Bonnie & Clyde - Sight & Sound article - Feminism
How Faye Dunaway's 'Bonnie Parker' defines feminism in a man's world
by Daniel Kallin
When discussing Bonnie & Clyde, it is surprisingly difficult to pin down it's historical context. Whilst it is clearly set in the Depression-era 1930s American South, it's morals and values are very 1960s, the decade of the film's release. This mish-mash of cultural ideas, from both decades, allows the film to stand outside of both the 1930s and 1960s and exist as its own self-contained story. Penn uses this to explore the rigidity of American society in the 1930s and how, with the Depression eroding away the scaffolding of American society at the time, humanity and sensitivity allowed in to take its place. Ironically, Penn shows this through two of America's most notorious criminals but there is never a point where Bonnie and Clyde are portrayed as villains, rather the villains are the products of society, the police and the law.
Whilst the 1960s was a time of progress and radical change for everyone from African-Americans to LGBT people, the 1930s most certainly wasn't. Gender roles were pretty much fixed for both men and women with each acting in a specific way. The woman was a housewife, with great command of the house, but one which needed a man to help her in the outside world. Men were strong, emotionless and hard-working, although that could be argued after a trip to the pub. These roles, whilst not enforced by law directly, were a large part of the rigid society that Bonnie & Clyde is so critical of. And so here we have Bonnie Parker, who, according to this film, walked straight out of the 1960s and into the Great Depression with all the independence, strength and so-called masculinity of a "modern woman".
Bonnie embraces this life of crime without a moment's hesitation, going out of her way to stir trouble and toy with everyone from attractive men she meets to sheriffs trying to get a bounty from them. She loves guns and money and has an overt sexuality that would have made audiences pass out during the Hay's code. And while it could be argued that Penn's portrayal of women is very binary; either a subservient housewife or a promiscuous criminal, where, as usual, society restricts women's options to no freedom or complete humiliation; Penn doesn't exactly portray either of these options are desirable. In the end, both end up much worse than they started off with (and in Bonnie's case, dead).
It is here that it is clear that the character of Bonnie is only feminist in what she represents over what she actually does. However cathartic it may have been for a progressive young cinephile to watch a free woman humiliate policemen, Penn is never glorifying crime. He only uses the story of Bonnie & Clyde to show that women, even in the 1960s, did not have many options to be independent and to express themselves in a way that they want to be, not what society wanted from them. Bonnie's willingness to go out there and explore who she is, no matter what anyone else thinks, is something that all women, and, of course, everyone, should take from her character.
Of course, Bonnie & Clyde's inevitable deaths show that it is not and was not easy to be independent and to rebel against society when most of the country's authority was not on your side. Bonnie indicates that to be a feminist and to make change in the world, you cannot stand alone. Be independent, yes, but don't be isolated. Be like Bonnie.
by Daniel Kallin
When discussing Bonnie & Clyde, it is surprisingly difficult to pin down it's historical context. Whilst it is clearly set in the Depression-era 1930s American South, it's morals and values are very 1960s, the decade of the film's release. This mish-mash of cultural ideas, from both decades, allows the film to stand outside of both the 1930s and 1960s and exist as its own self-contained story. Penn uses this to explore the rigidity of American society in the 1930s and how, with the Depression eroding away the scaffolding of American society at the time, humanity and sensitivity allowed in to take its place. Ironically, Penn shows this through two of America's most notorious criminals but there is never a point where Bonnie and Clyde are portrayed as villains, rather the villains are the products of society, the police and the law.
Whilst the 1960s was a time of progress and radical change for everyone from African-Americans to LGBT people, the 1930s most certainly wasn't. Gender roles were pretty much fixed for both men and women with each acting in a specific way. The woman was a housewife, with great command of the house, but one which needed a man to help her in the outside world. Men were strong, emotionless and hard-working, although that could be argued after a trip to the pub. These roles, whilst not enforced by law directly, were a large part of the rigid society that Bonnie & Clyde is so critical of. And so here we have Bonnie Parker, who, according to this film, walked straight out of the 1960s and into the Great Depression with all the independence, strength and so-called masculinity of a "modern woman".
Bonnie embraces this life of crime without a moment's hesitation, going out of her way to stir trouble and toy with everyone from attractive men she meets to sheriffs trying to get a bounty from them. She loves guns and money and has an overt sexuality that would have made audiences pass out during the Hay's code. And while it could be argued that Penn's portrayal of women is very binary; either a subservient housewife or a promiscuous criminal, where, as usual, society restricts women's options to no freedom or complete humiliation; Penn doesn't exactly portray either of these options are desirable. In the end, both end up much worse than they started off with (and in Bonnie's case, dead).
It is here that it is clear that the character of Bonnie is only feminist in what she represents over what she actually does. However cathartic it may have been for a progressive young cinephile to watch a free woman humiliate policemen, Penn is never glorifying crime. He only uses the story of Bonnie & Clyde to show that women, even in the 1960s, did not have many options to be independent and to express themselves in a way that they want to be, not what society wanted from them. Bonnie's willingness to go out there and explore who she is, no matter what anyone else thinks, is something that all women, and, of course, everyone, should take from her character.
Of course, Bonnie & Clyde's inevitable deaths show that it is not and was not easy to be independent and to rebel against society when most of the country's authority was not on your side. Bonnie indicates that to be a feminist and to make change in the world, you cannot stand alone. Be independent, yes, but don't be isolated. Be like Bonnie.
Daniel, this is a well-written, scholarly piece, fit for Sight and Sound. You tick all the learning outcomes for a study of the film, whilst presenting the arguments in a lively and engaging fashion. There is strong evidence here of your ability to convey a range of complex ideas on the contextual and representational aspects of the film. You balance the wider aspects of the film's world with steady and controlled analysis of specific moments and you use these as a vehicle for the interesting and wide ranging ideas you discuss. Excellent understanding, analysis and insight. This has set you up effectively for our next auteur. Secure Band 5 qualities: confident, sophisticated and sustained.
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