Why did Bonnie and Clyde (1967), change so much of the real story around? (filmed, drama)

[ironpony]

I understand that movies based on true stories will make up a lot for the sake of drama. But here I feel that the changes they made to the movie, actually made the movie a lot less dramatic than the real story.

SPOILERS


In the movie, Bonnie and Clyde have a dead or alive warrant arrest warrant put out on them and the reason why the police shoot them is because the one lead cop, was humiliated by Bonnie and Clyde when they temporarily took him hostage, and then let him go, pretty much unharmed. So he wanted to get back at them and was probably the one who fired first, even though we don't see it.

In the real life story, Bonnie and Clyde killed two police officers to escape arrest. Either this or one of their team members did, it's never been confirmed who shots the cops.

One of the officers was about to get married before being shot, and his wife wore the wedding dress to his funeral, which sparked a lot of press coverage, and getting all the police departments riled up over wanting Bonnie and Clyde dead, or brought to justice.

I feel that for the movie, the real life story is far more dramatic. The bride to be of the killed officer, showing up at her dead husbands funeral, and causing public outcry, is just much more dramatic, then humiliating a cop in a photoshoot, then letting him go.

So I'm wondering why the writers chose to opt for a less dramatic story, when the real life story was more dramatic and compelling? I realize in movies they make things up for dramatic license, but this is more like anti-dramatic license, since the writers chose a less dramatic story as a result.

What do you think?

[MikeBear]

Read all about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_and_Clyde_(film)

[writerwife]

They also romanticize them. They were much meaner than the movie shows.

[ironpony]

Yeah I read that article already which got me interested, but the article does not really say WHY they chose to reduce the drama.

[madison999]

Was there a book out first? If so they may have had to change xx percentage in order to not owe royalties on the story.

[Hulsker 1856]

Films exist to make profits for those who bankroll them. They are produced - written, filmed, cut, shown - with that in mind.

And considering this...

"Bonnie and Clyde," which cost $2.5 million to make, went on to take in $50 million at the box office in America alone and an estimated $70 million worldwide.

Forty years later, 'Bonnie and Clyde' still blows us away

... they nailed it. Because last I checked, 2800% is a pretty good return on an investment.

[ironpony]

It's a good movie, I just thought it could have been a better, and more suspenseful one, had they stuck to the true story for the third act.

[loves2read]

Originally Posted by writerwife

They also romanticize them. They were much meaner than the movie shows.

And uglier---
They were trash--nothing special about them at all but Warren Beatty would never make himself "trash" in a movie...

[kevinm]

Originally Posted by loves2read

And uglier---
They were trash--nothing special about them at all but Warren Beatty would never make himself "trash" in a movie...

I doubt that Beatty or Dunaway would permit them to be seen to be "that evil". The opposite was true for the movie "Bloody Mama" starring Shelly Winters. That movie showed incest, homosexuality, etc.

[ironpony]

Well they don't have to be shown as evil, they just have to blamed for the murders of two policemen. But they don't have ot pull the trigger. Gene Hackman's character could do it for example.