2. "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967)

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

(Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow)

The film "Bonnie and Clyde" depicts the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. It won two Academy Awards (Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Estelle Parsons [Blanche Barrow] and Best Cinematography) and was nominated for eight more, including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Warren Beatty - Clyde Barrow), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Faye Dunaway - Bonnie Parker), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Gene Hackman - Buck Barrow), Best Director (Arthur Penn) and Best Picture. It also won two BAFTA Awards (U.K.), one Bodil Award (Denmark), one David di Donatello Award (Italy), two Laurel Awards (USA), two Kinema Junpo Awards (Japan), one National Society of Film Critics' Award (USA), and one Kansas City Film Critics' Circle Award (USA). It was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1992. The car used at the end of the film (where they are ambushed) is currently housed in the National Museum for Crime and Punishment in Washington, D.C.

The Film: The movie was made in 1967, and the acting and effects make that clear. However, the story is one of legends, and transcends any "cheesiness" due to the age of the film. Unlike films of the current age - and something that, in my opinion, many films nowadays are severely lacking - "Bonnie and Clyde" tells the story of the people, not just the crimes. While there are several "shoot-em-up" scenes, there are also scenes that tell of Bonnie's immense loneliness and Clyde's desperation to be someone worthwhile. It brings the humanity of people to the forefront rather than relying on special effects and drawn-out action scenes to bring people to the theater.

The History: Historically, it is unknown exactly how they met, though most reputable stories imply it was through mutual friends. Bonnie Parker was a waitress in Cement City, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). She had married a high school sweetheart when she was 16, but they parted ways three years later in 1929. She met Clyde Barrow in January 1920. Clyde Barrow was born in Ellis County, Texas, just south of Dallas. He had several brushes with the law for offenses such as stealing cars, cracking safes, and stealing (his first real arrest was for stealing turkeys with his brother, Buck).

Bonnie and Clyde's criminal spree lasted from 1930 until their ambush in 1934. During that time they picked up Barrow family friend D. W. Jones as an accomplice (who also served as a sort of Judas of the group, giving up information to law enforcement that would later be used against the Barrow gang in the grand jury) and Clyde's brother Buck and his wife Blanche. The gang committed several murders, kidnappings, robberies, and car thefts. Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed by a posse of Texas Rangers and Louisiana law enforcement officers on May 23, 1934 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

The real Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

Criminal Justice History: The story of Bonnie and Clyde is one of several in the "Public Enemy Era" of criminal justice. This is the same era that brought such legends as John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson. One historian notes that Bonnie and Clyde would not have been famous had it not been for the infamous Joplin (MO) photographs depicting their arsenal of weapons and Bonnie's sex appeal. Bonnie and Clyde, like many Public Enemies, took advantage of the pre-FBI rule that law enforcement officers cannot cross state lines. As such, criminals could move from state to state without worry of being captured by another state's law enforcement. The formation of the FBI (and the institution of a federal law that made bank robbery and kidnapping federal offenses, and thus the jurisdiction of the FBI) brought the Public Enemy Era to an end. In fact, both John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson were shot and killed mere months after the ambush of Bonnie and Clyde.

During their criminal spree, Bonnie Parker wrote several poems. One, entitled "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde," can be found here.