Arthur Penn, 1922-: Themes and Variants

Directed by Robert Hughes

This documentary premiered at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival and combines black and white with color photography. Director Arthur Penn is the subject of the film. He is shown being interviewed along with his two children, 12 year old Mathew and 8 year old Molly. Scenes are shown from The Left Handed Gun, The Chase, The Miracle Worker, Bonny and Clyde, Alice's Restaurant and Little Big Man. Penn recalls how Warner Brothers insisted he change the ending for The Left Handed Gun and talks about the violence in Bonny and Clyde. His work from 1958 to 1970 received three Academy Award nominations. The director attended the world premiere of this film at Cannes and was pleased with the final effort.