Bonnie and Clyde

FADE IN.

INT. BEDROOM. CLOSE-UP OF BONNIE PARKER. DAY

Blonde, somewhat fragile, intelligent in expression. She is

putting on make-up with intense concentration and

appreciation, applying lipstick and eye make-up. As the

camera slowly pulls back from the closeup we see that we

have been looking into a mirror. She is standing before the

full-length mirror in her bedroom doing her make-up. She

overdoes it in the style of the time: rosebud mouth and so

forth. As the film progresses her make-up will be refined

until, at the end, there is none.

The camera pulls back and continues to move very slowly

throughout the first part of this scene. As the camera

continues to move away, we see, by degrees, that BONNIE is

naked. Her nudity is never blatantly revealed to the

audience, but implied. That is, she should be "covered" in

various ways from the camera's P.O.V., but the audience must

be aware of her exposure to CLYDE later in the scene. This

is the only time in the film that she will ever be this

exposed, in all senses of the word, to the audience. Her

attitude and appraisal of herself here are touched with

narcissism.

The bedroom itself is a second-story bedroom in a lower-

class frame house in West Dallas, Texas. The neighborhood

is low income. Though the room reveals its shabby

surroundings, it also reveals an attempt by BONNIE to fix it

up. Small and corny objets d'art are all over the tops of

the bureaus, vanity tables, etc. (Little glass figurines and

porcelain statuettes and the like.)

BONNIE finishes admiring herself. She walks from the mirror

and moves slowly across the room, the camera moving with

her, until she reaches the screened window on the opposite

wall. The shade is up. There are no curtains. She looks

out the window, looking down, and the camera looks down with

her.

EXT. BEDROOM. BONNIE'S P.O.V. DAY.

Over her shoulder, we see the driveway leading to the garage

connected to the house. There is an old car parked in the

driveway, its windows open. We see a man walking up the

driveway, somewhat furtively. He is a rather dapper fellow,

dressed in a dark suit with a vest, a white collar, and a

straw boater. It is CLYDE BARROW. Obviously, he is about

to steal the car. He looks it over, checking around him to

make sure no passers-by are coming. He peers inside the

front window to see if the keys are in the ignition. He

studies the dashboard. BONNIE continues watching, silently.

Finally she calls out.

2.

BONNIE:

Hey, boy! What you doin' with my

mama's car?

EXT. DRIVEWAY. DAY.

CLYDE, startled, jumps and looks to see who has caught him.

Obviously frightened, he looks up and his face freezes at

what he sees.

EXT. WINDOW. CLYDE'S P.O.V. DAY.

We now see what he is looking at: at the open window,

revealed from the waist up, is the naked BONNIE. She looks

down, an impudent half-smile on her face. She doesn't move

or make any attempt to cover herself.

EXT. CLOSE-UP OF CLYDE -DAY

--whose face changes from astonishment to an answering

smile of impudence. (Seeing what he has, he realizes that

this girl is clearly not going to scream for the police.

Already they are in a little game instigated by BONNIE,

sizing each other up, competing in a kind of playful

arrogance. Before they speak, they have become

coconspirators.)

Close-up of BONNIE, still smiling. Finally she speaks.

BONNIE:

Wait there!

INT. BEDROOM. DAY.

Running from the window, she flings open a closet and grabs

a dress, and shoes. She slips on the shoes, and flings the

dress on, running out the door as she does. The camera

tracks with her, moving as fast. As she runs down the

stairs she buttons up the dress.

EXT. DRIVEWAY. DAY.

She flies out the door, slamming it behind her, runs off the

porch (all this has been one continuous movement since she

left the window, in great haste) and continues quickly into

the driveway. Four feet away from CLYDE, she stops on a

dime. They stand there, looking at each other, smiling the

same challenge. For a few seconds, no one speaks, then:

BONNIE:

(putting her on)

Ain't you ashamed? Tryin' to steal

an old lady's automobile.

3.

CLYDE:

(with the same put-on)

I been thinkin' about buyin' me one.

BONNIE:

Bull. You ain't got money for

dinner, let alone buy no car.

CLYDE:

(still the battle of

wits going on)

Now I got enough money for cokes,

and since it don't look like you're

gonna invite me inside-

BONNIE:

You'd steal the dining room table

if I did.

CLYDE:

(he moves from his spot)

Come to town with me, then. How'd

that be?

BONNIE:

(starting to walk

onto the sidewalk)

Goin' to work anyway.

EXT. STREET. MOVING SHOT. DAY.

The camera tracks. It is a hot Texas afternoon, all white

light and glare. As they walk the block to town in this

scene, their manner of mutual impudence is still pervading.

CLYDE:

Goin' to work, huh? What do you do?

BONNIE:

None of your business.

CLYDE:

(pretending to give

it serious thought)

I bet you're a...movie star!

(thinks)

No...A lady mechanic?...No...A

maid?-

BONNIE:

(really offended by that)

What do you think I am?

4.

CLYDE:

(right on the nose)

A waitress.

BONNIE:

(slightly startled by

his accuracy, anxious

to get back now that

he is temporarily

one-up)

What line of work are you in? When

you're not stealin' cars?

CLYDE:

(mysteriously)

I tell you, I'm lookin' for suitable

employment right at the moment.

BONNIE:

What did you do before?

CLYDE:

(coolly, knowing its effect)

I was in State Prison.

BONNIE:

State Prison?

(she shows her surprise)

CLYDE:

Yeah.

BONNIE:

(herself again)

Guess some little old lady wasn't

so nice.

CLYDE:

(tough)

It was armed robbery.

BONNIE:

(sarcastically)

My, my, the things that turn up in

the driveway these days.

They reach the corner and turn. They are on:

EXT. MAIN STREET. DAY.

--a small-town street of barber shops, cafes, groceries, etc.

At the moment, it is deserted. They continue walking down

the empty street. CLYDE looks the place over. Tracking.

5.

CLYDE:

What do y'all do for a good time

around here, listen to the grass

grow?

BONNIE:

Guess you had a lot more fun up at

State Prison, huh?

CLYDE laughs, enjoying her repartee. They continue walking.

At a hydrant, CLYDE stops.

CLYDE:

(showing off, but seriously)

See this foot?

(pointing at his

right foot)

I chopped two toes off of it. With

an axe.

BONNIE:

(shocked)

What? Why?

CLYDE:

To get off the damn work detail,

that's why.

(stopping)

Want to see?

BONNIE:

(a lady of some sensitivity)

No!...

(turning a cute)

I surely don't intend to stand here

and look at your dirty feet in the

middle of Main Street.

They continue walking in silence past a few stores, each

planning what next to say.

BONNIE:

Boy, did you really do that?

CLYDE:

Yeah.

BONNIE:

You must be crazy.

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