Comparison Of The Real Lives Of Bonnie Parker And Clyde Barrow And Their Depiction In The Movie Bonnie And Clyde

The movie, Bonnie and Clyde was released on August 13, 1967, and was directed by Arthur Penn. This movie is based on the lives of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

Bonnie lives a simplistic life in Texas, while Clyde is rebellious and often gets himself into trouble with all the crimes that he participates in. Bonnie has lived in the same small town for a long time, which contains nothing exciting except for the occasional friendly gathering. Clyde, on the other hand, spends his time running from the law when he isn’t in jail.

However, when they meet, curiosity gets the best of them and they unexpectedly fall, embarking on a crime spree in multiple states. Penn does a great job directing the movie and making the viewer feel as is they are living in the same time era as both Bonnie and Clyde. Like most movies, this film differs from the true story in several ways such as portraying Bonnie and Clyde’s true crimes, displaying how the pair met, and presenting a different picture of Bonnie.

In the Bonnie and Clyde movie, one of the differences from the movie and real life is how Bonnie and Clyde meet. Bonnie meets Clyde when she finds him trying to break into her mother’s car. She gets a bad feeling when she first sees and meets Clyde. This did not stop her curious mind from following him around town anyways, often mentioning that he is not someone that would use a gun or be capable of the crimes that he claims he has done. She hurts his ego enough so that he will stop being all talk and no action as he then walks into a bar, stealing money and firing his gun to make sure that no one runs after him (Penn). However, in reality, Bonnie and Clyde met at a small gathering, where their friends introduced the two to each other (Bonnie and Clyde). They instantly hit it off and were inseparable until they died.

Another difference from this fantasy and reality is the crimes that Bonnie and Clyde participated in and committed. The movie focuses on Bonnie and Clyde robbing banks throughout the entire movie and being on the run after each bank that they rob. However, Bonnie and Clyde were not only known to rob banks (Yarnall 4). Instead, they mainly focused on small grocery stores or gas stations. I believe that the Hollywood industry, along with Penn, chose to change this specifically because it makes their crimes seem a lot more intense and makes the viewers more anxious to see what is going to happen next, keeps the viewers on their toes.

Bonnie and Clyde did indeed rob banks, but it was more common for them to rob smaller stores, often leaving a couple of people injured each time before moving on to the next location (McGasko). What made Bonnie and Clyde stand out from any other criminals is their determination. Clyde went to jail and prison several times, each time getting out sooner than he was sentenced because of the help and extremes that Bonnie was willing to go to for him. Bonnie’s previous marriage did not go as one would have hoped, so when she fell in love with Clyde, she was determined to do anything she could as long as it meant that she would get to spend as much time with him as possible (Bonnie and Clyde).

The third and final difference that I picked up on is how Bonnie is perceived. The movie starts with Bonnie being really shy, but gradually turning into a tough and rebellious gal. She goes from living a boring life to joining in on several crimes that got people hurt. In the movie it shows her handling a pistol or a machine gun several times, knowing how to use both of these thanks to Clyde (Penn). In reality, Bonnie was not one who liked guns at all.

She was never known to fire a gun in real life. However, this did not stop her from assisting Clyde’s jailbreak by sneaking in a gun for him to use to get out of jail in Waco, Texas (Yarnall 5). Not only did the movie show Bonnie as a woman who fired weapons at innocent people, but with the movie incorporating this, it gives Bonnie a more manly reputation and even appearance, because most of the crimes during this time were committed by men only.

In comparison, Hollywood did a fantastic job creating a movie based on the lives of a corrupted couple that is still talked about today. Most of the details throughout the movie match up with what really happened in that time era. The movie is pretty accurate when excluding the types of crimes that Bonnie and Clyde committed, how the couple really met, and how Bonnie was represented. This movie gives one insight into what it would have been like to live around the area or the time era that this power couple was in action.

The movie, Bonnie and Clyde is very similar to what really happened. However, like any movie, some details are left out or tweaked to make the movie as entertaining and successful as possible. The details that stand out when looking at the movie and reality is Bonnie and Clyde’s true crimes, displaying how the pair met, and presenting a different picture of Bonnie.