Bonnie And Clyde turns 50
ON its 50th anniversary, Warren Beatty says Hollywood could learn something from Bonnie And Clyde.
The landmark gangster film was released 50 years ago. In an interview with The Associated Press,
Beatty says the now-common practice of wide release doesn’t give audiences time to come around to a movie.
Bonnie And Clyde was nearly sunk by scathing reviews when it first opened in 1967. But a groundswell developed and the film was put back into theatres in 1968. It went on to become one of the most successful box-office hits.
“The general opinion at the time was that if you have that kind of violence, you can’t mix it with humour. Well, we did,” said Beatty.
The film is connected with Beatty for far more than his leading performance. Beatty, after hearing from Francois Truffaut about Robert Benton and David Newman’s script, optioned it. Though actors now routinely produce their films, it was then unheard of. The gangster film was seen as a little passe then, too, especially by then-Warner Bros. head Jack Warner.
But Beatty – an up-and-coming star then thanks to Splendor In The Grass – fought for it. He developed the film and negotiated himself a remarkable 40% of the profits. He brought in Robert Towne (Chinatown) to doctor the script and cast, among others, a young actor he had previously shot one scene with: Gene Hackman.
“In the case of Bonnie And Clyde, it was important for me to have control,” said Beatty.
Few thought there was much money to be made, including the nearly dozen directors that turned down Beatty, including George Stevens, William Wyler and the man who eventually relented, Arthur Penn.
Beatty, now 80, isn’t much inclined to diagnose the considerable influence of Bonnie And Clyde.
“I thought that it was good,” Beatty said. “But I’m really of the opinion – and it seemed to me even then – when you make a movie, you don’t really know what you’ve made until years later.
“It takes time to separate one’s opinion from the gamble of the moment. It’s impossible to factor out all of the nonsense that accompanies trying to sell something.” – AP