Bonnie & Clyde: Should They Be Romantiicized?

It's amazing how the entertainment business loves to glamorize gangsters. They love darkness, but I expected a history-centered TV program like this to be a little more objective....yet, more times than not, these two famous outlaws were made to look like sympathetic characters in this episode. They interview Clyde Barrow's sister and read letters from a Parker family member's memoirs of 1968. They interview college professors and - surprise! - they give more of the same slant. This all despite the fact that Bonnie & Clyde were cold-blooded killers and a pair of real low-lifes. Amazing.

If you don't believe me, just read the synopsis here on the IMDb title page. "Romantic" folk hero types? I don't think so, even in the Depression Era. If so, people should be ashamed for rooting for killers.

Whatever the case, this episode provided a lot of background information on this famous pair of lovers on the lam from the early 1930s. In the middle of the Great Depression, gangsters were not always seen in a bad light, thanks to the entertainment business who often glorified the exploits of these "modern-day Robin Hoods," as it was stated here on TV. There was Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger, Ma Barker and her gang, Baby Face Nelson and Machine Gun Kelly......all "glamorous" names.

For much of Bonnie & Clyde's criminal exploits, the blame was put on their poverty-level upbringing, as if that is a legitimate excuse for crime. It's pointed out here the brutality of a jail in Alabama which really hardened Clyde and changed him from a thief to a murdering one.

There are a lot of facts here in this Biography episode, though, that don't have sides, per se, but are simply interesting. People who don't know anything about these two figures outside of what they saw in the famous 1968 film "Bonnie & Clyde" will be quite a bit more informed when this program is over. For instance, Bonnie and Clyde were in love a lot more than what we saw in the film. How they met and formed their relationship, along with a ton of other pre-crime spree history, is all very interesting. A nice bonus, too, is actual footage of the victims at the end, when the two were ambushed and, along with their car, riddled with bullets. The picture shows - from a little distance - Parker slumped over in the seat.

The crowds at the funerals were also shown, and it's remarkable. It's amazing how "celebrities," no matter what their occupation, have always fascinated "normal" people.

The biography, or "biopic", is a genre that portrays the life story of a real person, often a notable individual or historical figure. They aim to provide a depiction of the subject's personal history, achievements, challenges, and impact on society.

Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, and Geraldine James in Gandhi (1982)

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie & Clyde

Their lawless spree of robbing and killing took the lives of a dozen people. Yet something about them captured America's imagination; perhaps the glamorous ideal of the romantic outlaw had special appeal during the Depression. Archival news footage, newspaper accounts, and the recollections of observers relate the true picture of Bonnie and Clyde, including the dramatic ambush that ended their lives. An interview with Clyde's sister gives the viewer insight into the character of her brother and his girlfriend.

Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie & Clyde (1995)

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Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie & Clyde

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