Media is such an interesting medium that requires little to no talent. The film is one example of that medium. Anyone anywhere can direct, but are they talented enough? Time and time again, independent films can prove to be a success. Pieces of media, such as Bonnie and Clyde are a source of media that changed everything for the indie film industry. It really opened doors for other directors to explore these mediums. Bonnie and Clyde is an art film that pushes the boundaries by investing in real-life situations. These changes to film make “real-life” people films, almost possible. Modern-day blockbusters are made possible with the effects of Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, Deep Red, and Bonnie and Clyde.
Bonnie and Clyde is a story about both romance and adventure. We follow the pair as they fall in love, and tackle being on the run from the police. This is a story that is both fascinating and suspenseful. It adds personality to really concentrate on the fact that this film came out at a toxic section of American history. It came out at a time where the world didn’t want to see a powerful female figure. I can definitely identify that these were real people who were problematic individuals. However, when I talk about this I just mean that the actress played the character with the powerful female figure intent. Just to identify that these characters are in no way good people, but the actors portray these individuals with the intent of love. They are two characters that are madly in love with each other.
Two films can be alike, and different in so many ways. Such as, Forrest Gump to Bonnie and Clyde – two films that are not similar in any way – which have two things in common. This includes the forbidden romances that follow. Forrest Gump is a film with themes of love, and that means the love between Forrest and Jenny. This is the type of soulmate type of love, where we see them find each other in the end. They come back together in the end, and that’s something so valuable to life. You either come back together in the end, or it just wasn’t meant to be. These two themes can be incredibly valuable, with the fact that Bonnie and Clyde – as people – are both lovers. They are not soulmates, but they are partners in crime. To compare would mean that Forrest and Jenny to Bonnie and Clyde are both lovers that weren’t meant to be. Now, Forrest and Jenny, not so much, but if Bonnie and Clyde never met, then their atrocities would never have happened. In the case of Bonnie and Clyde, it’s possible that Stockholm Syndrome plays a large role in Bonnie’s life. She felt inclined to stay with Clyde because he’s all she had. When in reality she had her mother and extended family to back upon.
New Hollywood is a fairly old subject, but the purpose is rather interesting, as it was a period that was considered the film Rennaissance. According to Peter Krämer, “it was magnificent that studios would open their doors to young directors and producers.” This proves that young people are taking on new mediums to build new things for the film industry. Bonnie and Clyde is an art film that explores the avenues that Hollywood was not willing to take during this era. The magnificent use of female empowerment was sprinkled throughout. This was a term Hollywood could not handle, but it was just the tip of the iceberg for what was to come. The 60s’ was an incredibly iconic time, but so were the 90s’, where we got Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump.
These sources of cinema are still incredibly popular today, by introducing new mediums to the world… Art, an introductory plethora to the true ideologies for the real meaning of a film. While Bonnie and Clyde is a historical film, Pulp Fiction was a new piece of art. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, the film introduces us to two main characters, by the name of Jules and Vincent. These very iconic characters were hired as assassins for their boss, Marcellus Wallace. Later on, we find out that he is the true boss of the film, by this I mean that he has one massive theme, Marcellus. At the end of the story, we find out that Bruce Willis’ character, Butch, is a boxer, and one night he failed. So, Marcellus sent out assassins to hunt him, because the “Big Boss” had a deal where Butch would win, but he actually lost. Butch meets some pretty unsavory individuals at the end, through this Marcellus forgives him, because he too was caught up in this insane kidnapping.
Pulp Fiction discusses “edgy” media, and this is where Tarantino went wrong. Most of his films have some type of negative humor. This is present in Pulp Fiction where we see those two characters at the end, use awful language to refer to the “Big Boss”. These themes are present at the beginning with Jules, but also present in any Tarantino film where the main character is pronounced as a black man. Types of media like this are incredibly crude and insensitive. Not only do these themes need to be discussed more, but viewers should feel as if they need to hold Tarantino accountable. These themes fit the historical context, as does Forrest Gump, where there is a specific scene that includes the Little Rock Nine, and the N-Word. This fits the historical narrative identically, because of the historical narrative, but that is different from Pulp Fiction. “Blackness and the Films of QT” by Adilifu Nama explains various standpoints while also understanding that, “Tarantino’s version of racial sensibility is often jarring and easily courts criticism as misplaced….” By far, these judgments of his film career are correct.
(Big Kahuna scene with Jules, played by Samuel L. Jackson)
Deep Red is a psychological thriller from Italy. The beginning of the film Deep Red by Dario Argento starts off with a psychic, named Helga Ullman. Helga is seen predicting someone’s life, thus predicting something quite horrifying. However, her character is really iconic for being able to predict the truth, but we see as she is – gruesomely – murdered. Thus, launching the film into a manhunt, then we see later on as the two main characters investigate her death. This quite horrific event is where we are introduced to our main characters, Marcus Daly and Carlo. All throughout we see as they hunt down the main culprit for Ullman’s murder. Another example is one other quite mysterious scene, which is weird, but also kind of mysterious. We see as Professor Giordani is investigating what happened to Gianna Brezzi. Gianna Brezzi is a character that was supposed to be one of the main characters, but it’s alluded to that the same person who murdered Helga Ullman, also murdered Gianna Brezzi. The doll alludes to the murderer as the doll turns murderous. The New Yorker points out that the “Dramatic closeups and disorienting camera angles give us a front seat to the fetishized violence.” Camera angles are everything where it’s due. In the case of Deep Red camera angles are everything because then the audience feels the tension. Being able to feel the tension in a film is so dire to a successful box office hit.
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(Murderous Doll in Deep Red)
Any type of medium can require any type of talent, whether it be artistically or socially. Movies have changed, technologically and artistically. As I enunciated above, if inspiration is present within a director, then there is a possibility that the film will be good. If the passion is there, and that’s definitely one of the ways that film has updated since the 60s’. There are multi-million dollar films that present to be successful. I mean without some of those iconic directors then we wouldn’t have iconic films of the modern day. If the film industry didn’t have Bonnie and Clyde, then we wouldn’t have Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile (a film about the notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy). If we didn’t have Forrest Gump, then we wouldn’t have inspiration for Cast Away. My point is that inspiration lies within those who are willing to search for it. So, if you do have cinematic inspiration, then hold onto it, and don’t let go. To encompass, true meaning and passion can be seen, and not felt. When you watch Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, Deep Red, and Bonnie and Clyde you can feel the passion that the director put in. The love for something can be seen, when you really pay attention to an artwork. Two films can be artistic and political, from Pulp Fiction to Forrest Gump, where we see history become remembered in Forrest Gump, to the silly acting of Pulp Fiction that makes the movie to be what it is today.
The New Hollywood by Peter Kramer
Race on the QT by Adilifu Nama