Bosley Crowther Vs. Bonnie and Clyde

When Bonnie and Clyde arrived in 1967, it sparked a fierce debate among film critics. At the center of that debate was New York Times critic Bosley Crowther, who publicly opposed the film even as its reputation grew. This episode looks at Crowther’s battle with the movie, the critics who disagreed with him, and what the controversy reveals about a changing era in American cinema.

Sources in this Episode

Times Announcement. “Crowther Named Critic Emeritus; Renata Adler of New Yorker to Review Films for Times.” The New York Times, November 20, 1967.

Crowther, Bosley. “Run, Bonnie and Clyde: Run, Bonnie.” The New York Times, September 3, 1967. ProQuest.

Crowther, Bosley. “Screen: ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ Arrives: Careers of Murderers Pictured as Farce.” The New York Times, August 14, 1967. ProQuest.

Crowther, Bosley. “Shoot-’Em-Up Film Opens World Fete.” The New York Times, August 7, 1967. ProQuest.

Harris, Mark. Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood. New York: Penguin Press, 2008.

Lubow, Arthur. “Renata Adler Is Making Enemies Again.” The New York Times, January 16, 2000.

Martin, Charlie. “The Saga of Bosley Crowther: That Time Film Criticism Got Turned….” Medium.

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