Bonnie and Clyde is a
American crime film about
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the bank robbers who operated in the
central United States during the
Great Depression. The film was directed by
Arthur Penn, and stars
Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow and
Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker. The screenplay was written by
David Newman and
Robert Benton, with
Robert Towne and Beatty providing uncredited contributions to the script.
Bonnie and Clyde is considered a landmark film, and is regarded as one of the first films of the
New Hollywood era, in that it broke many
taboos and was popular with the younger generation. Its success motivated other filmmakers to be more forward about presenting sex and violence in their films.
Bonnie and Clyde received
Academy Awards for "Best Supporting Actress" (Estelle Parsons) and "Best Cinematography" (
Burnett Guffey), and was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry.