!  You are better than this!

Cross-posted here

Someone To Drive You Home cover, Rough Trade 2006/2007; image courtesy of pitchfork.com

Two areas I don’t recall covering in the blog so far are 1) bands whose songs focus on cinephilia and 2) female musicians who use their visual arts training in the service of their bands. Today, we can focus on both by considering The Long Blondes’ debut full-length Someone To Drive You Home and lead singer Kate Jackson’s artwork for said album.

So I’m new to this band, who I guess are no longer a band. That’s a bummer, but at least I’ve had fun pumping this album at full volume in my car this past week as the skies became increasingly overcast. And singing at full volume. As my friend Brea mentioned in her entry about records that made her a feminist, it’s important for women and girls to find singers whose vocal ranges match their own. It’s really true. Perhaps we could think of it as double-identification — being able to relate to a female singer’s persona as conveyed through her lyrics, performance style, fashion sense or whatever on one level and being able to replicate, mirror, or blend her tone, pitch, and timbre with your own. However we want to theorize it, I’m glad that my notes can work with Jackson’s strong, supple alto. 

Matching a singer’s range also makes shouting easier. I love Animal Collective, but screaming along to Avey Tare doesn’t make any sense for me. We can try and make it queer or whatever, but it really just feels silly and strained to my throat and ears. Screaming “Edie Sedgwick! Anna Karina! Arlene Dahl!” along with Jackson, on the other hand, makes perfect sense. 

Edie Sedgwick; image courtesy of fashionista.com

The opening track, appropriately titled “Lust In the Movies,” is a good transition into the defunct band’s cinephilic leanings. Indeed, the movies are everywhere. Specifically movies from the post-war era, a considerable amount of them of the film noir tradition or have some kind of sinister edge, while others are campy b-movies that have since cashed in on retro chic. 

Imagined film snob boys corrupt willing schoolgirls with Russ Meyer films in “Fulwood Babylon.” Girls want to be cool enough for the movies that play in film snob boys’ heads in “Lust in the Movies.” A boy and a girl compare themselves to C.C. Baxter, The Apartment’s love-lorn protagonist in “You Could Have Both.” Obscure references to British celebrities of the 1940s and 1950s like Hattie Jacques and Peter Rogers thread through break-up narratives like “Five Ways to End It.” Greta Garbo is looked upon with envy (and irony?) as the woman who snagged all the handsome men in “Never to Be Repeated.” “Only Lovers Left Alive” is inspired by Fred Zinnemann’s From Here to Eternity, a romantic sentiment perhaps echoed in Jackson’s sleeve art, which references Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern’s frenzied lovers in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart.

As many of these movies are classic Hollywood, iconographic art house, and/or have the Criterion stamp of approval, we might call them films instead of movies, if the writer of this blog held fast to making such a distinction.

Now, we could get into a discussion of what this means in terms of prefence and why more clearly feminist classics don’t get shout-outs like, say, Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows, Agnès Varda’s Cléo de 5 à 7, or Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. Maybe they haven’t seen these movies. Maybe they thought the last movie I mentioned was boring (with a 200-minute running time, that has kept me from seeing it, though it is in my Netflix queue). However, I’d hazard to guess that the Russ Meyer reference in “Fulwood Babylon” might be done with a bit of feminist cheek, and while I have trouble reading the nuances of intentional camp in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, I’m sure my friend Curran would smile and nod in recognition of the reference.

And yet. I find how film references are used in these songs to be particularly interesting. For one, I think especially in “Lust in the Movies” and “Fulwood Babylon,” a critique is being made by Kate (and her chorus of singing fans) against the sorts of boys who live in movies (perhaps including Dorian Cox, a former Long Blonde who co-wrote the majority of the album with Jackson). These boys are too busy looking for Edie Sedgwick, Anna Karina, and Arlene Dahl to notice the real woman in front of them. Fools. 

For another, I find the blurring between fantasy and reality, the projected and the lived, the fantastical and the mundane heartening and relateable. Many of these songs are not actually about being in the movies, but wishing you could be or pretending you are to get over a failed relationship, get through your boring day job, get ready for a night out, get in the car to leave town, or simply get through your 20s.

There’s a lot of humanity in these songs, particularly between women and girls. Two lonely girls flee their humdrum lives together in “Separated By Motorways.” A spurned lover empathizes hopes her ex’s new love fares better than she did after the break-up in “Heaven Help the New Girl.” A twentysomething tells a 19-year-old girl that she’s going to get through that stupid, cursed age in “Once and Never Again,” a solidarity anthem so catchy and sweet that I just requested it be added to the Karaoke Underground song list. Won’t that one feel great singing with a gaggle of drunk girls? I think so. 

And while the movies being referenced aren’t explicitly feminist (or argued and/or championed as such by theoretically florid film scholars), I’d argue that there’s much going on with the female movie icons that Jackson’s and her songs’ protagonists (which may be iterations of herself) identify. Having brought up Sedgwick, Karina, Dahl, Garbo, this is where I’ll fold in Jackson’s spare, mysterious cover. The woman in the cover is recognizable to many as Bonnie Parker, as played by Faye Dunaway in Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde, a divisive and galvanizing picture that marked a sea change in American cinema, upped the ante for screen violence, reflected the shift in generational values, presupposed the turbulent year that would be 1968, and made thousands of women cut and straighten their hair into sleek bobs by Dunaway’s influence. It might have made them want to tote guns, fire bullets, and rob banks too. In short, this was seen as a dangerous film that still holds some cache as a countercultural, generational text that appeals to men and women.

Some of those women may still be shuffling through their 20s, figuring it out. They might not be compelled to rob a bank, but they might be tempted to quit their job, or at least bitch about work at the local bar. And there’s something nice about being reassured that someone, whether a movie character or a friend, will be there to drive you home. Even if your car is riddled with bullet holes.

I took a breather to watch the new film Public Enemies with Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard, Christian Bale, and also several other well-known character actors, including Billy Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover.

The film was co-written by and directed by Michael Mann.  Of the action movies that I’ve seen this year, I enjoyed something devilish about Public Enemies.  This is the first Michael Mann movie where I have felt he has actually really pondered a character deeply, even though the film serves up a mysterious and dangerous character in John Dillinger which made it more real for me.  Mr. Mann has made other true stories that worked with strong personalities, such as the Will Smith vehicle Ali and the Russell Crowe vehicle The Insider which are also both character stories; in my opinion, those earlier efforts are a lot less complicated than this film in terms of its difficult gray areas.

Public Enemies is based on the true life of the bank robber John Dillinger who portrayed in the film by Mr. Depp is something of a Joker-like gangster (think The Dark Knight), except that he has got way more gravity on his side.  If you liked Bonnie and Clyde and the movie Bugsy, or, more recently, The Road to Perdition and No Country for Old Men, you may like this film.  Anyone can understand it, and the dialogue is terse and not layered.  The story seems straightforward upon first viewing.

There is a problem with some of the information contained within the movie, because we are told many things, in bits and pieces, while the story moves quickly and does not elaborate on important reveals.  For example, at one moment, someone mentions to Dillinger they liked how he would give away the money he robbed without ever returning to this.  The line leaves a question mark, because it remains unclear if he is a type of Robin Hood, or if there had been some foul-up during a bank robbery, or if what people were saying about Dillinger was just based in rumor.  Dillinger never lets the audience know the facts, and he just gleams with a smile or shows a rugged indifference, taking credit and enjoying his infamy.

Michael Mann is more interested in creating an impressionistic experience in his movie.  In another scene, John Dillinger is a witness to his own obsolescence in terms of the impact of his crimes; he is told by the organizers of an illegal gambling operation that in a single day they earn as much as he does after carrying out a dangerous and complicated heist.  In essence, Dillinger is explained that he is an outdated scapegoat because he has attracted an army of authorities dedicated to capturing him, while others dream big and make a whole lot more money with impunity.  Mr. Mann leaves it open to the audience to best connect and merge the scene in terms of narrative flow.  In many places, transitions that focus on the evolution of the main characters are missing, leaving audiences to fill in the needed details.

In yet another scene which turns out to be a novel transition to the final outcome, Mr. Depp wanders in a ghost-like sequence through an FBI office (briefly vacated), where his photographs and his iconic image fill the bulletin boards.  However, in discovering what the other side sees, there is never any clarity of what is going on in his mind.  What does Dillinger discern from all of the photographs posted?

The scene works for the Internet age and the social networking crowd, resonating with contemporary audiences, providing few concrete conclusions to be drawn or made about a person through the posting of photographs galore.  The silence in the photos say even more.  Audiences may project their own beliefs onto the opaque character of Dillinger in his various poses.

All of these interesting scenes work well on their own, but in terms of their overall contribution to the story, we are left with a mystery.  The love story portion of Public Enemies gives Dillinger a modicum of dimensionality; his relationship with a coatcheck girl named Billie in an upscale restaurant club, played with naivete by Marion Cotillard, is the most tenderness we get.  On a diet of lean and hardboiled scenes the romance counts for the most.  We are led to believe that in whisking her away, and in their few passionate moments and days together Dillinger commands the kind of staggering loyalty she embodies.

Of course, the movie is a male fantasy which fuels the belief in the sturdiness of Billie’s character.  In a graphic interrogation and torture sequence, the film resorts to extremity and demonstrates that she won’t breakdown and betray her beloved.

If the movie concentrated more on Ms. Cotillard’s fine performance, and possibly even framed it from her perspective, many of the unanswered questions could be more easily reconciled for their gaps.  My guess is that such an approach never would have been considered.  It goes against Mr. Mann’s signature aesthetic style, which is rough-edged and known to be predominantly machismo-centered.

But if Terrence Malick could work it to perfection in Badlands, a classic about a young outlaw couple (with two standout performances from a young Sissy Spacek and a young Martin Sheen), why not Michael Mann at this late stage in his body of extensive work?  Martin Scorsese managed it in a movie of the remake of the 1950s classic Cape Fear by adding the frame narration by the youthful but not so innocent Juliette Lewis.

Then Michael Mann as writer and director could have had a better excuse for his bold glorification of Dillinger and left a whole lot fewer question marks to answer.  In terms of a movie that is about violence, crime, and defiant retaliation, Mr. Mann’s personal point of view remains static and absent.  Mr. Mann delivers a somewhat conflicted perspective on Dillinger who really could benefit from a concrete character arc.

Public Enemies is a movie reminiscent of the James Cagney-styled Warner Brothers’ classics, replete with plenty of graphic scenes of violence and brutality for today’s desensitized palate for blood.  It is definitely not suitable for children under a certain age, because the movie semi-glorifies senseless killing in a way that makes it a likely complement for many of today’s videogames.  The last act could be truncated to improve flow.

The biggest question mark comes at the end of Public Enemies.  After the concluding death of Dillinger, there are written statements in which pivotal characters are explained.  FBI Agent Melvin Purvis played by Christian Bale committed suicide.  Although the film spends enough time with Mr. Bale’s performance, we are never given an inkling as to why Purvis would choose such a death, especially in comparison to his unrelenting pursuit of Dillinger during the film.

There might be a hint as to why this was the case near the outset, when J. Edgar Hoover, someone who is a paper pusher, suggests himself for the dangerous job of taking down Dillinger; he is promptly denied by an even higher authority because he lacks the experience of killing in the field.

When it comes to good guys versus bad guys, opposing sides need to be adequately matched, in terms of their minds, their skills, their abilities, their pedigree, etc.  Only when it is perceived that there is a fair fight can opposing sides avoid escalation, without tainting any potential intervention made by a higher authority.

Public Enemies dances ambiguously around this type of matching, without explaining the terms of the fight, or the characters involved clearly; but, at no time do we ever suspect that Johnny Depp’s Dillinger will ever get away.  So a portion of the story should have explored what Melvin Purvis discovers.  In real life, Dillinger died in his early thirties.  Definitely, the narrative could have finished with some mention about the brash and reckless nature of youth for some, shared between Mr. Bale and Ms. Cotillard who are the survivors of the ordeal.  At the very least, the screenplay could have included a meaningful meditation on the legend, framing the entire epic, which would have really helped, instead of trailing off with a hollow line which closes the story.

The gun battles and action scenes were raw in their explosive intensity, keeping the momentum at a level that was thrilling.  The music selection, including the original compositions from the soundtrack, and the cinematography by Dante Spinotti all did well to supplement the performances.  If not for any other reason, this is a movie worth seeing on the big screen just for Johnny Depp’s performance and his unwillingness to give up without a fight.  From a career standpoint, Public Enemies is a progressive follow-up role for Mr. Depp to the Tim Burton directed adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd.