The names that have become a symbol of "dangerous" love - Bonnie and Clyde - are real people - Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who died on May 23, 1934 on a deserted road in Louisiana. A gang of six police officers, led by former Texas Ranger Frank Hammer, ambushed them in order to capture them. Hammer believed that the two were moving from state to state in order to use the law according to which police officers from one state cannot chase criminals who have crossed its borders.
Therefore, he ambushed them at 9 a.m. on the road where he expected them to pass. When the stolen Ford approached and noticed the gang, Clyde, who was driving, did not stop, which caused the police to open fire. Over 100 rounds were fired.
Their "exploits" coincided with the Great Depression in the United States, their area of operation was the central states, but their fame far exceeded it. Their actions attracted attention in the so-called era of the public enemy - 1931 - 1935, which led to the formation of the FBI. Although they were best known as bank robbers, they actually preferred to attack small stores and gas stations.
Bonnie Parker met Clyde Chesnut Barrow in 1929 and fell in love with him. He had already been in prison, and in 1930 he was arrested again and remained behind bars until 1932. After his release from prison, he resumed his criminal activities, and Bonnie successfully helped him. That same year and the following year, the two repeatedly evaded ambushes, robbing stores, killing and committing crimes in several states.
Although Bonnie's role in the crimes of Clyde's gang has been described as significant, in fact it was limited mainly to logistical support. She even wrote, taking over "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde", which is a remarkable personal confession of the bandits' deeds and at the same time a plea for forgiveness.
The resurrection of the legendary couple in the minds of people is attributed to the famous film by Arthur Penn from 1967. The film stars Warren Beatty, Gene Hackman and Faye Dunaway. By that time, however, the self-styled gangsters had inspired enough films to hold an entire film festival.
The first films referred to Edward Anderson's book "Thieves Look Like Us" from 1937. The author has been compared to Hemingway and Faulkner, and his work has been described as “one of the greatest forgotten novels of the 1930s”.
Critic Lawrence Block says that Anderson perfectly captured the nature of criminals like Clyde and his gang - they are perceived as men whose profession is to rob, because they see in the image of thieves all the people on the street - lawyers, politicians, businessmen, capitalists from Wall Street.
The book remains unknown to the general public, although it became the basis for three well-received and popular films. One of them is “You Only Live Once” by Fritz Lang, for which the label “one of the best films of the 1930s” is still valid today. And “They Live By Night” (1949) by the legendary director Nicholas Ray has the calling to be one of the best romantic films of all time.
As for Penn's film, many critics did not accept it because of its nihilistic spirit and violent scenes. The emphasis falls on the characters' thirst for fame as the main motivator, not wealth. This apparently turns out to be shocking for some viewers. And Penelope Gilliat wrote in "The New Yorker" magazine that the scenes with giggles and bragging abound.
Her colleague Pauline Kael has the opposite opinion, who wrote on this occasion - and for the same magazine - one of the most famous reviews in the history of cinema - 10,000 people.
At that time - the mid-1960s - the USA was in a turbulent period. Then there were riots in Chicago around the Democratic Party convention, the murders of Charles Manson and four National Guard students in Kent, Ohio. So the film perfectly fits the nervous social situation in the country, writes Dani Ivanov on his blog.
Bonnie Parker herself wrote poems that she sent to newspaper editorial offices. One of them is quite eloquent: “One day they will fall together / They will bury them side by side / For a few there will be sorrow / For the law - relief / But this is death for Bonnie and Clyde".
Clyde, on the other hand, sent letters to the automobile magnate Henry Ford, praising the qualities of his cars. The two of them loved to be photographed and gave the newspapers hot news, and the police - new evidence.