Estelle Parsons as Blanche Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde

Best Supporting Actress at the 40th Annual Oscars (1967)

Notable Quote:

“I want my share.”

Synopsis:

You’ve heard of bank-robbing bandit couple Bonnie (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde (Warren Beatty), but I bet you don’t know about gang member Blanche Barrow (Estelle Parsons) who said of her portrayal in this film, “That movie made me look like a screaming horse's ass.” She’s not wrong, they did her dirty.

The character:

If I ran a bank-robbing gang (which honestly sounds more and more appealing by the day), I can’t imagine anyone that I’d want on my team less than Blanche Barrow, a woman with no discernible abilities, gumption, or social skills. Blanche is a cliche, the dopey wife of the criminal who would really prefer not to be involved. She’s not only an ineffective criminal, she’s constantly putting the gang in danger of capture. Hilariously, her “un-value-added” (thanks Dorinda Medley) does not keep her from demanding a portion of the money, or from constantly starting shit with Bonnie. We’ve all had that friend who insists on bringing their obnoxious partner to every outing, and that’s Blanche in a nutshell.

Blanche’s end might be sad if she wasn’t so irritating. In a shootout with the cops, Buck is killed and she’s blinded and captured. Of course, she handles this with grace and dignity. Just kidding, she squawks and screams, and when a ranger who is chasing the gang comes to visit her, she immediately rolls on the group. She continues to ramble to him, but because her eyes are wrapped in bandages, he sneaks out and leaves her talking to no one, lmao. In a film where characters are gunned down by hundreds of bullets, it’s still the most brutal dismissal.

The performance:

Sorry Estelle Parsons, but this is definitely one of my least favorite performances that I’ve seen for this column! It’s an unfortunate combination of annoying AND dull. The character is over-the-top, and then Parsons chooses to play her as absurdly and broadly as possible. Like, there’s a scene where police are shooting out the house they’re camped out in, and she runs around literally shouting, “AAAAAAH!!” I really enjoyed this film, but it’s chaotic, and we did not need Parsons to up the chaos. She’s one-note and silly in a way that doesn’t work.

I also found her quite uncharismatic. All five actors playing the gang members were nominated for Oscars, and I would’ve rather written about any of the others, but Parsons is who I’m stuck with. I just felt like I was waiting and waiting for the Oscars moment, the point at which I would see what she did to earn the win … and it never came.  

The movie:

Bonnie and Clyde is a bizarre and beautiful film, and I’m glad that I finally had a good reason to get it off my To Watch list, because it really is enjoyable. I love so many of the choices that the creators made, from kicking the movie off immediately (seriously, this movie eliminates all of the set-up) to making Clyde impotent. Speaking of, what the actual fuck, Warren Beatty is so hot, I almost could not handle it. He’s captivating as Clyde. Anyway, I love the sudden, strange tonal shifts, from humor to extreme violence. Bonnie and Clyde are fascinating figures in American culture, and I have to imagine that this movie’s portrayal of them is a big part of the reason.

Was the Oscar deserved?

No, this is one of the most confusing wins to me.