Cast:
Peter Fonda as Wyatt, "Captain America"/Writer
Dennis Hopper as Billy/Writer/Director
Terry Southern, Writer
Jack Nicholson as George Hanson
Luke Askew as Stranger on Highway
Phil Spector as Connection
Karen Black as Karen
Toni Basil as Mary
*Recognition:
Released by Columbia Pictures on July 14, 1969, Easy Rider earned $60 million worldwide compared to a modest filming budget of $400,000 becoming the 4th highest grossing film of 1969.
Critics have praised the performances, directing, writing, soundtrack, and visuals. It received two Academy Awards nominations for Best Original Screenplay (Fonda, Hopper, and Southern) and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson).
Along with Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate, Easy Rider is recognized as having helped kick-start the New Hollywood era during the late 1960s and 1970s by leading the major studios to realize that money could be made from low-budget films made by avant-garde directors. These films of the so-called "post-classical Hollywood", were heavily influenced by the French New Wave, and came to represent a counterculture generation increasingly disillusioned with its government as well as the government's effects on the world at large and the establishment in general.
Easy Rider has been recognized by the AFI on the following Lists:
In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Easy Rider currently holds an 84% among critics on RT, an 85 score on Metacritic, and a 3.7/5 on Letterboxd.
What is this movie about?/Elevator Pitch: The freedom to be uniquely you.
Plot Summary: In the open road odyssey "Easy Rider," director Dennis Hopper and co-star Peter Fonda embody the restless spirit of the 1960s counterculture. The film, a rambling narrative of freedom and disillusionment, follows two bikers, Wyatt (Fonda) and Billy (Hopper), as they traverse the American Southwest in search of authenticity and liberation. The duo's journey, funded by a drug deal, becomes a kaleidoscopic exploration of the American landscape, both physical and cultural.
The film captures a nation in transition with its stunning cinematography showcasing the vastness of America while contrasting it with the intimacy of its small towns and eccentric characters. Along the way, they encounter an assortment of characters, from an idealistic lawyer (Jack Nicholson) to a communal farm, representing the era’s ideological clashes.
"Easy Rider" is a raw, poignant, and at times, tragic reflection on the price of freedom and the inevitable collision between personal liberty and societal norms. The film’s haunting ending, set against the backdrop of a sun setting over the American landscape, leaves viewers with a sense of loss and contemplation. Hopper’s direction, combined with Fonda’s cool demeanor and Nicholson’s electrifying performance, creates a cinematic experience that is as timeless as it is of its time.
Did You Know:
Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda did not write a full script for the movie, and made most of it up as they went along. They didn't hire a crew, but instead picked up hippies at communes across the country, and used friends and passers-by to hold the cameras, and were drunk and stoned most of the time.
Dennis Hopper was going through a very bad time during production (something he later put down to marijuana not being his "creative drug of choice"). He was in a state of drug-induced paranoia and he screamed at everyone. Crew members secretly recorded his tirades and sent the tapes to the production company in Los Angeles to explain why so many of them quit the film.
According to Jack Nicholson; he, Dennis Hopper, and Peter Fonda went through one hundred fifty-five joints while filming the campfire scene.
The film's driving sequences were among the first to deliberately use a "lens flare" to add atmosphere. Initially derided because they had failed to keep the shots 'clean', the technique went on to become commonplace in cinematography.
It was one of the first films to make extensive use of previously released musical tracks, rather than a specially written film score. This is common with films now, but was quite unusual at the time (the exception being The Beatles films and some other special cases).
Peter Fonda got the idea for this movie after seeing a picture of him and Bruce Dern on their motorcycles. He got Dennis Hopper (who was planning to get out of the acting business and become a teacher at the time) involved when he promised him he could direct the film.
Ask Dana Anything:
Jesse Sertle
What is your drink of choice?
Best Performance: Dennis Hopper (Billy/Director/Writer)/Jack Nicholson (George)
Best Secondary Performance: The Soundtrack/Dennis Hopper (Billy/Director/Writer)/Laszlo Kovacs (DP)
Most Charismatic Award: Jack Nicholson (George)
Best Scene:
Communal Living
Meeting George
Harassment in Louisiana
Campfire Scene
LSD Trip
One Last Ride
Favorite Scene: Meeting George/Campfire Scene
Most Indelible Moment: The Motorcycles w/ the Soundtrack/LSD Trip
In Memorium:
Jon Landau, 63, American film producer (Titanic, Avatar, Alita: Battle Angel), Oscar winner (1998)
Best Lines/Funniest Lines:
Captain America: [reading inscription] If god did not exist it would be necessary to invent him.
Billy: There's nothin' but sand, man. They're not gonna make it, man. They ain't gonna grow anything here.
Captain America: They're gonna make it. Dig. They're gonna make it.
George Hanson: They'll talk to ya and talk to ya and talk to ya about individual freedom. But they see a free individual, it's gonna scare'em.
George Hanson: I mean, it's real hard to be free when you are bought and sold in the marketplace.
Billy: Listen, do you think you can help us get outta here with no sweat?
George Hanson: Well, I imagine that I can if you haven't killed anybody - at least, nobody white.
The Stanley Rubric:
Legacy: 7.33
Impact/Significance: 9.5
Novelty: 7.33
Classic-ness: 6.83
Rewatchability: 4.67
Audience Score: 7.55 (71% Google, 82% RT)
Total: 43.21
Remaining Questions:
What do you think the meaning of the ending is?
What do you take away from the LSD trip in the New Orleans cemetery? Should the scene be taken literally?
What do you make of the costuming?
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