Another look...Bonnie & Clyde

One of the main themes of Bonnie & Clyde that is highlighted and illustrated through the use of editing is the awkward sexual tension between Bonnie and Clyde that is overtly present through most of the film.

When we first meet Bonnie, she is in her bedroom. The first shot of the film is an extreme close-up focusing on Bonnie rubbing her lips together. This functions as an establishing shot, and after watching the film I believe that it establishes the notion that Bonnie functions as a sexual character in the film, especially in relation to Clyde as we see later on. Then the camera cuts to Bonnie looking at herself in the mirror, and slightly smiling while studying her reflection. Then, there is a cut on action as she stands up, looks around the room, and then fall down, somewhat dramatically, onto the bed where the camera focuses on her laying there and then hitting the bed in what seems to be frustration based on how the camera gets a close-up of her expression. Then we see her over by her dresser, reaching for a dress while we see her naked back in the shot. She sighs in boredom, and then the camera cuts to a shot of Clyde standing outside her window by her mother's car. The camera cuts back to Bonnie, who walks over to the window still naked and sees Clyde outside. He can obviously see that she is naked through the window, and she can obviously tell that his intention was to steal her mother's car. The camera cuts back and forth between Bonnie and Clyde, illustrated with cutting on action and camera movement, until she gets dressed and goes outside to confront him.

This scene establishes the sexual tension that is present between Bonnie and Clyde throughout the rest of the film. When Clyde first shows Bonnie his gun, the camera focuses on both the gun and Bonnie's expression in a way that suggests that his gun represents a phalic symbol that represents his manhood and the attraction Bonnie feels towards him. This representation doesn't last long however, because the sexuality between them becomes awkward and strained because Clyde is impotent. Without this use of editing to illustrate the sexual tension and awkwardness between the Bonnie and Clyde, I don't think I would have caught onto it as quickly as I did while watching the movie.