Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1967: Estelle Parsons in Bonnie and Clyde

Estelle Parsons won the Oscar from her first nomination for her performance as Blanche Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde. 

Bonnie and Clyde tells the true story of robbers Clyde Barrow and Blanche Parker, following them from their first crimes until their downfall. The movie might glamourize their life a little bit but it's still an excellent and compelling movie and I'd say that Arthur Penn probably should have Best Director for this. Its win for Best Cinematography is also richly deserved in my opinion. 

Estelle Parsons plays the role of Blanche Barrow, a preacher's daughter and wife of Clyde's brother, Buck. Her win is not a particularly popular - it's not universally hated but it's incredibly divisive: people seem to either hate her work or love it, with nothing in between. I personally understand perfectly people's complaints about this performance: it's extremely loud and it's often grating. But, ultimately, I can't help but strongly appreciate what Parsons does with this part and I don't think that the fact that her performance is jarring and annoying is something wrong - because the role of Blanche is jarring and annoying itself. When she first appears, Parsons does a great job in portrating a certain feeling of awkwardness in Blanche - she doesn't like her Bonnie's and Clyde's lifestyle and she only follows them because she sincerely and deeply loves Buck. Parsons is great because in every moment of the movie she makes Blanche somehow out of the place - her fearful, nervous personality doesn't fit with Clyde's seductive charm and Bonnie's explosive energy. She also develops a tender, sweet chemistry with Gene Hackman and she is so convincing in her portrayal of Blanche's genuine love for Buck that it feels perfectly believable that Blanche would lead this kind of life she doesn't appreciate just because of her loyalty to her husband.

I can totally see the problems people have with some of her scenes such as when they are found by the police and they are forced to run away: Parsons is indeed extremely shrill in those scenes and I totally get why someone would be put off by her acting and, just like Bonnie, would like to scream at her to shut up, but as annoying as she might be I think that it's the right approach for the role and it works perfectly within her whole characterization of Blanche. I also have to admit that I never thought she went too far with this and I thought that her screaming around during the shootout with the police was even somewhat funny to an extent. Parsons never turns Blanche into an overblown caricature but always shows that her behavior is caused by her understandable fear of the situtation, and she seems to be the only character in the movie to actually realize the danger they're in.

Towards the end of the movie, Parsons gets some more serious, dramatic moments and, in my opinion, she absolutely excels. I particularly like her quieter, subtler moment in the car with Michael J. Pollard in which she reflects about her father: it's a surprisingly beautiful and affecting moment and Parsons and Pollard poignantly bring tenderness and regret to it. And I think she's terrific in the scene in which they are found again by the police and they aren't quite so lucky this time - Parsons does some moving, heartbreaking work as Blanche finds out her husband was killed and slowly realizes she can't see anymore and it's absolutely devastating to watch this woman as she witnesses her world falling apart. Her realistic and downright chilling acting makes the horror of the scene even more haunting and unforgettable. Her final scene in which she is questioned in the police blind and alone in a cell is a terrific end to her performance, and Parsons is very poignant in her portrayal of the desperation of this woman who has lost everything she loved.

As I mentioned previously, I totally get why some people can't stand this performance but in my opinion everything she does fits perfectly the role she's playing. Parsons is over the top in certain scenes but she never crosses the line between loud and hammy acting, and she knows when to hold back and underplay a bit. She plays Blanche Barrow just as she needed, and delivers a great and haunting performance featuring some truly unforgettable moments.

4.5/5