Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 5/1

Thanks to my friend Bob, who ordered a custom made CD of oldies and picked it up today at Bay Parkway, a day when the public was indifferent to books.
Last night PBS ran Bonnie and Clyde (1967), one of the most controversial films of its time, screenplay by Robert Benton and David Newman, who were influenced by the French New Wave directors. They actually tried to get Francois Truffaut, then Jean Luc Godard to direct. When that failed, the script went into a draw for a year and a half, until someone mentioned it to Warren Beatty, who not only starred but produced as well. He recommended Arthur Penn, who had directed him in the avant garde Mickey One and would go on to do Alice's Restaurant (1969), Little Big Man (1970), Night Moves (1975), The Missouri Breaks (1976), and others. All those cited are unconventional, revisionist in nature, where those on the fringe take center stage as the anti-hero. I enjoyed Bonnie and Clyde. It has a lot to recommend it: beautiful cinematography, a dazzling Faye Dunaway in her breakthrough role, Michael J. Pollard's quirky turn as C.W. Moss, Estelle Parson's Academy Award winning performance (Supporting Actress), veteran character actors Dub Taylor and Denver Pyle, and plenty of shootouts. The violence, and the sympathetic, glamorous depiction of the criminals were the most controversial aspects. Critics disagreed vehemently. Some lost their jobs due to their negative reviews, seen as out of step. Famed critic Pauline Kael wrote a 10,000 word defense of the film, which is credited with turning the tide of opinion on it. Other critics recanted their original thoughts. I don't believe it's a great film. I think it's silly, lively fun. It has almost no basis in fact, starting with the casting of the two incredibly handsome leads. The real life villains were not physically attractive. If you haven't seen it, check out the DVD. Of course, given the passage of time, the violence we've grown so accustomed to in films, you'll wonder what all the controversy was about.
Read Vic's stories, free: http://vicfortezza.homestead.com/