Bonnie and Clyde and Faye and Warren
March 18, 2008

“It was at a period where the lunatics were taking over the asylum,” says Warren Beatty of the making of 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, which he both produced—it was the first film he ever produced--and starred in. “It was a very interesting period of American filmmaking.”

Warner’s new Bonnie and Clyde Two-Disc Special Edition is the third Warren Beatty production for which the legendary actor/filmmaker has “gone on record” and contributed substantially to the DVD’s supplemental package. (The other two are Paramount’s Reds and Sony’s Bugsy).  In this instance, Beatty appears prominently in DVD producer Laurent Bouzereau’s three-part, hour-long examination of the film and its legacy.

Beatty was undoubtedly instrumental in wrangling the other talented artists who appear in the featurette—indeed, there are some 15 of them who offers their thoughts on Bonnie and Clyde and that’s one of the most impressive turn-outs for a DVD retrospective of a modern classic that we’ve ever seen.

Accompanying Beatty are stars Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard Best Supporting Actress winner Estelle Parsons and Evans Evans are all present to add their two cents. Also making the scene, strangely enough is Morgan Fairchild, who doubled for leading lady Dunaway during the production. (The only missing principal is Gene Wilder, whose portrayal of undertaker Eugene Grizzard is priceless.)

But it’s not just on-screen talent that shows up for this supplement. Also on hand in new interviews are director Arthur Penn, screenwriter Robert Benton, art director Dean Tavoularis, editor Dede Allen, costume designer Theodora Van Runkle and others.

Not surprisingly, it’s Beatty who offers the best stories, be they about his clashes with Jack Warner, his attempts to get Francois Truffaut to direct the film, or his tentativeness about hiring Faye Dunaway to portray Bonnie, an opinion he has since revised:

“She was and is as energetic, dedicated and driven as any actress that I’ve known,” says Beatty about his co-star.

Posted by Laurence Lerman on March 18, 2008 | Comments (0)