In 1967, BONNIE & CLYDE changed cinema. Like mainstream Hollywood, the B-movie business also likes to copy hits. BOXCAR BERTHA’s similarities to BONNIE & CLYDE are obvious. Infamous B-movie master Roger Corman produced this film on a shoestring budget. But for film fans, Corman is best known for launching the careers of young actors and directors. This was Martin Scorsese’s (GOODFELLAS) second feature directing job.
Bertha Thompson (Barbara Hershey, LANTANA) is a poor farm girl, who finds herself without a father and without means to an income during the Great Depression. She falls for Union leader “Big” Bill Shelly (David Carradine, KILL BILL: VOL. 2), but they get separated and she ends up with two-bit gambler Rake Brown (Barry Primus, NEW YORK, NEW YORK). After a Union bust, Shelly ends up in prison with the Thompson family’s former black farm hand Von Morton (Bernie Casey, UNDER SIEGE). Through circumstance, Bertha, Bill, Rake and Von end up falling into a life of crime.
I think this film gets dismissed too easily because of its B-movie status and its similarities to BONNIE & CLYDE. But I think the characters are well developed and react naturally to the world they are thrust into. I was fascinated from start to finish and drawn in by the solid performances. The ending is tragically poignant with a classic image that I will never forget. This film shows the promising talent of Scorsese. It also displays that some ‘60s and ‘70s B-movies were really just the forbearers of the independent cinema of today.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
