In the 1960’s, the film industry as well as the rest of America was going through times of reform and change. The United States was facing a rise in feminism and militarism, as well as an influx in racial disparity. There was a shift in directors, who began to look towards European films such as the French New Wave and Italian filmmakers for inspiration. Bonnie and Clyde is one of few films that came out during this New Hollywood era which had started to incorporate violence, promiscuity, disillusionment, and ideas of going against social norms. This movie led the way for similar movies to be made.
Graphic violence, one the biggest characteristics of modern American cinema, was introduced in 1967 in Bonnie and Clyde. Previous to Penn's
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America in the 1960's was ravished by one of the biggest increases of violence and crime since the 1930's and many people were intrigued and sucked in by the violent acts and their coverage in the national media, much like people are today. Famous figures of the 1960's were surrounded in violence, either themselves violent or the change they were trying to bring about caused people to become violent. One such figure was Malcolm X. His group pushed for the advancement of blacks through the religion of Islam. This act helped spur the Civil Rights Movement which the 1960's is known for. Malcolm X was assassinated by the Nation of Islam in 1965ngs. Another figure who pushed for change in the 1960's and then was assassinated was President John F. Kennedy. He was assassinated in 1963 in Texas. These two figures’ assassination along with the increase in crimes across America had caused the nation to be engulfed in the violence. Penn takes the issues of violence of the 1960's and weaves them seamlessly into a story about crime in the 1930’s that also captured the American public attention. He is able to take a story that could have been just a historical recount of a burglarizing couple popular in the 1930’s and turned it into an expose of the current American
In 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected president of the United States. During his campaign he had promised to lead the country down the right path with the civil rights movement. This campaign promise had brought hope to many African-Americans throughout the nation. Ever since Lincoln, African-Americans have tended to side with the democrats and this election was no different. The Kennedy administration had noticed that the key to the presidency was partially the civil rights issue. While many citizens were on Kennedy’s side, he had his share of opposition. Malcolm X differed on the view of the President and observed that the civil rights movement wasn’t happening at the speed Kennedy had pledged. Malcolm X possessed other reasons for his
The mise-en-scene used in Bonnie and Clyde is what created the classic film we enjoy today. While the film editing in this film was revolutionary to the entire industry, that isn’t what viewers remember. According to the book, Film Art, “Many of our most vivid memories of movies stem from mise-en-scene.” In this film, the mise-en-scene is an important as that quote suggests. It is responsible for a variety of the most essential aspects of the movie. Bonnie and Clyde implemented mise-en-scene to describe characters, promote symbolism and solidify motifs throughout the film.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is the story of Malcolm X, an African American male growing up in the United States in the mid-1900's. At this time in America prejudice and segregation were widespread and much a part of everyday life. Malcolm takes the reader through his experiences with American society, which rejects him. This rejection, along with the inferiority cast upon all Black Americans, forces these males to search for acceptance. They are forced to search for purpose in causes greater than single individuals. As the book shows, this is evident in Malcolm throughout his life and in the life of other African American males. The Autobiography shows how during this time in American history
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, otherwise known as JFK, was an important figure in the lives of many during the 1960s. Due to this, many works have been written regarding the details of his assassination as well as his legacy. In every piece, a unique perspective of this appalling event is portrayed. The excerpt from the biography, “A Warm, Clear Day in Dallas” by Marta Randall, presents this event in the most concise yet informative manner and is the most compelling piece that portrays the legacy of JFK.
Malcolm X, an African American leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, was a significant individual in the African American fight for justice and equality. In contrast to the mainstream Civil Rights Movement with its nonviolent pursuit of integration, Malcolm X voiced concepts of race pride and Black Nationalism during the 1950s and '60s. Although many argue that Malcolm X did not actually “do” anything for the black community, his nontraditional programs brought a new perspective to the Civil Rights Movement, and this perspective is of relevance today in the black community.
The civil rights movement of the sixties is one of the most controversial times of the last century. Many, if not all, who lived through that time, and the generations following were enormously impacted. At the time passions ran so high that violence at peaceful
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is the story about a man who greatly impacted American history. Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X as he is more widely known, taught what he believed in regards to segregation, racism, and discrimination. Growing up in a large family with a father Earl Little, a Baptist minister, and his mother Louis Little, who was a homemaker, Malcolm’s life at the time seemed very promising. His father’s involvement in support of the Black National gained him many death threats at the hands of white supremacists. In 1929, they lost their house to fire, and two years later the body of Malcolm’s father was found mutilated. This lead to the emotional breakdown of Malcolm’s mother and in turn she was institutionalized. Malcolm and his siblings were separated and placed in foster homes, and from then, his life began a path of drugs, sex, and crime. It was not until he was imprisoned in 1946, that he decided to make some changes for the better. This essay will assess and discuss those changes whether negative or positive, on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. It will also cover some of the effects of racial prejudice on human behavior, and how society today keeps the ideology of Malcolm X alive.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley is an account of Malcolm X’s evolving perspective on racial justice. Malcolm X was a prominent figure in the Nation of Islam who advocated for black nationalism and separatism. The man who became one of America’s most powerful voices for African Americans was deeply affected by the terrors of racism, which shaped his view of social justice and the condemnation of the white man. The way Malcolm X narrates his experiences changes as his views on race change. At first, he wants readers to feel the destructiveness of racism, so he conveys his experiences through provocative language. When he aims to promote universal peace, he takes on a more optimistic tone. As a
PART A - 1 Many Americans believed they were standing at the beginning of a ‘golden age’ at the beginning of the 1960s. The handsome and charismatic John F. Kennedy became president of the United States in January 1961. The fight for civil rights strongly defined this decade, and in 1964, a Civil Rights Act was pushed through Congress promising equal opportunities in the workplace to all. But these laws did nothing to solve the problems facing racism against African Americans. They did not eliminate racism or poverty and did not improve the conditions in black neighbourhoods.
The movie and book tells the life story of an interesting and important man. As a sociological study, it provides fascinating insights into ghetto life and the ways which one man learned to survive in the ghetto. As a religious work - which is perhaps the way Malcolm intended the book to be read - it tells of his struggle to find his God. Yet it is as a political work that the book rather than the movie has had its strongest impact. Through his story, Malcolm has continued to exert great influence over the various black radical political movements since his death.
Graphic violence is today a rather common and somewhat natural characteristic of modern cinema, but before Bonnie and Clyde, it certainly was not. Arthur Penn introduced it in 1967. Before Bonnie and Clyde violence in film was hinted at or just implied through various sorts of acting techniques. Arthur Penn decided to show the audience the real, brutal and raw side to violence, using brilliant camerawork but more importantly, top-notch special effects and masterful visual skills. In Bonnie and Clyde the violence never feels fake, but terrifyingly real. Take for example the first graphic scene of the film, in which Clyde shoots a store owner’s face clean off, as he tries jump aboard the robbers’ getaway car. The man’s head basically explodes, splattering blood and pieces of brain all over the car window, and Penn shows us, the audience, this (although not in a Tarantinto-splasher-like way, but nevertheless) in a quite unromantic but very powerful and dramatic way. The scene is almost reminiscent of the famous scene from Battleship Potemkin 3 where the mother is shot in the face, and her
Culture, writing, and language are expressions of history, but what we choose to convey to our students through these methods is what lives on for the future. The involvement of “funneling” history because of the stigma behind a figure or movement should be called into question. Unfortunately, this detrimental activity has been occurring in our school system, and the most prominent figure affected by this restraint is Malcolm X. El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, commonly referred to as Malcolm X, is falsely associated with violence, hatred, and radicalism. Although he was a deep-seated and angry man, he was driven by the determination of protecting his community and upholding the much-needed justice in America. In other words, he was angry for the right reasons. Is it fair to suppress and discriminate a
In Chapter 7: The Sad Ballad of Bonnie & Clyde depicts the historical events and the current culture leading up to the film Bonnie and Clyde in 1967 and how it became a controversial influence on society. To fully understand the cultural context of this film, the change in America during the 1950’s was explained as rebellion came over Americans and its transcendence into the 1960’s when action for the women’s movement, recreational drugs, sexuality, and rights for the LGBTQ and black communities took place. This film was therefore critiqued as overly violent since anarchy ruled America during the 1960’s. This film’s overt violence comments on the cultural upheavals of society while keeping some historical fact in this meld of mythology as there
The film, the Untouchables, was directed by Brian De Palma. It was set in the prohibition era, which was right at the start of the 1920’s. Prohibition can be described as a law that made selling and manufacturing alcohol illegal. By putting this law into effect, it actually increased the amount of crime and violence throughout cities in the US. This was ultimately due to the rise in organized crime, also known as gangs. In the movie specifically, it was centered around the rise of the Mafia in Chicago. By looking at the production of the movie, we can see how during prohibition, the Mafia controls everything and the violence ultimately it leads to.
One of the most exceptional aspects to the film Bonnie and Clyde is that it was edited by a woman, Dede Allen, who became the first person to receive a solo opening credit for editing. She once said that “intellect and taste count, but I cut with my feelings.” This is no better exemplified than her editing style represented in Bonnie and Clyde. This film accommodated a satisfying and significant compromise of the familiar Hollywood continuity editing and the newer, more artistic style of disjunctive editing.