1 Not Bad for a Biker Film
The best part of this DVD is the bonus "Making of Easy Rider" documentary. It unintentionally helps to deflate all the current bloated ideas about the significance of this movie. Take this movie for what it is: a film with two hippies enjoying freedom by riding cool bikes through beautiful scenery with cool music. Add to it some good acting by Jack Nicholson (which offsets Peter Fonda's atrocious acting) and some fairly good documentation of the zeitgeist, and it's certainly worth 90 minutes of your time. But don't look to this as a profound comment on life and society, because it's too mixed up and/or lightweight.
Why was it mixed up? Partially because everyone except the cinematographer was stoned all the time, including the director Dennis Hopper. No one was really in charge. Everyone had big ideas for how things should go, more than half the dialogue was improvised, and lots of other things were determined on the fly as well (after huge arguments). The funniest revelation in the "Making Of" documentary was the fact that Hopper's original cut of the movie was three hours long! He apparently thought he was making a huge statement with this thing, but it really just shows his lack of directorial judgement and clear concept of what he was trying to accomplish.
There's a lot of silly, amateurish symbolism in the film: the scene where Peter Fonda throws off his watch, the simultaneous horseshoeing and motorcycle tire-fixing, the "Wyatt" and "Billy" cowboy stuff, etc. The "Making Of" documentary reveals that the guys thought they were packing the film with a lot of other symbolism as well, none of it very well done: the cemetary statue that Peter Fonda talks to is supposed to represent the Statue of Liberty; when the plastic tube full of drug money is being shoved inside Peter Fonda's Stars and Stripes gas tank, that's supposed to represent money screwing America; and so on.
When the guys producing/directing a film have no real focus, are making it up as they go along, have no self-editing abilities to begin with, then aggravate that problem by staying stoned all the time, it's expecting too much for there to be a coherent end product. What is the message of this movie anyway? There's probably a little morality tale in there somewhere, something along the lines of "freedom is good, prejudice is bad", but to read much more than that into it is to wander into a thicket of half-constructed themes that aren't very well thought out or presented.
So, don't take it too seriously. It's definitely better than the rest of the biker films of the era, because it doesn't rely on the scandalous antics of depraved Hell's Angels-types.
2 Are we to accept this on blind faith?
I can't help, but ask that question. I really wasn't that impressed with this movie. I feel that it really didn't explain what the 60's were all about. I feel that what it did was tell everyone "Party, and you'll be alright." It just didn't gel together enough for me as I feel that the 60's may have been just a complete waste of time. I know one scene that really gripped me was when the main characters go to this hippie commune, and we see a guy who's is obviously stoned out of his mind holding a little baby who's crying, and while it makes the guy disturbed he doesn't do anything about it; Let's face it to me what the father of that baby was wanting was to have someone take that baby away from him so he can get back to the free sex, and the drugs. You see I feel that the movie would've sold me better if it was more geared towards the values the people were trying to hold to back then. I know that the decade was about equality, and world peace, and how everybody wanted them so bad, but the movie looks more on the selfish side of the hippies. With the main characters scoring alot of money from a drug buy, and the carefree style of just traveling along the country without a care in the world. The only character I feel was worth something was played by Jack Nicholson. A lawyer who seemed so dissilousioned with the way things were that he joins Hopper and Fonda for awhile on the trip. I know that during this decade everyone was wondering what's going on? Was the way our parents raised us, and the values they tried to instill in us wrong? This is understandable considering everybody was starting to think more broader. I can't say if it was because of the drugs, or not that caused everyone to start challenging the values of thier parents, but that's where the movie should've been centered. I just can't help, but feel that Fonda's character was right "We Blew It." I know that's what happened with this movie here. A somewhat decent soundtrack, but it's not the masterpiece that everyone feels that it is. I know that this is tough stuff, but I've kept silent about it for 16 years, and it was time to release my feelings on this movie. I feel that it revealed to me that this hippie culture is one of self-indulgence, and escaping responsibilities. It's not about peace, or love. Now there is no resolution as the former hippies have gone on to represent the people they hated, and they've developed a callous attitude that the people they hated had, so what are we to believe? Are we to accept this on blind faith? Well some people may say yes as once again the movie left me feeling with one of the songs from the Blind Faith album "Do What You Like".
3 A Work of Creative Genius
Easy Rider is not merely a modern-day cowboy film that sheds light on the countercultural changes that were occurring in the late sixties; it is a great work of art that asks some important questions about the human condition itself and as such contains universality of theme. And it does this by utilizing the various techniques of cinema in a highly innovative and expert fashion.
The outlaws are named Wyatt (Captain America) and Billy (The Kid)and they hark back to the days of the wild west when our country was built, upon the ideals of freedom and individuality--ideas that are dealt with creatively and expertly by the directors, writers and actors of this remarkable film.
The changes of the 1960s are cinematically drawn up in this film by writers Hopper, Southern and Fonda, by world-class director of photography Lazlo Kovaks and creatively directed by Hopper, who also plays the outlaw longhair Billy.
To say creatively directed is actually an understatement: the fact is, Easy Rider was the first known film to go beyond Method acting (and directing) and to create in its place a more highly evolved, naturalistic form of directing and acting--Hopper actually directed and "wrote" scenes between his character and Fonda's while the camera was already rolling--such as the initial campfire scene when he, the director, attempts to draw out the actor Fonda, while all the time remaining in his character (Billy.)In another campfire scene with the stranger-on-the highway, director Dennis Hopper works to move the dialogue in that scene along while also remaining in his own character; the utilization of ad-lib (like improvisation in theater)was extraordinarily fresh and it worked amazingly well. As a result of Hopper's success as a directer trying new methods (which was what the sixties was partly about, as well as looking to traditional cultures for enlightenment, as beautifully expressed for instance in the scene with the rancher (Warren Finnerty and Tito Colorado)a cinematic door was opened for later filmmakers to try using more ad-lib and other improvisational methods of directing actors.
Easy Rider was made during a time of great social, political and cultural upheaval, during a brief stage that revived some of the ideals of the pre-revolutionary French Englightenment.
Every anthropologist knows that Every culture has its own rituals, its sacraments, its holy ceremonies and so on. During the late sixties especially, young people began exploring some of the traditional cultures' medicines and rituals and made them their own, in a sense, or at least adapted some of them.
That is why the turning-on of the ACLU lawyer (Jack Nicholson)by the biker-cowboys Wyatt and Billy was absolutely necessary.
The gift (that is understood to be LSD) that the stranger solemnly gives the two as a sacred substance when they part ways at the commune is another aspect of that theme.
Some of the questions raised by Hopper, Fonda, Southern (and Nicholson) probably will not be answered by anyone for a long, long time, but the important thing is that they were asked. I highly recommend this film for anyone interested in the history of cinema and aesthetics, the evolution of film directing/acting, the sixties, American history and universal themes of freedom and individuality VS License or licentiousness and what it means to be a successful human being in society that has yet to evolve into one that is truly livable for human beings, fellow creatures and nature itself.
The DVD I own has an excellent voice-over narration option by director Dennis Hopper, who does an incredible job of explaining what Easy Rider is about and how it was made. In this piece Hopper describes the art films he was influenced by as well as the cultural and political setting in which he came of age, and so on. Another special feature has some passages by photography directer Kovaks that are unusually moving, as well as much much more. Suffice it to say that this is a wonderful film, a work of fine art and vitally important as a piece of history that should be in everyone's personal film library along with Bunuel's Un Chien Andalou, Antonioni's La Avventura, Bergman's Wild Strawberry's, Fellini's 81/2 and Truffaut's 400 Blows.
4 The Search for Themselves and This Country
_Easy Rider_ is, of course, one of the most important pioneer independent films of the 1960s film movement. It is the classic biker flick: two guys traveling across the Southwest United States searching for themselves and this country. Thus, I have a hesitant recommendation. Few other films that I have seen capture this time period with such accuracy, vision, and emotional power. However, if you're not into "road trip" movies of the 1960s and 1970s, you might be bored by the film's spontaneous dialogue and long visual riding sequences set to great music.
This film reminded me, in many ways, of the movie _Vanishing Point_, most likely because that film came out two years after _Easy Rider_. Both depict a lost generation, endlessly searching for something that isn't there, only to be sacrificed for their journey. The acting in this film is terrific and the meaninglessness of the film's ending is heartbreaking for those audience members who desperately seek to find the same thing that these two free spirits are searching for.
I found the "Making of" featurette on this DVD edition to be very informative and really well done. In fact, it is one of the better featurettes I have seen. Hopper and Fonda (among others) take us behind the scenes into the magical making of this film and how it all just seemed to flow naturally, largely unscripted. A word to the wise: you might want to check out the 35th anniversary edition. While I have heard that the quality of the DVD is not improved, there is a soundtrack CD and a nice booklet for any true fan of the film. Otherwise, you'll do just fine with this cheaper version.
5 Just How Meaningful is This Old Hippie Biker Film?
Suddama cuddama boodama buddama. Heerga schmeerga une dish kadoon. Heer deer deer une deer deer une bork, bork, bork. And while we're at it, eep opp ork ah ah. Did I make myself clear? I hate this boring film. One star for the great soundtrack, and nothing else.
6 This IS and ALWAYS WILL BE a good country (not was)
This is another work of liberal propoganda from the sixtys
designed to encourage children to turn on their country,
drop out and use drugs.
The story (if you can call it that) has two drug dealers riding
motorcycles across the american west. They are smuggling drugs
the whole way. Its less a movie than a music video because
nobody in the film can really act. Endless motocycle panoramas
set to music followed by a seemingly endless trip-out scene
where our boys play around in a graveyard with whores and
mock the idea of religion.
The film is full of the liberal paranoid view of America. That
Americans who work, have families, have jobs, are clean and
don't do drugs sit around all day plotting how to kill everyone
else. Its always news to them, but real Americans are far too
busy working and living their lives to care much about what
a bunch of deadbeats are up to.
Peter Fonda spends the whole film in love with himself. I can
imagine after every take him pulling out a mirror and grooming
himself. The other guy (Hopper) is a dirtball. He must have
been out of it nearly the whole time because they go out of their
way to reduce his lines down to nothing. Nicholson is the only
person in the movie who can half-way act, and at best he gives
a B-grade supporing character actor performance.
And by hippie-liberal logic, since Nicolson is the only actor
here, he gets the least screen time and gets killed off real
quick. As is always the case under socialism, the punishment
for showing that your better than other people is severe.
At the end of the film, our druggie heros get shot to death
out on the road by regular america for no reason. The day
before they get shot, Fonda tells the dirty guy "we blew it"
forshadowing that they were going to be punished and killed.
By liberal logic, Hopper and Fonda blew it (and brought death
on themselves) because as noble as liberals consider drug
smuggling, it also could be considered work. Work for
these kind of guys is the ultimate crime against nature.
This film and its two dirtballs turn the concept of freedom
around. Freedom was never about freedom from work or freedom
to use lots of drugs. Freedom is about opportunity, not
being a parasite.
7 Easy Rider.
This movie may not appeal to everyone, but it definitely lives up to the title. It doesnt reach out and grab you and force you to pay attention, but it's not boring either. It is pretty relaxing to watch. There really isn't much of a story, but overall, the movie is interesting.
8 OVERRATED!
Can somebody please explain to me how this awful movie became one of the signature movies of a generation? Did this movie come out during a lull in full-length film productions? Were there no other movies that had a decent story or camera work? The cameraman appears to have seveal seizures during the filming, and apparently, Dennis Hopper was too strung out on coke to realize this during the editing process. Also there appears to be a huge gap in the plot line--a lack of decent ideas and dialogue that doesn't make me laugh at it's pathetic attempt to be hip and/or serious. There are only two things good about this movie: the soundtrack and the fact that this movie propelled Jack Nickolson's career. Other than that, this movie should be burnt, or at least end up like the main characters do.
Hippie Pete
9 The Death of The '60s
The Plot: Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda are two drug dealers from L.A. who get rich selling coke to Phil Spector(imagine that...). They celebrate by hitting the road on their choppers towards Mardi Gras. Among many of the kind Americans they run into along the way is the one and only Jack Nicholson, an alcoholic ACLU attorney who helps them out of jail. In return, they decide to take him to New Orleans with them and get him stoned in the process (the funniest scene in the movie--Nicholson offers an inspiring monologue concerning extraterrestrial intelligence). Enduring harassment and abuse from the rural locals, they arrive at Mardi Gras. Tony Basil(!) is one of the hookers they drop acid with in the graveyard (an unsettling psychedelic sequence only surpassed by the climax of "2001: A Space Odyssey"). Sounds great, doesn't it? It is. Despite its flaws and shortcomings, this is an American classic not to be missed.
Any fan of independent films will adore this movie (check out "Midnight Cowboy", too, if you like this one). The acting is amateurish but the script is inspired, and the cinematography and soundtrack are terrific.
This movie is a symbolic snuff film, and the American Dream is the victim in the spotlight. It foreshadows the paranoia and hostility that would later precipitate the War On Drugs and, now, the War On Terror. Ironically, the alcoholic lawyer played by Jack Nicholson is the only person that has a clear and sober idea of what is going on, and he is quickly silenced by the barbaric locals. The two main characters themselves have a vague idea of it, but are too caught up in their own hedonism to see it clearly. Near the end of the film, Peter Fonda grimly concludes: "We blew it." Ouch--the truth hurts; I wasn't even alive in the '60s and I'm still feeling it today.
10 This used to be a helluva good country.
I was utterly surprised by this film. I was expecting nothing more than some short scenes of our now-infamous actors smoking marijuana followed by trippy Willy Wonka scenes . Oddly, this did occur, but this film was much more than that. This film should be shown in every American History class in the United States. It not only showed the beauty of the country of which we reside, but it also spoke about the people that reside in it. You know the old saying, "Guns don`t kill people, people kill people", well after watching this film, it is a very true statement. We are afraid of what is different. We are a culture that is afraid of change, yet seek it so badly. We are a society of hypocrites, androids, and ignorants. We thrive on the fact that we are the best country in the world, yet somebody shows any disassociation of routine, we are the first to question and get angry. I would dare say that we have moved so far from the 60s that I cannot see why our parents do not cry everyday. Their generations was a free-spirited, mind challenging culture that explored all possibilities no matter the cost. The experience was all they needed as a reward. Now, we are more concerned about money and the family-plan that we sometimes place ourselves on the backburner to life. Wake, eat, and pay the bills. What a sad daily structure that we have. When was the last time you considered the possibility of just jumping on your bike and riding until you hit water? Probably not for a long time ... why? It is called "bills" and "responsibilities". These are the choices that we chose to make, and for anyone to say that they cannot do it, I would have to challenge. You CAN do anything, it is whether you chose to do it is another question. I wonder what it will be like in another 30 years. Where will we be, and will the idea of individualism be lost? I can't wait to see ...
Outside of the deeply rooted themes of this film, I felt that Hopper (who also directed) knew exactly what he was doing behind the camera. He kept the talking short, the music loud and symbolic, and allowed the background to do the explaining. I loved the fact that we really knew nothing about Fonda or Hopper's characters. It allowed us to relate to them. You could easily add your story into their characters and have the life that you lead and wish to escape. Hopper was able to transform this film from a drug movie to a film about humanity. Fonda, who also helped write the film with Hopper, did a superb job of adding Nicholson's character into the mix.
Nicholson represented us, the American public and our love of liquor, football, and lies. I viewed Nicholson as the average American. He drank too much, was the product of a wealthy upbringing, but did not know much about the world. He was sheltered. He never smoked weed (in fact didn't even know what it was when presented to him), never left the state line, and never lived life. He constantly used the expression, "I have always wanted to ...". How many times do you hear this a day from either a family member or a co-worker? If you always wanted to do it, why haven't you? So, here we have Hanson, dreaming a dream but never following through, who is traveling with two guys that live the ultimate life and live by their own rules. They are complete opposites, but Hanson's words seemed to remain in my mind for a long time. He reminded me of one of my wife's students today that spoke about freedom. He knew exactly what it was, but never practiced it. Hopper and Fonda were walking (driving most of the time) representations of the word "freedom". It is tragic what happens to Harmon, because he (unfortunately) experienced the negative side of freedom ... hatred and fear of the unknown.
There was one scene that just jumped out at me. It occurs in the diner before the incident later that night where our travelers experience hatred in the country they admire so much. They go from peace and love to fear and hate. It is as if they witnessed night and day. It was frightening to hear the words coming from people in that restaurant. It was not only scary to wonder what was going to happen to our narrators, but mainly that people were speaking that way to fellow citizens. I know that it still occurs today, and it is surprising to me. We bomb a country because they do not follow the same principles that we do, but we need to start asking ourselves this question ... do we need another United States?
Grade: ***** out of *****
11 Is This Film Still Relevant?
I can recall the first time I saw this film. Since I was only 6 years old in 1969 I didn't see it on it's original theatrical release. I saw it on commercial television circa 1980 in the days before video stores and cable TV. The movie was slotted in a two hour block and they started the film at the "Born to be Wild" opening credits segment. When I saw it on video a few years later I was shocked that Fonda and Hopper made a drug deal prior to their trek to Mardi Gras. There were other excisions, usually relating to drug use. Why is this an important film? Our heroes(?) aren't exactly noble individuals. There is no real discernible plot. The direction is haphazard at best(legend has it that director Dennis Hopper was probably stoned to the gills while making this film). Well, this holds up as a picture of America at a time when social mores were changing. The cinematography is beautiful. Most impotantly, this film heralded the entrance of a new force in films, Jack Nicholson. When Jack comes into the picture as the alcoholic ACLU lawyer the screen just lights up and maintains this aura in every scene he's in. The scene where he smokes pot and explains the Venutian plot is classic. The energy of this film deflates once he departs from the film. I wonder though what relevance this picture has to a more youthful audience whose reference point to Jack is "The Joker". To a younger audience Vietnam and the civil rights movement are things that may or may not have been taught in civics class. I recommend watching this DVD (If you've seen it before) with Hopper's commentary on because it's a good one. And the documentary on the disc isn't bad either.
12 The End of a Decade
Easy Rider is definitely a movie for its period. There's no doubt that the film was a free-wheeling, pot-smoking, and other illicit drug type of movie that reflects the period that was - the counter-culture, anti-Vietnam War, and anti-establishment 1960s that came from the age of baby boomers. Peter Fonda's "everything goes" production was effective in producing a spontaneous film that has allowed continued analysis by scholars and anyone interested in the tumultuous period that was.
The behind the scene commentary was interesting and insightful. Both Dennis Hopper and Fonda offered much discussion about the making of the film that reveals how difficult and how real the actors experienced what was happening in the southern part of the United States during the late '60s, which was much more intense -- bigotry and animosity towards the hippie or "long-haired" culture.
The cinematography was excellent. The road scenes were just gorgeous, and the motorcycle drive through New Mexico was quite impressive. The most chilling scene was the ending with the panning out of the camera that gave a somewhat dark feeling that might depict a scene from war torn Vietnam. Or maybe a false sense of hope of a generation that fought for freedom.
Besides the film's look, one cannot forget the soundtrack of the movie. It included a diverse selection of artists, and who can forget the Steppenwolf's overplayed Born To Be Wild, which opens the movie? Other than that, music of The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan captured the film.
The is a film that has survived the times and should be viewed.
13 The best portrait of a hopeless generation!
Dennis Hopper made a cathartic movie. I 've always recognized his talent as actor and film maker . He's an outsider artist , in all the sense of the expression.
This picture, is reflect of his own character. The tale about two renegades , every one of them trying of seeking his destiny, decide to make a journey (the mythical approach) to New Orleans Mardi Grass (evasion once more) , in his powerful motocycles .
This journey will allow Hopper to express the alienated existence of these guys and the people who surrounds in every point they decide to rest. The violence is free ; and you watch in the visual language of the people who simply don't accept their way of living , the way they dress ; they establish a spiritual rapport with that hippie community in the middle of the road, where the psichodelia images suggest you what's going on.
This film was a low budget . 394.000 bucks , but the script depicted as any other american film of its age the sense of going to nowhere abaout a generation tired of waiting for a change.
The increase dark shadows will cover the landscape and will carry to that magnificent and poetic ending.
I still have the original vynil soundtrack of this picture. If six was nine of Hendrix, Born to be wild and the Pusher of Steppenwolf , or the weight were emblemeatic songs of its age which reflected wise and sincerely , the expecatations of a generation just in the year in which the man reached a superb scientific and technological triumph in Jul 29 1969 .
In a certain way this outlaw couple behaves in similar terms that Butch Cassidy (Western) , Scarecrow (existential mood city) , Midnight cowboy (outsiders in New York).
May be the film age a bit but its descriptive script from its release became in a cult movie.!
14 Still an Important Film
Every reviewer who has commented on the dated-ness of this film is accurate. However, just because the film cannot be enjoyed in its original context does not mean that it cannot be enjoyed in another -- especially by people who did not live during or do not remember the late '60s. There are different battles to be fought, but the film is still pertinent in this current era of engaging the amorphous "war on terror" and its subsequent erosion of our civil rights, and the continued corporatization of America. Everybody who said that this film doesn't really have a plot is also accurate, but so what? The point isn't to give the viewer a story with a bunch of twists and turns, but to simply show the lives of two cultural rebels (who probably seem quite tame by contemporary standards) as they trek across the southwest to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. The cinematography is excellent, especially considering the age of the film and its budget. The acting is really good and Jack Nicholson gives one of the best performances of his long career. He would have completely stolen the show had his character's screen-time not been cut short.
Here's why the film is still important: despite there no longer being a widespread, vicious divide in the nation between people like Fonda and Hopper and mainstream America, the themes of the film (freedom, freedom of expression, and how some are more free than others) remain totally relevant and Fonda and Hopper's characters can be seen as even more iconic than they were in 1969, because now that they don't actually represent you or me (as they could in 1969) they achieve larger-than-life status.
The scenes at the commune may elicit confusion or even a giggle from younger members a contemporary audience, but hopefully these people will look a bit deeper than the long hair and the funny clothes to realize that these characters represented a very real subculture in the late '60s; a movement that not only decided that the ballooning consumer culture was eroding their freedoms, but who also decided to do something about it. How many people today would be brave enough leave behind most of their possessions and live off the land, to protect the values they hold dear? Virtually none.
"They're gonna make it," declares Fonda about the food-strapped commune, and in 1969 it was possible for this line to be legitimately optimistic and to have enough strength and resonance to encompass the entire countercultural movement. Today, we know that they didn't make it. What did America lose by Fonda, Hopper, Nicholson and the commune not making it? That is for the viewer to decide, and that is why the film remains very important. In its day, the tragedy that befalls Fonda and Hopper could have been intended as a rallying cry. Today, it is reason to pause for introspection on the larger issues: What is important to us? What has been taken away? How much have we willingly sold away? And, most importantly, what would we sacrifice to get it back?
15 Two for the road
Revolutionary in its time but appearing somewhat dated now, "Easy Rider" was the ultimate road trip: two bikers on a cross-country ride from the west coast to Mardi Gras in New Orleans after scoring big in a drug deal. Produced and directed by, and starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, and almost stolen by a then-unknown named Jack Nicholson playing a hippie lawyer, "Easy Rider" follows its two heroes across some of the most stunning scenery in the Southwest as they head towards Louisiana in search of "freedom", whatever that means. "Easy Rider" not only brings us two (or three, counting Nicholson) of society's dropouts, we also meet a community of hippies, some narrow-minded small-town lawmen, and some rednecks in Louisiana who seem to have a more-than-passing relationship to Neanderthals. We wonder if the film's perhaps unwitting message is that the search for meaningless "freedom" results in meaningless and wanton death and destruction. More than any film of its time, "Easy Rider" caught the mood of the late 1960s in America and the fear of the "establishment" for society's rebels. It may be of its own time, but its timeless rejection of mindless conformity echoes down to us.
16 Not Bad.
'Easy Rider' is a decent film about two free-willed bikers trecking across the country. This movie skyrocketed some of the actor's carrers. The ending is shocking, but the best scene is when they play 'The Weight' by The Band while cruising on the highway.
17 It Makes You Think
This movie, is exceptional. I wish I had more powerful words to describe it, but its quality goes beyond verbal description. This is easily one of the best movies ever made.
In addition to providing a great view into the late 60's counter culture movement(which EVERYONE learn about... don't so readily accept the things being fed to you about the 60's being just a bunch of hippies doing drugs and having sex...it was MUCH more than that), the movie makes you think....about freedom(Jack's piece on true freedom, and why people are afraid of it, is genuis), about hatred, about ignorance , about the way things should be...and many more things. The movie is jam packed with symbolism. it has a very powerful message... and for those that believe the movie is "dated"... well, its hardly true. This movie is timeless. Everyone should see it, at least once.
18 CLASSIC FLICK
This is one classic flick. It is very thought provoking,
interesting, enlightening, and generally fun (until the end).
I am a criminology professor, and find this movie very
appropriate as a teaching tool and as a means to stimulate
critical conversations. I am grateful to have been exposed
to this movie.
19 Born To Be Wild
"Easy Rider" is one of the best releases of 1969. Dennis Hopper starred, directed, and wrote this film. It received two Oscar nominations: Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson). This film has since been held as a history cornerstone, educating viewers the true lifestyles during the 1960's, namely the hippies. Its camera effects are brilliant, though some were accidental. Though accidental, the film's impact wouldn't be nearly as intense. Such effect places it ahead of its time remains influencial to modern-day films. The plot of two motorbikers on a mission to make a drug deal is brilliant. The people they meet and the experiences they live add a lot of originality to the film. The accuracy of the lifestyles prove the writers did their research. The acting is flawless, namely Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Jack Nicholson. This film is what deservingly placed the then-unknown Nicholson into higher fame territory. "Easy Rider" is a great movie for those looking for a great classic or a great history refresher. This is sure to continue pleasing audiences for many more years. Those looking for more should also buy the "Easy Rider" Sdtk., which contains great psychedelic rock and great "biker-pride" songs.
20 An epic road trip
What an iconic movie this one was. For viewers who weren•À?t even alive during the 60s, this incredible and unforgettable film with Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson is an important one to watch. For those of us who can remember that era all too well, it•À?s worth a trip down memory lane.
Captain America (Fonda) and his buddy (Hopper, playing a paranoid Billy) set out on long, loud, flashy motorcycles, heading across the heartland of the US. Along the way, they pick up a drunk (Nicholson) in a small town and turn him on to, well, sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
A horrifying and all-too-plausible ending is what the movie is really about.
If you•À?ve never seen it, see it now; if you saw it way back when, see it again. And notice how YOUNG these guys look. It•À?s scary.
21 "Helmut? Oh, I got a helmut..."
Easy Rider is a truly landmark film in the true sense of the meaning of the term. Produced on a very low budget and set in the late 60's it was, in my opinion, the first movie to really capture a particularly interesting moment in time. While many films sort of used the notion of the late 60's, drugs, sex, rebellion, idealism, as a means to make money, this seemed really the first film to accurately reflect a realistic image of the time period with an unflinching eye.
Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper play Wyatt, or Captain America, and Billy, two free type spirits who, after a making quite a bit of money through a sale of drugs, decide to hit the road and drive cross country to Mardi Gras. Along the way, they pick up George Hanson, a southern lawyer, played by Jack Nicholson.
While watching this movie, you may get a sense that it is sort of a western, with the western landscapes and the main characters riding 'iron' horses. This was the intention of the filmmakers, especially the director, Dennis Hopper. One of my favorite scenes was at the beginning, right before Wyatt and Billy are about to embark on their trip, Wyatt removes his watch and throws it on the ground. This symbolized a sense of throwing off the constraints of the old world and an effort to embrace true freedom, if there is such a thing.
Nicholson tends to steal the scenes he is in, and gives a particularly wonderful piece about what freedom is, and why people are so afraid of it. He sort of represented to me one who has been fed many misconceptions about the individuals and movement Wyatt and Billy represent, but once in their company, finds that much of what he has been told may not be true. A sort of individual caught between the generations.
The film is dated, but that didn't detract anything for me. The only scene I really didn't care for was when Wyatt, Billy, Mary (Toni Basil), and Karen (Karen Black) drop acid in a Louisiana cemetery and proceed to trip for an extended period of time.
Along with wonderful performances, much credit must go to the cinematographer, as the landscapes are beautiful, especially the wide shots of the western scenery. They are truly breathtaking. And the music used was exceptionally good, fitting each scene and helping to create the proper mood throughout the film.
The movie presented here looks excellent, in anamorphic wide screen, and includes a commentary by Dennis Hopper. Also included is a wonderful 'Making of' featurette called Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage which really helps to illustrate all that went into making this film. The production, at time, often reflected the turbulent times of when the film was made, and helps to give more flavor to the movie, really enhancing the overall effect. All in all, Easy Rider is a wonderful slice of outsider Hollywood that captured the true essence of an exceptionally turbulent time in America.
22 Freedom
It is as simple as this. There's nothing, really, to "get". This movie is about freedom and peace. It's about how the tyranny of the "Status Quo" stifles the spirit of man, and with bleak outcome, illustrates how this wreckless hatred of difference, and unacceptance of our fellows, ends in destruction of peace. Those with baseless pride, always quick to judge and condemn, are the real villains, despite the protagonists' lawlessness, they bring no harm to anyone, which is in stark contrast to the majority of those they encounter.
I keep reading reviews on how many "sided with the rednecks". All I can say is that if you find yourself doing just that, then you really must delve further into the nature of freedom. *REAL* freedom.
That is the essense of this film. It is the one word of description to label it and define it. The protagonists' are on a quest to discover what it is to be free, whilst indulging in it. The realisation of the farmer's existence is an example of where they see how freedom is manifest in different forms. Despite the choice of the expression, the farmer and the (anti)heroes share a similar viewpoint on life.
This may very well be the most patriotic film ever made. It is a shame that so many can't look past the surface to see that fact.
23 Outstanding ! The Road Movie that you will never forget !
How to make a movie with almost no money ? Watch Easy Rider ! It's a terrific journey ! The story is simple but the actors (if they really are ;) are really fantastic. The Nicholson performance is unforgettable. EASY RIDER is a CULT movie and it still explains very well how the US society was in the 70's. Try to get the 30th anniversary remastered version including a very funny retrospective documentary to better understand the whole concept of Easy Rider.A once in a life !
24 "This used to be a helluva good country."
A film reel of Dennis Hopper's "Easy Rider" should be in every time capsule buried in 1969. You would be hard pressed to find another film made during the Sixties that so vividly captured the essence, lingo, spirit, and rebellion of that era's counterculture. Every viewing of this film is a voyage in a time machine back to a time when society was undergoing a significant cultural transformation. However, that is part of the problem with "Easy Rider." Due to the fact that it so effectively captures a moment in time, it feels tremendously dated when looked at in the present.
After Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) make a drug sell in Los Angeles, they head toward New Orleans. They stop at a commune along the way and then hook up with a lawyer named George Hanson (Jack Nicholson) after spending time in jail. Hanson decides to join the duo in their journey but is brutally killed when all three men are attacked by intolerant locals. Wyatt and Billy press on and eventually make it to Mardi Gras. However, death awaits them on the road after they leave New Orleans for Florida.
"Easy Rider" will always be an important film because its success helped make it possible for more and more independent films to be made. Yet in terms of entertainment value, "Easy Rider" no longer gets the job done. Its narrative is disjointed and lumbering and its famous psychedelic sequence has lost all of its punch. There is still something liberating about watching Fonda and Hopper thumb their nose at everything conventional but their performances are the only aspect of the film that continues to endure. Everything else about "Easy Rider" just feels old. Time simply has not been kind to it.
25 Easy Rider
By the mid-60s, the traditional movie audience had changed from a middle-aged, high school-educated, middle-to lower-class viewing group to a younger, college-educated, more affluent, middle-class audience. This is the movie that revolutionized and redirected the industry by proving that phenomenal returns could be made from a modest investment, if it appealed to its new audience, as well as launching an interest in producing youth-cult pictures. At a glance, Easy Rider appears to be and has the charm of a cheaply made underground flick seeking to exploit the iridescent youth movement. Well it was cheaply made, as far as money goes, costing a meek $350,000, but it returned $60 million worldwide. It was the first independent film to be distributed by a major company, Columbia, and it remains one of the most vital additions to film history because it best articulated the angst and energies of this alienated mass we call the counter-culture.
Directed by Dennis Hopper, produced by Peter Fonda, and starring both as two shaggy haired, reefer-reveling vagabonds inhaling the southwestern countryside atop their motorcycles, an excursion financed by an earlier cocaine deal, the movie is fueled by a caustic, equally rebellious soundtrack. Indeed, the first half hour seems more like a continuous rock video, commenced by the ultimate road song, Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild. They leave L.A., headed for Mardi Gras, and pass through various towns, a hippie commune, and the boundless, sun drenched American landscape, but also through areas where local residents are increasingly narrow-minded and hateful of their longhaired freedom and use of drugs. Watch as Fonda casts away his wristwatch in the beginning, a symbol of an inner escape from the constraints and complexities of modern living. The title also points to our anti-heroes' rootless natures, who's capricious decision to discover their world directs them to the road's infinite freedom.
There's an interesting distinction to be made between Fonda's and Hopper's characters. Fonda plays the cool and introspective "Captain America" Wyatt astraddle a gleaming, low-riding bike with a 'stars-and-stripes' tear-drop gas tank, clad in tight leather pants and a black leather jacket with an American flag emblazoned on the back. Fonda said he actually soaked in a tub while wearing these pants, striding around in them afterwards until they had dried to give them the worn appearance. Hopper is the mustached, longhaired Billy, with a tan-colored bush hat, fringed buckskin jacket, and an Indian necklace of animals' teeth. Their names refer, of course, to the Western legends of Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid, and this is indicative of their personalities. Wyatt is quiet, more mature, and content with any surrounding; the jive-spouting Billy is restless and easily irritated. It's easy to imagine these drifters instead as idealistic gunslingers trotting across the immortal, sun-dried West, seeking out the untarnished American Dream in a corrupt, conformist environment. A quote from the coarsely brilliant George Carlin comes to mind, who wrote "The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it." As our exploration of the great civilization deepens into the bowels of the bigoted paranoia of the South, this becomes increasingly manifest.
Relish also Jack Nicholson in the performance that made him a star. After a decade or so of anonymity, he was contemplating giving acting up - lucky for him, and us, he did not. Playing the part of the jovial, rustic, and alcoholic lawyer, George Hanson, a part originally intended for Rip Torn, our hippie friends discover him in a jail after a night of obvious, though unstated, inebriation. He joins Wyatt and Billy on their quest and is bludgeoned to death one night as they camp in a forest on the outskirts of a terribly prejudiced, volatile Southern town. Think about what this represents: George, while he shares their longing for escape, is the least like Wyatt and Billy - he doesn't dress like them, doesn't speak their lingo, and doesn't have a shaggy mane. Even his addiction to alcohol seems to separate him even further from this equation - grass was a substance whose popularity belonged to the youth; alcohol was a more ancient addiction. So in him, we have a combination of both liberal and conservative values, in whose death the distinction between those dedicated to the rebellion (Wyatt and Billy) and those who're only innocent concomitants (George) diminishes. The locals are sort of killing a native son. Pay attention to what George tells Billy in campfire palaver:
"They're scared of what you represent to 'em (freedom)... But talkin' about it and bein' it - that's two different things. I mean, it's real hard to be free when you are bought and sold in the marketplace. 'Course, don't ever tell anybody that they're not free 'cause then they're gonna get real busy killin' and maimin' to prove to you that they are. Oh yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom, but they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em."
Really, a fascinating picture. Once you get through Hopper's esoteric directorial methods and the rambling, improvisational nature of the script, I think its greater message will truly affect your viscera.
26 Uneven icon, but worth the trip.
This is an enormously famous movie, one that has achieved iconic status. That means it's great, right? Well, not necessarily. It's an incredibly amateurish and uneven flick, with gaping holes in the plot, in the dialog, in the editing. The performances are (quite literally) stoned and dazed. But in this birds nest of oddness there are enough true gems to put it firmly in the forefront of classic cinema. These are the scenes we've all seen before: the famous "This used to be a hell of a good country" scene at the campfire comes to mind. That soliloquy alone is worth the price of the DVD. I think it all boils down to the fact that there is basically nothing worth getting too sentimental about from this time period. The crazy crack pot adolescence of the American nation doesn't bear too much scrutiny or it becomes painfully obvious that if you weren't stoned, you didn't get it, and you won't get it now. In other words, you have to believe it to see it. I do believe some of it, sometimes, and this movie helps me glimpse that small part. But it also shows me how painfully vaccuous and dreary and empty and pointless so much of the youth counterculture truly was.
Any way, good flick, and it rings with an historical authenticity that is almost unequaled. Its great contribution is that it was made at the peak of the era, and commented on that era very eloquently. Usually the good commentary doesn't come along for many years, but Easy Rider pretty much hits the nail on the head. Plus the bikes are great.
I highly recommend a very similar film called "Vanishing Point", which is a better film, and another dose of very authentic and high-proof 60's/70's nihilism. It ends just as happily, too.
27 The Heroes Of A Generation
The characters portrayed in this great film represent the very epitome of the 1960s baby-boomer mindset, along with the spirit of the masses who used the Vietnam War as an excuse to be bums. The progeny of the folks who won World War II, these young boomer-drifters were aimless and lazy; the film opens with two of these bums equipping themselves with money via an illegal heroin deal (trashing, no doubt, the lives of the drug users and their families, not to mention the folks they had to rip off in order to fund their addictions). We then watch this pair, one a sedated pot-head and the other a lunatic pot-head, drift toward New Orleans for a big drunk party, picking up along the way another equally purposeless bum (the great Jack, in a stunning role!). The plot plays out in an appropriate fashion for people who live their lives in this repulsive manner.
This is a great film, don't miss it. It's the anthem of a generation, the once-bums who are now approaching retirement, preparing to drain the life out of Social Security. Always bumming off somebody else, these dudes.
28 Oh, I've got a helmet.
Easy Rider is not a movie for the masses. It can seem to be sluggish, and it can seem to be pointless. It might not have much of a plot - on paper - two guys buy and sell drugs to get rich and retire, essentially.
However, I believe the movie captures a time and attitude in America that for better or worse, is gone - the last of the hippie/counter-culture era.
Made for a low budget of 350,000-400,000 bucks, it nevertheless has some big names - the two leads, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, plus Jack Nicholson in a best-supporting-actor Oscar-nominated role, and Karen Black, Robert Walker and Luke Askew. Opposing the big names are the local talent of rednecks, sherriffs and hicks, all convincing in their parts.
Besides Nicholson's oscar nomination, the screenplay (by Fonda, Hopper and Terry Southern) was also nominated. A large portion of dialogue and action is improvised, and most of the cast and crew is stoned much of the time. Directed by Hopper, the movie does feature some unusual edits and cuts.
The soundtrack features Steppenwolf, Bob Dylan covers, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix and others.
If you are Jack Nicholson fan, you must see this movie.
"Yee-ahhh. Nih-nih-nih. Feh-feh-feh. Indians."
There is much scenic countryside shown throughout the movie, but the last shot from the helicopter is amazing for both its beauty and its ugliness.
The DVD has an excellent recent cast-comment feature with Hopper, Fonda, Askew, and some crew. The full-length commentary by Hopper is rather sparse, however.
I give it a solid 4 stars.
29 Landmark of American Cinema
An uncomplicated film for complicated times; Easy Rider is the road movie to end all road movies. The plot is simple enough, 2 hippies (Fonda and Hopper) make one big score dealing cocaine, buy 2 fat hogs and saddle up to ride down to Mardi Gras. Well, along the way the boys encounter friends and enemies (mostly the latter) until they end up in jail for parading without a permit! Enter Nicholson...Jack plays a drunk ACLU lawyer named George who comes from a priviledged background. But, he can relate to these longhairs and in fact has more than a little in common with their world view. I don't want to give away any more of the plot as you must watch to be shocked, but let's just say it doesn't end pretty. Peter Fonda's Captain America character is a pure optimist and the embodiment of what America used to be. He is accepting, caring and fiercely original. Fonda turns in a strong understated performance. Hopper's character is more of the stereotypical hippie, complete with paranoid rants and goofy behavior. He's definitely not the straight man here and his performance is too over the top. Nicholson steals the show even for the brief amount of time he's actually in the film...a truly great performance. Easy Rider shares a commonality with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in fact the two plots are basically interchangable: 2 friends set out in search of America and couldn't find it anywhere. There are a few problem's like the acid trip scene which is ridiculously overdone and the ending which paints an overly pessimistic America to come. But, in the end there's no denying the simple genius here. The landscapes are breathtaking and so is the soundtrack (The Band, Grateful Dead, Hendrix, etc.). This is one trip you must take. Highly Recommended.
30 Gives navel gazing a bad name
Something of a dubious milestone. When it first came out it was hailed as a classic and groundbreaking cinema and it was just as much required viewing as "2001". Over the years it has come to be considered as the spearhead of "form without content" cinema. Having seen it again since it's initial release, it is something of an embarassment and little more than a misguided curio and observation of a social movement as seen from a comfortable disengagued distance (no matter what people say about Corman, he was still in the business of selling tickets and this was just as much exploitation as "Riot On Sunset Strip" was a year or two earlier). Not just for the false notes it hits and stereotypes it depicts, it revels in its own smugness and conceit making, at least for this ageing hippy, a very uncomfortable experience. Sadly, this movie will be judged by many as "the way it was" and it will become something of a reference point for viewers and film makers who were not alive during this period to point to as a touchstone of accuracy. The hippie movement becomes pigeon-holed much the same way people viewed surfing in the 60's from the standpoint of "Beach Blanket Bingo". To use a well worn cliche` "it ain't necessarily so".
31 A Fairly Entertaining Relic
EASY RIDER is a fairly entertaining relic from the counterculture of the sixties. The fingerprints of Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper are all over it. Fonda is the producer and Hopper is the director. In addition, the screenplay is the result of the collaboration of Terry Southern with both of them.
The story is about two free spirits (Fonda and Hopper) on a motorcycle trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans. Along the way they hook up with a drunk (Jack Nicholson) whose performance provides some of the most memorable scenes in the movie.
The main competition for awards in 1969 came from MIDNIGHT COWBOY, TRUE GRIT and THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE. In spite of the tough field, EASY RIDER was still able to win nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson), Original Story and Screenplay.
32 A classic but it doesn't hold up over time..
As good as Easy Rider is, it is not the type of movie that is going to pull in younger crowds.. The message of peacefulness and community with its underlying criticism of those who take this concept to brain-dead stages is one that stands the test of time.
Unfortunately, the mechanics of the movie itself simply do not. Nicholson, Hopper and Fonda all give great performances. However, this movie is always going to appeal more to the peace and flower power crowd than the [chemical] genre crowd.. For the latter, this movie simply cannot compete with Trainspotting, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, etc..
33 painfully hilarious 60's drivel
I watched this the second time in film class in 1970 with a professor who claimed to have watched it 40+ times, teasing out the deeper nuances. That seemed excessive even given the zeitgeist of the times. Watching it once would be excessive now but for the insight it gives into the completely vacuous values of the 60's. Some aspects of the 60's have held up well (Jimi Hendrix still sounds great), but this movie isn't one of them. If you can listen to Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper babble with the other stoners on the commune about doing your own thing in your own time without bursting out laughing, you need more drugs. I would give this one star but for the fact that the music is pretty good, it helped launch Jack Nicholson, and Fonda has gone on to do some very good movies and Hopper some great ones.
34 Dediticated to a Generation of Dreamers...
This review refers to the Widescreen VHS edition....
"Easy Rider" is more than just a great film. It's an experience! Dennis Hopper who directed and co-wrote(with Peter Fonda and Terry Southern)preserved for us on film this time in history that has had a lasting cultural effect. His unique style of directing lets the viewer not just watch but experience the story from the free wheeling begining, to the drug trips(don't worry, you won't have any flashbacks), to the devastating end.
The story takes place in the late 60's, during a time of radical cultural changes. Fonda and Hopper are motorcyclists, "long hairs", who having just scored big in the sale of drugs,are searching to be free from the everyday hang-ups of life. They are headed from Los Angeles to New Orleans, trying to make it to Mardi-Gras.Along the way they are met with the varied attitudes and life styles of those they encounter. Some just accept them for who they are, others openly show their hostility at what is different and unknown.They are also joined by (in his breakthrough performance) the inimitable Jack Nicholson, who made me smile from the first frame he was in, all the way through. Jack plays an alchoholic lawyer who's looking for a little change in his life and joins the boys on their road trip.
So "trip" down memory lane, or experience this important film for the first time, to one of the greatest soundtracks put to film. The music includes Steppenwolf, The Birds, The Band, and The Jimmi Hendrix Experience.
The film was nominated for Best Screenplay(1969), Fonda, Hopper and Nicholson show us way back then why they were all destined to become the stars they are today. Also look for Karen Black as a New Orleans prostitute. It was brillantly filmed and this widescreen edition brings every inch of scenery to you. It's a film well worth viewing and owning.
"They only wanted to be free..." Laurie
35 Stinks!
The only way this could possibly get a good review is if you smoked pot while watching!
36 real
this is the most real movie about hippidom (is that a word?) you will ever see. yea, it has great scenery, great tunes, and an interesting plot, but the reason the movie is so great is that everything is so REAL! every time they smoke up, its real weed. even alot of the actors were pulled off the street. there were no sets, they shot as they travelled. i dont see how people can enjoy movies like "half baked" and yet havent even heard of this one. it was just a few stoner hippie film makers with a limited budget who put this on, not big budget hollywood with their fancy special effects that work against realism in films. and the persecution of these men who just wanted to be free reveals alot about human nature
i dont think there was ever a better film or even book made about the 60's counterculture
a work of art
37 The ultimate male fantasy flick -- to just take off...
Easy Rider resonated with film-goers, especially those of us of the male gender, when it was released because it tells the tale of man's secret desire to just chuck it all and take off and BE FREE. Those of us who grew up in the late '60s are aware of Henry David Thoreau's comment that, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Well, Captain America (whose real name in the movie was Wyatt) and Billy didn't. They did it their way. Yeah, they ultimately paid the ultimate price (I assume everyone knows how it ends by NOW...), but man, oh, man did they have fun along the way. Jack Nicholson's role made him a star after he'd struggled through minor roles in movies like "Angels Die Hard" and "Mister Roberts" (or was it "Ensign Pulver"?). The big debate among those of us back in the day was, should they have stayed at the commune or should they have moved on? I always voted for moving on and then returning to the commune. (Yeah, OK, some aspects of this movie are very, very dated...) And the other was, who did WE want to be, the cool Captain America or the antic, frantic Billy (the Kid...). (If you didn't catch it early, get the names: Wyatt (Earp) and Billy (the Kid)... Yeah, it's a cliche, but it was fun anyway.) The DVD is good, but I sure hope someday that a better print makes it to DVD. This one now is about an 8 out of 10, and I'm sure there has to be a crystal clear print SOMEWHERE. But that misgiving aside, the music's fun, especially for younger viewers who've never heard "Don't Bogart Me" and the movie's a classic. I have seen it a hundred times and I'll probably see it another hundred times -- every time I get tired of when I'm tired of being part of the mass of men living lives of quiet desperation.
38 Greatest Road Movie Ever. A True Classic
Greatest Road Movie Ever. A True Classic
Reviewer: A viewer from Minneapolis, Minnesota United States
The scenery alone is enough to send chills down your spine. Add to that the killer soundtrack and Jack Nicholson's star making (and in my opinion, his best) performance and you've got yourself one hell of a film. Easy Rider (Directed by Dennis Hopper) is the story of two hippie bikers who take a trip on their motorcycles down to the Mardi-Gras festival in New Orleans. Along the way they stopped at a hippie commune, end up in a parade, and spend the night in jail before finally making it to Mardi-Gras. Where they proceed to have themselves a good old time ...
The big three things that make this movie special are the scenery (photographed to perfection, by Laslo Kovack) the music. Which just plain rocks and Jack Nicholson's performance. Nothing against Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper's performance but Nicholson steals every scene he's in. This movie is also a fasinating look at the 60's counterculture. Lots of ... great music, killer movie. Enjoy.
39 Greatest Road Movie Ever. A True Classic
The scenery alone is enough to send chills down your spine. Add to that the killer soundtrack and Jack Nicholson's star making (and in my opinion, his best) performance and you've got yourself one hell of a film. Easy Rider (Directed by Dennis Hopper) is the story of two hippie bikers who take a trip on their motorcycles down to the Mardi-Gras festival in New Orleans. Along the way they stopped at a hippie commune, end up in a parade, and spend the night in jail before finally making it to Mardi-Gras. Where they proceed to have themselves a good old time with two [women] while taking acid.
The big three things that make this movie special are the scenery (photographed to perfection, by Laslo Kovack) the music. Which just plain rocks and Jack Nicholson's performance. Nothing against Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper's performance but Nicholson steals every scene he's in. This movie is also a fasinating look at the 60's counterculture. Lots of drugs, great music, killer movie. Enjoy.
40 Wild, man!
Usually, self-indulgent films are about as entertaining as a barn of hayseed, but Easy Rider works - perfectly capturing its era. The acting is fine, and the photography is super. Dig that soundtrack. All in all, a good ride.
41 There are some things Hollywood can't think of
With a low budget and an inspired mind, Hopper and Fonda created a movie which is all raw talent, youth,and freedom. A philosophical/psychadelic script (nominated for an academy award) describes precisely a unique part of modern society with nothing on their mind, but aspiration for creating a better future. Whether they are right or wrong, the film is an interesting document about America at the time of crisis, and the wishes of man to be released from cables of time and age.
42 It Has An Audience
I did not love this movie to death but did not dislike it intently either. Sort of middle of the road. I actually like Jack Nicolson's character. Easily the least sleazy between him, Fonda, and Hopper ...
Truthfully the story line is quite annoying. The ... haze isn't really my style but I wanted to see what all the hype was about. Liked the scenery of the guys riding through America. The film sets a mood for the 60's biker ... culture and I can relate to what its trying to say.
People who grew up in the sixties or who can related to the ... counterculture will like this film. Nonetheless, I cannot agree that Easy Rider is the universal all time classic that it is reverred as by all these film societies.
43 Easy Rider will ride on forever in history.....
I had just gotten back from Viet Nam when this came out (69)... I understood it then and still love it's theme of 'freedom'... When Peter had the idea for this movie and Dennis jumped in, they were making a movie showing what was happening with the youth of the 60's that was truely great... Peter's line, toward the end, "We blew it!" showed how money and desire for material wealth ruined the movement... This is a historical movie telling of the dreams of a lot of us baby boomers... I will continue to watch this DVD, and think of how the world could be now with Peace, Love and Sharing and not following someone elses design for society... A fantastic movie made exactly as it should have been made by exactly who had to make it... Wish I was there again... ~~~Peace and Love~~~
44 Milestone Hollywood Classic - A "Trend-Setter"
This thoroughly entertaining movie about two hippies who cross the Southwest on motorcycles and meet disaster when they encounter some trigger-happy rednecks, forever set the pace for the genre.
Symbolizing the era, this remarkable and unique film makes casual statements on hatred and a society that for some is too structured and too organized. Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda are great in the roles of the free-wheeling bikers, but Jack Nicholson's performance as the small-town lawyer who joins them is absolutely amazing.
This "Flower Power" era blockbuster owes much of its phenomenal success to the soundtrack featuring Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild". This is a must-see for anyone who "lived" the times, as well as for fans of classic rock music. A winner anyway you look at it!
45 Bloody Awesome
Having seen the movie early 70's and then buying the tape the
none of the above do justice to the DVD. All I can say is
awesome, the surround sound, the widescreen effects, I sat
there shattered to see a whole new perspective of this movie.
In 1991 I was in the USA for two months. During that period I rode a Haley-Davidson through the States for five weeks and as I said at the Virginia State HOG Rally, 'When I saw the movie Easy Rider for the first time "One day I'm going to go to the States and ride a Harley" and I am doing it now'I will keep watching this movie and also listen to the great music which is part of the history of my generation. Hey and I'm still riding
Harleys
46 Get your motor running
Most of the negative reviews here criticise this movie as being dated and for idolising the waster culture - possibly related criticisms - but it's difficult to see how you could justify either except on a very cursory consideration of the film.
Easy Rider absolutely refuses to idolise the sixties ideal, and it is not to my eyes even vaguely dated (I say this having seen it for the first time last night, thirty three years late).
The golden thread running through this film is that THE PARTY'S OVER, DUDES.
Fonda states this explicitly ("we blew it...") and it's firmly implied in a devastatingly funny caricature of a dead beat hippy commune (as the city dropouts joyously commune with nature, scattering their seed on the barren land of the New Mexico desert, Fonda asks wryly, "do you, ah, get much rain up here?")
And (without wishing to spoil the ending) by the time the credits roll, our heroes haven't exactly profited from their wild lives. The ending of the film is profoundly pessimistic about the prospects for freedom and independence.
The film is certainly critical of the intolerant "establishment" (which nevertheless prevails), but if there is one character who does smell of roses, it is the farmer who takes the boys in for the night and who, says Fonda, should be proud simply for living off the land.
For my money this makes Easy Rider ahead, rather than behind its times. It's also rooted in a number of great cinematic traditions, aside from the Road Movie genre which it helped to invent. I like the idea (expressed in a review below) that this is a latter day western, even down to the character's names, Wyatt and Billy. Also, were you to draw a line between Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid and Thelma & Louise, it would intersect Easy Rider.
The performances of the cast are delightful - Nicholson's is rightly feted, and Hopper's is very Dennis Hopper - fans of Apocalypse Now will recognise this style in which Hopper doesn't really act so much as simply looning around - here in total contrast to Fonda's studied coolness, which holds the film together, reinforced with a cracking soundtrack (in this regard also, Easy Rider was well ahead of its time).
If you fancy a dash of counterpoint, try watching Easy Rider back to back with David Lynch's stunning recent work The Straight Story - as a compare and contrast job, I think they'd make a fascinating study.
47 Great American Movie
If you love America as much as I do you will love this. Even by watching this movie it makes me love America even more. Makes me proud to live here. If you love motercycles hey this is it.
48 Wanna Be A Bird?!
The Easy Rider DVD provides viewers of this classic anti-establishment film with an in depth commentary from its key players. Hopper and Fonda discuss the physical and mental experience of making such a two-wheel classic.
As many reviewers have indicated, Easy Rider is very much of its time. For bikers and longhairs that meant overt rejection that is not as widespread in the 21st century.
49 The 60's are over!
In 1969 "Easy Rider" caused quite a stir, but it started aging fast. Within two years it started to look dated, as evidenced by the clip they showed on the AFI top 100 movies award show (Dennis Hopper's "nobody wuvs me 'cause I have long hair" speech). After more than 30 years, Easy Rider has decayed to a point where it is more than laughable, it is positively moldy. Fans of the movie describe it as a movie about freedom. However, the freedom of this movie is the same freedom a 2 year old feels when he learns to say, "no"; it is ignorant, self-centered and very irritating to mature onlookers. This childish spirit permeates the movie on all levels. One can almost hear the director saying, "I'm gonna make a movie without a centralized plot, 'cause I can!" The actors, for their part, seem to be saying, "I'm gonna do drugs, 'cause I can!" and "I'm gonna ride around aimlessly, 'cause I can!" What it amounts to is a pointless exercise in pretentiousness that is so in love with its own rebel spirit that the audience is quickly forgotten. Nothing comes of the character's self indulgence. They do not grow, they do not learn, heck they don't even seem to enjoy a lot of what they do. Yes, I realize that talk of responsibility and growth is exactly what would peg me as a "square" by the movie's characters, all the more evidence of its datedness I say. While whiny, self-indulgent boorishness may have been fashionable 30 years ago the "message" rings hollow today when you see all the ex-hippies in rehab or safe in their corporate jobs.
People who claim that negative reviewers "just don't get it" should consult their history books. The Human Potnetial Movement of the 60's was founded on the idea that putting less restrictions on people's behavior would make them better. "Easy Rider" seems to depict the opposite, suggesting that given more freedom people will just indulge themselves and waste away. If anything, "Easy Rider" is anti-freedom, anti-life affirming, basically anti everything except its own narcissistic vision.
I give the movie 2 stars for the cinematography and the musical score.
50 One of the top 5 movies from the 1960's
Dennis Hopper should've gotten the golden palm for this movie, make that picture (he did win for best new filmmaker, but he deserved the bigger prize too), that give sweeping cinematography, a superb soundtrack, acting believable: alternately funny and tragic, and a feel that is all it's own (and those that ripped it off aren't any better).
Here, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper play two small time motorcycle guys from L.A. (LA? yes, Los Angeles) who go to a La Contenta bar, whether it is really in Mexico or not you be the judge, and buy a good deal of coke from a dealer. They sell it to a guy right next to an airport and then starts the triumphant tunes The Pusher and Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf as they go on the road with a load of money in Fonda's gastank. On the road, they run into an understanding farmer, a quirky commune leader, a commune with some really strange folks (reminds me why I occasionaly indulge in the cannibus culture but not communism), two nice girls posing as skinny dippers, a parade, an ACLU attorney who says "Lord have mercy, is that what that is?" when Fonda passes a joint, witty and deadly southern folk and estranged prostitutes.
Fonda and Hopper represented something amazing to the generation that they were about, and that's what made the box office bucks; that and Jack Nicholson in one of his abloslute most memorable roles as the drunkard ACLU attorney George Hanson. Must See, if only once, for anyone.
51 Looking For America...And Not Finding It
There really isn't any big mystery as to why EASY RIDER was such a massive hit when it was released in 1969. On a budget of no more than half a million dollars, the director/producer team of Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda somehow captured the alienation that a lot of young people felt about America during that turbulent time.
Hopper and Fonda are, respectively, Billy and Wyatt, two Harley Davidson-riding hippie bikers who, after making a big drug score with a big-time dope dealer (played by record mogul Phil Spector), embark on a journey across America, ostensibly to enjoy a good time in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Along the way, they encounter, initially, the more idealistic side of America in a New Mexico hippie commune and a farm in Arizona. But when they get into Texas, their joining a parade illegally gets them tossed into a redneck jail. Not long after, though, they are bailed out by a very inebriated lawyer by the name of George Hanson (Jack Nicholson, in the role that made him a household word in Hollywood).
Nicholson cheerfully agrees to go along with them on their Harley sojourn. Along the way, Hopper complains to him about how he and Fonda are constantly harrassed by the law and unable to get even a "second rate motel" to sleep in. Nicholson gingerly explains to the pair that it's not just the length of the hair that bothers people; it's what they represent--individual freedom: "They'll talk to you and talk to you about freedom, but when they see someone with real freedom, it's gonna scare them." One night, Louisiana rednecks savagely beat and kill Nicholson. It is at this point that EASY RIDER starts getting bleaker in tone.
Fonda and Hopper arrive in New Orleans at the height of Mardi Gras, and cavort around an Orleans cemetary with two hookers (Toni Basil, Karen Black) during an acid trip. But dismayed by what they've seen, they beat a hasty retreat and continue east. Fonda realizes the futility of their journey now. He tells Hopper, "We blew it." Their journey comes to an end on a Florida highway when Hopper flicks off two rednecks in a truck, who then proceed to blow both him and Fonda off the road.
Unquestionably dated to a large extent, particularly in the strange editing of certain sequences and the acid trip, which looks less avant garde and more amateurish, EASY RIDER nevertheless has its merits. The soundtrack is one of those merits, with 1960s classics like Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" and the Band's "The Weight", and countryish tracks like "Wasn't Born To Follow" (the Byrds) and "Don't Bogart Me" (Fraternity of Man). The other is, of course, Nicholson's star-making performance as George Hanson. Before this, Nicholson was just a B-grade actor. But his often-uproarious and, later, thoughtful performance here cemented his reputation as a top-notch movie star forever.
Featuring very fine cinematography by Laszlo Kovacs, who later went on to do portions of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, EASY RIDER is a flawed film by today's standards, but in its day was a groundbreaking film that helped change Hollywood forever. If one can get by its being highly dated, it still works as a period piece.
52 In the end you will surely know, I wasnt born to follow
Easy Rider is the classic American Western. Two outlaws cast off society and live free out west but their days are numbered. America turns out to be more repressive than they may have imagined and their freewheeling lifestyle becomes a futile effort in the wake of modern civilization. Even the names of the two characters hearken back to westerns; Wyatt (like Earp?) and Billy (the Kid?). I noticed some reviewers mention that the film is dated; that very well may be the point. If this was filmed now, all those great scenes of western landscapes would be replaced by urban sprawl, billboards, fast food chains and strip malls with a cop on every corner. Landscape and society were changing dramatically in the 60s and even back then it was becoming increasingly clear that our government and society was giving up freedom for security. Being dated just makes this film even more important, no doubt that it a cult classic, a must see for every American, especially those that question the status quo and the belief that we are put on this earth to follow orders and kill at will.
53 Wholly overrated
"Easy Rider" (1969)
"A classic...a great film for its day...everyone is sure to love it", those were the comments I had been hearing about Easy Rider before I rented it. I expected this movie to be great because it was called a counterculture classic and topped many people's lists of the best film of the 1960's. In my opinion, Easy Rider is a case of don't believe everything you read.
Sure, the movie has its good points. The music is fantastic. The songs are all very memorable and suit the road theme, styles of the film and the time in which it is set very well. Many of the songs of the movie have become classics since the films release. Easy Rider is also shot gorgeously, with heaps of great sunset shots and motorcycle journeys.
The performances in the movie are also very good. Jack Nicholson is the stand out as the innocent comic relief Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda meet when they go to jail. Nicholson deserved another Oscar for this role! Hopper clearly put a lot of effort into the film being a writer, director and lead actor, but his continuous "man's" and hippie references annoyed the heck out of me, as did his monologues about what he "sees" after he takes drugs. Peter Fonda was hailed as the leading actor of the movie but he really doesn't say that much and he has very little facial expression. His acting definitely got better.
There was also way too many drugs in this movie. In the film, this is basically the story: these 2 guys take drugs, encounter people, take drugs, make the people they encounter take drugs, take some drugs, sleep, take a couple more drugs, have sex, and then take drugs. And apparently this story is all about "freedom" according to Dennis Hopper. Yeah right. Also, Easy Rider doesn't present any ideas why or why not the characters should be doing this. Why are they doing it in the first place? Is taking drugs a way to make people free and express freedom? No. I found the use of drugs both pointless and excruciatingly unrealistic in this film.
So, the movie does have its good points - the cinematography, bikes and Jack Nicholson - but not enough to overcome the whole pointlessness of the entire production. This is one big disappointment for me, and I can't believe such a film that was hailed as a "classic" could be so banal and stupid.
MY GRADE: C-
54 A must-see
Although I am not a motorcycle rider and I have never used psychedelic drugs, I still found this to be a great movie. If you have allowed these two elements of the film to keep you from watching it, I highly recommend putting those thoughts aside and viewing this.
The main idea of the film is freedom. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper take a motorcyle trip across the USA while heading for Mardi Gras. Although this is the destination, Peter Fonda (is looking for something. This something could be America, but you feel it is more profound than that. You receive hints from the things he says to others.
For instance, he and Hopper have stopped at a farm to fix one of the bikes and to eat. After talking with the farmer, Captain USA comments about how great it is to be here on the land doing your own thing.
Jack Nicholson has the best lines of the movie when he explains that we love to talk about freedom, but we are scared to death of people who actually live it. A very important idea considering the war that was going on at the time of this movie.
Again, I highly recommend watching this movie.
55 Dated or not, this movie KICK BOOTAY!!!!
My dad rented this movie because we somehow stumbled upon talking about this movie when discussing war, well that's only logical I guess. Anyways, I love this movie. It has truely sad moments, but it has ALOT of power, whether it looks dated or not, you can't deny the fact that this movie just kicks butt!!! Well unless you hate the 60's or something. But I don't, this was the first movie EVER to have rock music in it, like as the soundtrack. A landmark, it has major killer tunes from The Byrds, Steppen Wolf, Jimmy Hendrix, and more!!! All I know is that if you are looking to learn a little more about the way the 60's were for hippies look no further then here, it couldn't be further from the truth...My dad talks so much, I know!!! Even if I didn't live the 60's. Its definetely worth one watch at least. Not for kids for sure, had nudity, quite a bit(we are talking about a hippy movie here),drug use, and violence. A great independent film. Just check it out, forget if if it looks old WHO CARES?
God Bless ~Amy
56 1969
The episodic plot concerns two motorcyclists who take their profits from a drugs deal to head for the New Orleans Mardi Gras. In the course of their odyssey across America, they encounter frequent backwoods intolerance........The film's lasting effect made a star out of Nicholson, who won an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of an aimless lawyer making his first experience with drugs. An offbeat, low-budget ROAD MOVIE that has become a cult film by capturing the restless hedonism of the hippie era. The film's surprise success insipired a wave of youth-culture movies, few of which are now remembered; although the big studios attempted to imitate EASY RIDER'S casual technique and rebellious attitudes, its impact has never been equaled. The film cost only $375,000 to make and it grossed a whopping TWENTY MILLION at the box-office.
57 I love Captain America!
This movie is a story of two out rows. They cross America getting drug with rock music. This movie depicts the culture of America in that time clearly. Their trip is bad but many people will be moved. The Harley-Davidson's motorcycle ridden by Captain America (played by Peter Fonda ) is the most famous Harley. Many riders make purpose on his style. If you watch this movie, you will want to ride the way where Captain America ridden.
58 A TRUE AMERICAN CLASSIC!
A lot of people say that EASY RIDER is merley a biker movie with two stoned biker hippies going across America with a kick butt soundtrack. However it is more than that
I admit when I first saw EASY RIDER I was not too thrilled but after seeing again and looking at it more closely I realized how great a movie it is. It is a true experience of the uncensored sixties. How the life of a hippie really was. His experiences with drugs and love and rejection from society.
When you look at this movie it seems really simple so why was it so successful? Well I can only say in my opinion that this movie had to be made in 1969 to be successful. If it was made today it just would not be the same.
That is what makes EASY RIDER so special. The fact that it is the ultimate sixties experience. Also with Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper and a awesome soundtrack with Jimi Hendrix, Steppen Wolf ,The Byrds and The Band how could this movie be bad? In conclusion EASY RIDER is one of the groovy, trippy, American classics that is just down right cool! Highly Recommended!
59 A movie and a Genre
A somewhat interesting movie due to the time period this movie was filmed. Basically, this movie was nothing special and pretty much like a million other movies out there.
The movie is totally overrated mostly due to the cast, Fonda, Hopper, and Jack Nicolas.
60 A classic western?
Dennis Hopper has always struck me as a living relic of the sixties. A counter-culture rebel who never could quite come to terms with the Vietnam era government he so distrusted. Not surprisingly, his portrayal of "Billy", the frantic companion to Peter Fonda's "Wyatt" is the constantly racing heart of Easy Rider, one of the most important films of the late sixties.
Filmed the year after the summer of love had ended, Rider is one of the few true portraits of the cultural landscape of that turbulent era. The mellow Fonda always represents a generations quest for a simple kind of peace while Hopper, who also directed, is the fatal drive towards a futile end, always pulling away from the obvious path. They ride their custom choppers like two cowboys headed through the wild west. It's an obvious analogy but a meaningful one, their dangers were no less great as we find out. Although a notoriously frazzled production, great performances (notably Jack Nicholson), and a supurb use of some of the great rock road anthems of the day help create something fascinating, if quite dated. Of course, whether you lived the era or not, today the movie stands as a great historical representation of the mood of a country during one of America's strangest periods. Hopper's direction seems subdued by contrast to his performance (outside of a depressing and sureal trip and acid trip through Mardi Gras and a rather blunt ending) although perhaps less so considering his admitted, much longer initial cut, before leveler heads prevailed. There is an obvious fly by night amateurish quality overall but It's still a good film, maybe even great in certain ways. Cultural sign posts like this are rare. Rarer still to be made by the ones who lived it.
61 not so ez getting
I am 25 years old right now, and the first time I saw this movie, I had no clue what they were trying to get across. Now I am fascinated by it, and its controvery is far more apparent to me. My best recomendation to anyone who is going to see this for the first time and did not live in the 60s is to learn more about the time period first. That way, when you see Henry Fonda stuffing money into his gas tank so he can buy drugs on his road trip, you will realize that the mainstream reaction was "Oh my lord, how can someone do such a thing, like actually plan out that they know that they will want drugs in the near future." And there is even more to that shot besides what I have tried to articulate. So there is no sure fire way to explain this movie to anyone too young to remember when it first came out. However, if one makes the effort (and not an extreme one is needed) the times and feelings of the 60s can become intelligible. I can honestly say that now being able to watch this movie and understand it is a most rewarding experience for me, so all I can say is I hope it can be for others like myself.
62 One of the greatest American films ever made!
I can't acknowledge my admiration of this movie enough. To me this is American Cinema at its finest.
If you like stories about freedom this is for you. To paraphrase Jack Nicholson 'Lots of people like to talk about freedom but they don't want anybody living it'. Its a sometimes surreal adventure, but it makes its points well.
The wide screen version enhances the, already superb, cinematography.
I give this film my highest recomendation.
63 Hip about Easy Rider
I have got the movie poster in my home. Need I go on? Music is Steppenwolf, Byrds, Hendrix, and a really cool psychedelic tune by the Holy Modal Rounders called If You Want to be a Bird. This is the ultimate journey of unbound freedom in America in a tumultuous time(Assassination, Vietnam War, Civil Rights, Watts Riots, Cold War tensions). Wyatt and Billy are not involved politically in any of this. They are just out to enjoy a lost America that has been forgotten(also check out Zabriskie Point!)due to the establishment and the progress of mankind.Peter Fonda remarks in one scene "This used to be a helluva good country."
64 Counterculture Touchstone
Easy Rider is a counterculture touchstone. It also was a trailblazer in the independent film market. There had other hippie movies before, but they were mostly bad films about drug use. Easy Rider tells the story of two hippies, played by Dennis Hopper & Peter Fonda, who motorcycle across the country from California to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. They had just made a big drug score and are using that money for the trip. Along the way, they stay at a commune in the desert, get caught up in a dispute in a small town and of course take alot of drugs. There is a scene in a New Orleans graveyard that visualizes an acid trip. Jack Nicholson shows up as a drunk who is constantly being jailed. He rides along with Mr. Hopper & Mr. Fonda and meets an untimely death. The role garnered Mr. Nicholson an Oscar nomination and catapulted him to stardom. The film is visually pretty and well shot and they make great use of rock songs as no other movie had beforehand. The film was also a commentary by hippies about hippies. It is supposed to show that hippies are just peace loving people who embody the freedom America is supposed to give people. They are unfairly persecuted by small-minded people who judge them by the length of their hair. At the time, this was all groundbreaking stuff. The problem is that the film hasn't aged well in the 30 years since it's release. It is still cemented back in 1969 and now is just a relic from that time. The film's power should be more judged for the doors it opened up for other maverick film makers like Martin Scorcese, Peter Bogdanovich and other later ones like Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee. Before Easy Rider, you had to play within the system. After it became a huge success, you could go underground and get daring pictures released.
65 A real eye-opener
This movie still surprises even today. Though it is dated, it gives a fascinating portrayal of two hippies rolling throguh America at a time of social change. Mostly scenes and intricate editing, we see a portrait of two bikers who search for freedom. For me, the delight is seeing Jack Nicholson in one of his absolute best performances. He steals every scene he is in. However, it is a bit slow and it is not quite a epochal classic like Rebel Without a Cause. It still evokes a sense of freedom and a sense of America.
66 A slow start but good
This is a true classic. The movie starts so slowly that I was afraid I was going to drop off to sleep. The commune breaks things up a bit, but the fun only really starts when Jack Nicholson joins the club. Truly, Nicholson is one of the greatest actors ever. From Terms of Endearment to Batman, Nicholson makes almost any movie worth watching. Same here.
Many scenes are laugh out loud funny. I was rolling on the floor laughing during the exchage about aliens. The drug trips are interesting. The music is a huge part of the culture and so it is in the movie.
To tell more would be to ruin the greaetest moments in the film. It is worth watching. I should say that there is some nudity, but no language if you are interested.
67 Slow-moving and boring
Easy Rider's reputation as a classic doesn't resonate with me. Simply put, the film is boring. Most of it is little more than endless shots of the cast riding their motorcyles, and equally endless scenics rolling by. There isn't much dialogue, and each scene is very disconnected from the next. We get hardly any sense of who the characters are and why they are acting the way they are. Different themes in the film - freedom, prejudice, community, and hypocrisy - are tossed around aimlessly, with no sense of cohesion, making the viewer wonder just what the film's point is (when he isn't yawning). A classic it may be to some viewers, but to this one it is just a giant snooze.
68 "America the Beautiful..........on a Harley"
I saw this movie the first time while home on leave from Vietnam. I had a 90 day pass. I had finished my first tour in Nam and was headed back after leave. I identified with the rebellious nature of Fonda and Hopper. In Nam we tried to stay individuals as much as we could, or were allowed too. The movie is great!! If you were alive, and a teenager then, you will know what I mean. When I returned, it took me 4 months to get the soundtrack on an 8 track tape. We played it so many times, we wore it out in 6 weeks.
69 Easy Riding
This movie is so great. Dennis Hopper not only made a fun picture, he touched on the very issue that makes America a great place, freedom. At it's root that is what Easy Rider is all about. The first time I saw this film I was like, "this is a classic?" The second time I saw it, years later, I was like "this IS a classic!" Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda riding their choppers towards New Orleans and their quest to be free is a classic American movie. It is a comteperary tragedy that deserves all the praise it has received over the years. Upon first viewing this film I did not see any message in it, but after seeing it again I really understtod what Hopper was saying. Everyone should see this film and listen.
70 Get Your Motor Runnin'; Head Out On the Highway
I bought this title because I am a motorcyclist. If you have never ridden one and want to know what it is like, this movie will take you on a virtual road trip from Los Angeles through beautiful mountain scenery down to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The two stars, Peter Fonda (Wyatt) and Dennis Hopper (Billy), head out on the highway to the motorcycle anthem, "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf, and there are some fantastic camera shots of them crossing the Colorado River. If that scene doesn't get your blood pumping, then you can be assured that motorcycling isn't for you.
There's a lot more to this movie than just scenic motorcycling and sixties music. A typical biker movie has a weak plot, usually involving some gang terrorizing the local community. Before creating this movie, Fonda and Jack Nicholson (George), as well as some of the other cast members all appeared in such flicks. By contrast, "Easy Rider" is really a mold-breaker for its type, because it involves a lot of social commentary.
Early in the movie, Billy and Wyatt pick up a stranger along the highway, who turns out to be the leader of a commune. He is a dead ringer for John Lennon, when he had his Sgt. Pepper look. Wyatt and the stranger get along well, but Billy is suspicious of the hitchhiker. They take him back to his commune and hang out for awhile there with the people. Wyatt fits in OK, but Billy is not generally respected. Many of them make fun of Billy. For some time, this was very hard for me to account for, since Billy is a freak.
I did not gain any insights into this until I read the book, "Riders On the Storm" by Doors' drummer, John Densmore. In it, he explains how the Doors, who were from Los Angeles, were not invited to play the Monterey Pop Festival. San Francisco flower power was about peace and love, and Jim Morrison, the lead singer, gave off an aggressive vibe. Densmore also said that some famous flower power musicians did not want to be publicly associated with The Doors. For instance, John Sebastian agreed to play harmonica on "Roadhouse Blues," but he would not allow his real name to be used in the credits. I believe that the difference in values between Los Angeles and San Francisco is crucial to understanding why Billy was rejected by the commune members.
Wyatt and Billy are not from San Francisco, and they do not wear psychedelic clothing. They hail from Los Angeles, and they are preoccupied with freedom--not peace and love. Billy has a real aggressive vibe to him. He is very confrontational, and he doesn't get along well with others. Wyatt is more of a seeker. He is open-minded and interested in what other people have to offer. They're both rich, but not through legal or reputable means. They smuggled some cocaine across the border from Baja, Mexico, and then they sold it for a huge profit. The two are friends, and they seem to have accepted each others strengths and weaknesses.
The movie makes some clear statements about sixties social values and morals. In other cases, it brings up issues, but doesn't reach any firm conclusions. The movie ends tragically, but it isn't an indictment of flower power. Billy had rejected peace and love, and had he not reacted in the confrontational manner that he did, things might have turned out differently. This movie is about the tradgedy and failure of hate--and the need for peace, love, and understanding. I give this movie a five-star rating because it documents the issues of the times so effectively. As a motorcycle movie, this production is practically unbeatable because it has captured the spirit of motorcycling so well.
71 Perfection
Yes, the editing is flawed or whatever, but it does not detract form this masterpiece. I compare this movie with "Do The Right THing". It takes you into the life of some characters you don't know, makes you see it their way and kills them off for no reason other than prejudice. Some say it's slow. Well slow down with it. As for Jack, I think his character is the worst. That bad accent stunk compared to the believable characters of Fonda and Hopper. Forget your politics in this. Forget what you think of drugs. This is about bigotry and hatred. "Normal people see freedom and it makes them scared." "It don't make them runnin' scared." It speaks to any generations disaffected youth. If it's 60's longhair or an 80's punk or a 90's goth.
72 Easy Rider is easy to forget
This is considered the classic 60's counterculture film. Released in 1969, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranks it the 88th best film ever made, Time Magazine called it "...one of the ten most important pictures of the decade," and the LA Times said it remains "...an astonishing work of art and an overpowering motion picture experience." It is the movie that rocketed Jack Nicholson to stardom. All that said, it has not aged well!
The plot is; Let's buy drugs, then sell the drugs and use the money to go to Mardi Gras on our motorcycles. Along the way, we'll stop at a hippy commune, we'll have small-town girls sitting in a soda parlor think we're cute and we'll have sex with prostitutes in a New Orleans house of ill repute. All individuals in 'straight society' (in that term's original sense) are portrayed as cretins.
No storyline, no character development, no nuance, no maturation or lessons learned by the characters. No tension, either based on time running out or options running out. Only obvious metaphors, the editing doesn't come close to meeting the standards of the time, there's no backstory, no flashbacks, no richness, no depth, NO WAY.
I am writing this review because I was gullible enough to BUY this movie on DVD, based on the AFI ranking and my eagerness to accept it as the de facto standard drug culture movie of the sixties. I erred. There are only two redeeming elements in this film. One is great Rock music from, among others, Jimi Hendrixx and the Byrds. The other is Jack Nicholson, who has the role of a factoid spouting young, alcoholic lawyer. In effect, he is playing himself and he does so magnificently. But, in spite of this performance, the rest of variables that constitute a good movie or a good story are either missing or misused. Miss it!
73 If you didn't love the movie, you just don't get it.
One awesome flick about two guys doin their thing. Along the way society, the "supposed" normal and "respectable" people, hassles and lashes out at them -- trying to stomp out their dreams. In the end, society takes them out in a terrible display of pure idiot prejudice. I believe their spirits continued on -- society can never stomp out the spirit of Capt. America and Billy!
Two Thumbs Up for Fonda and Hopper -- I'm proud to own a copy and be part of the modern motorcycle generation.
74 Nothing more than a period piece
"Easy Rider" is one of those movies that took me forever to see and when I finally did I was dissapointed somewhat. True, it launched the careers of Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson. It featured some of the best rock music of the time in the soundtrack. The cinematography is wonderful as well. So what's the problem? Well for one thing the characters are not developed well at all. By the film's end I knew little more about them than I did when I started. It was also fairly boring too. It did not move fast at all. But it is worth a watch if you want to see some great actors before they hit their prime. And who can argue with the famous credit sequence when Fonda and Hopper are riding their bikes listening to "Born To Be Wild"? It's good for a viewing or two. But don't expect anything magnificent.
75 One of my favorite flicks of all time!
The VHS version does not do justice for hopper/fonda's masterpiece work. DVD all the way. I couldn't believe how 'new' it looked when i saw it for the first time on widescreen/dvd. This was always a favorite flick of mine. It is a classic. Yer basic story of 'drug-dealin' buddies, sell their stuff, make money, get bigger bikes and go cross country on two Harley's during the era of "Beautify America", a time of revolution and peace, love rock and roll. Rock and roll: Easy Rider has one of THE best soundtracks as well; Steppenwolf's "The Pusher" and "Born to Be Wild" fit the scenes QUITE well. The Byrd's "I wasn't born to follow", The Band's "The Weight" and Jimi's "If Six Was Nine" made their marks in history by their musical impact in this film. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper portray Wyatt (Capt. America) and Billy (the Kid) in this biker/western cult classic. "Gotta get to Mardi Gras, man!". Luke Askew plays an awesome hippie/guru head of a hippie haven located in the middle of the desert. Jack Nicholson "George Hanson/Blum-blum-blum-tang!" plays a 'well educated' lawyer tryin' to get outta jail....it all flows together so well. The movie starts off with Wyatt and Billy snorting cocaine, then they smoke grass then they drink wine/liquor and then they trip in the gravest of places...a graveyard with two 'whores' from that house mentioned in that Animals song. After the first time I saw this film, i was inspired to go out and make my own...I may do so, someday. I think what makes this a classic flick, the fact that when it was released we had wars going on in Vietnam and at home in the US of A, between protestors and government. This flick avoids government and Vietnam war, just the war between mellow peace bikers against an irrate southern USA culture.....but it goes for the sex, drugs, rock and roll....cornerstone of any nutrious-best movie of all time.....This dvd version also features the making of the film which is interesting to listen to Dennis, Pete, Luke and other writers and crew about the troubles that made Easy Rider the classic that it is.....
76 Great Movie!
I loved everything about this movie. The sequal is being made by Miracle Entertainment (mvee). Look for it next year.
77 Whatta a cool movie !
I have seen this movie several times & I still think its one of the best movies ever made. Think of the freedom these two felt riding those awesome bikes cross-country. It states almost exactly what the youth of that period was trying to relate to society. That true freedom starts with accepting yourself & other people for who you or they are. This is one of them must-watch movies. Both Peter Fonda & Dennis Hopper did a great job in this movie. I recommend this movie alot.
78 Breakthrough Independent Film
When "Easy Rider" was released in 1969, it marked a turning point in the history of the American cinema. It took the independent film movement--practiced for so long by Roger Corman and others--and thrust it forward into the spotlight and, eventually, the mainstream. Made for under a million dollars, "Easy Rider" eventually grossed close to fifty, and opened Hollywood's eyes to a whole new area of potential profits. The American film was never to be the same again.
The story is a simple one: two hippies (Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper) riding their motorcycles cross-country to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Along the way they visit a commune, meet some girls, go to a whorehouse, and do lots and lots of drugs. They also get thrown in jail where they meet an alcoholic lawyer, terrifically played by Jack Nicholson in his breakthrough role. The trio then continues on together towards New Orleans, stopping occasionally to smoke some grass and philosophize about life. Eventually, they have a series of strange and violent conflicts with some rednecks that lead to the movie's rather abrupt conclusion.
The best aspects of the film are the on-target performances and Laszlo Kovacs' stark cinematography. Also of note is a stunning, hallucinatory montage of an acid trip, complete with a bizarre Catholic motif. The writing (by Fonda, Hopper, and Terry Southern) is strictly ordinary, providing only the barest structure to hang the story on, punctuated by mostly improvised dialog.
What made "Easy Rider" different from the ordinary Hollywood films of its time was its rebellious spirit and youthful exuberance, complemented by its loud hippie rock soundtrack. Directed by Hopper and produced by Fonda, "Easy Rider" was the first movie of its kind to reach such a wide audience and gain mainstream acceptance. Its casual portrayal of drug use and confrontational defiance of authority combined to make "Easy Rider" an anthem for young people. Although the film today seems inevitably dated, it still stands as an enduring emblem of its age.
79 Fonda and Hopper: non-conformist supermen!
I would have to agree with the last guy on this one. This movie is all about the uptight squares who don't accept people who look, act or think differently than the majority. Granted, the film is a little outdated. But one needs to see it as more of a time capsule of a lost era than "some sixties movie." As for the DVD, the Steppenwolf soundtrack never sounded better. And I enjoyed the audio commentary also, but that could be because I like Dennis Hopper. If you're a big fan of the movie, you should get the DVD.
80 Why cant people let us have our dreams.
To the guy who said this film is a bomb and its horrible... I can only suggest you understand that this picture isnt meant to be literal. Every peice of this film is symbolic in some form. Captain america living free, on his way to his dream. But captain america's america wont let him be who he wants because society isnt really free or ready to except the price of true freedom. People are affraid of the different. I suggest you remove the "Captain" from the name "captain america" to fully understand this film. Listen to his lines. He represents america and a generation of ideas. The tagline of the film is.. : A man went looking for America and couldn't find it anywhere! Replace "A man" with "America" Thats what the film is about. "America went looking for America and couldnt find it anywhere!" There is no freedom when people dont respect others choices of freedom. Their dreams. This film is about acceptance, friendship, the dream, america and the bueaty and the horror that life really is. This film is kind of dark in its ending. The blunt reality of society comes crashing down on Americas (captain) dream.
81 "Man, I'm trippin' out; somebody shoot me!"
From the bizarre editing to the lame dialogue, from the horrible sound track (before my time!) to the glorification of drug use--of which I definitely do not approve--I can easily say that "Easy Rider" is among the five WORST films I have ever seen in my life! The American Film Institute includes this bomb in its list of 100 greatest American films, so I thought I'd check it out. This film is so bad that I can't even think of four other films to insult by including them in the same list. Sad to say, but by the end of the film, I was actually rooting for the rednecks--and wasn't disappointed!
82 Brilliant Picture Which Encaptulates an age!
'Easy Rider' is a film which encaptures the 60s brilliantly. It is a film about people and about achieving the ultimate goal complete satisfaction and freedom- which as we find out during our journey with Hopper and Fonda cannot be achieved. The film is a journey across America where the viewer learns about people from all different walks of life through the eye's of the main character. The film is shot magnificently and makes the world seem unreal at times. Which paradoxically makes them feel they are experiencing something more real than they could ever have imagined. Watch this film it is brilliant!
83 Like it or Hate it You've Got To See It
The greatest film in history? No; probably not, but damn good. It'll get you that hippy vibe (the flower powery dope and love one, not the beat freight hopping whisky drinkin Kerouac one!). It's a film you have to see to grasp modern American culture. It shows you some of what the hippies thought they were doing, and some of what the rest of the world thought. It may even encourage you to throw away your watch and swim naked in a mountain pool. But it will surely give you a good evening in front of the TV and a good feeling. Except that last scene - that's a bummer, man.
84 A TRUE CLASSIC ABOUT FREEDOM!
Watching this movie, and reading a book called "RIch Dad, Poor Dad", you learn that that people would rather sit and talk about freedom without actually doing it! I saw this movie in 1985 at the age of 7, but could not get it. I watched this again last summer and the point I understood was "People are jealous of free people, but they are too scared to steer away from the crowd to pursue their goals in life". Like Nicholson said, "Talking about being free and actually doing it are two different things. You tell some people they ain't free...they're gonna kill you". So, if you have not seen this you should. Also go buy two books called, "Rich Dad Poor Dad" and "Cashflow Quadrant" by Robert Kiyosaki. Put the movie and the books together and you'll understand the combination of freedom, money and psychology all in one!
85 A Bad Acid Trip
Easy Rider is a legendary movie. This ofcourse is due to its cultural and box office impact rather then the quality of the film itself. Today the film is merely a curio-item, but as a film, it just doesn't work. Witness for example the ludicrous dialogue, when a farmer invites Fonda and Hopper to eat with his family, there is a close-up of Fonda's face as he says "Its great thing for a man to live off the land, you should be proud." Please, this sounds like a public service commercial for some farmers union. Hopper as a director has this highly annoying gimmick of falshing frames of the next scene twice before actually moving onto it, and he does'nt do it once but throughout the film. Now I'm aware that this gimmickry might have been revolutionary back in the sixties, but now it only breaks the flow of a film that is already hard to sit through. The movie consists of endless shots of Fonda and Hopper on their bike, and not much else, but it does however recieve a major jolt with Jack Nicholson's arrival, he briefly awakens this movie out of its slumber. Unfortunatly he's not on for long, and we're back to Fonda and Hopper on bikes. The movie then ends in an extended acid trip which despite being completely pointless is far more entertaining then the rest of this tepid film. Watch this if you're a serious film buff and want to know what the hoopla is about, but once you've gotten through it once, I doubt you'll have it in you to sit through it again.
86 Classic '60's consideration of the American Dream
This is a classic '60's film and while it may not quite rank as 'great' it's a fascinating film to watch and a pretty impressive achievement for a first film (kudos to Dennis Hopper!)
The movie is an allegory and is heavily weighted with symbolism. The plot is quite simple (and rather conservative!) American youth has overlooked the value of community, hard work and simple living, instead chasing after the seductive glitter of easy money and fast-paced entertainment.
Briefly: two rootless wanderers fly a couple of 'keys' into Los Angeles ("...don't touch my bags if you please, Mr. Customs man..."), sell the dope, and decide to motorcycle down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, planning "...to look for America" along the way. The bikers are the wild and paranoid 'Billy' (the kid?): Dennis Hopper, and the cooly thoughtful 'Wyatt' (Earp?): Peter Fonda. Riding through the American West they stop over at the home of a hard-working farm family, then are introduced to a simple commune of flower children. The latter looks like a hard life, though, so the pair decide not to join and share, continuing south. The American South had been demonized in the '60's by the much-publicized resistance to the civil rights movement, and that stereotype is used here as symbolic of a descent into the darkness of intolerance and cruelty.
I wouldn't call this picture very 'real'; it's really an exploitation pic, playing to the preconceptions of its target audience while repackaging the standard clichŽ of early simplicity and purity followed by later decadence and destruction. However it handles its tropes pretty well and the characters are engaging. The true irony of the picture, of course, is that it made so much money, on such a small investment, that the Hollywood dream machine promptly cranked out a string of cheap imitations to capitalize on its popularity! At least it made Jack Nicholson a star...
I have to add it came as a big surprise to me to see Terry Southern as one of the scriptwriters! The movie lacks his gross-out humour and he isn't exactly famous for celebrating simplicity and hard work!
87 depends on how you look at it
OK. To me, it is a classic, but that is in my world as it is in many others.
This film satisfied a void in the cinema of its time that was very underserved. If you are very thirsty, the worst beer will be very welcome. In that way, Easy Rider offered some groovy music (the subset which was made available for the soundtrack), drug themes, trite counterculture, ... And they didn't use sexual themes really at all to sell it.
The characters, notably Hopper's, are thoroughly unlikable and I find it funny how many people align with the film but would have to force any real identification with the lead characters.
Fonda's "we blew it" summation near the end hits on a variety of levels: their filmmaking, the disillusioned culture that closed the 60s, as well as the obvious plot direction. The editing is abyssmal. But there is a certain charm in it all. Waywardly adrift bastards of the generation (or any generation) are portrayed as unsympathetic and directionless in a very genuine and probably artistically accidental way in concert with the same production qualities of the film.
I do still like to watch this one periodically. It brings back memories. Unlike what some may assert, this film doesn't reveal the 60s or 60s culture in any breadth. As a longhair of the times, I can say that it does remind that being a longhair at the time wasn't so hip to most people.
Also, Phil Spector as the connection at the beginning is a bizarre (in a good way) touch.
I think just about anyone should see this movie. Make up your own minds. But take off the rose-coloured glasses first.
88 Best 60s Movie of All Time
This movie is essential to the collection of anyone who is interested in the 60s revolution. On their epic journey from coke deal to Mardi Gras, the unraveling social fabric of 60s America is unfolded layer by layer. Hippie ideals and a peaceful lifestyle are contrasted with the hate-filled resistance of the powers-that-be. This film is cinematically stunning, backed by a superb soundtrack and top-notch cast (Jack Nicholson's first major role). Hopper ices the cake with a masterfully edited psychedelic scene that remains unsurpassed in realism and intensity, and then hits us with a chilling ending . . .
The 60s has never been portrayed with such relevance or eloquence.
89 Excellent
Great for people who are nostalgic for the 60's; even if you wern't alive back then (I wasn't). Great music adds just the right touch to this excellent film.
90 easy - but not to forget!
Easy Rider is one of those movies that lurks somewhere in your past like the slap of an abusive parent! Where living for the moment become an obsession, your life's work! Of course you know the end is just around that corner! When the "Vacancy" sign will be turned off in your face for the last time!
91 Great sound on DVD
Just listened to the DVD on my Dolby Digital (5.1) system, and the remastering is sensational. I have most of the soundtrack cuts on CD, but the versions here are much better. Excellent cinematography is more apparent on DVD than on video, as well. Documentary on the making of the film is very interesting... don't miss it. Didn't have time to listen to Hopper's commentary (other than a few minutes), but am taping it now and will check it out later. Great package!
92 Easy Rider is Okay in my Book
I don't know where the previous review supposedly written by Ken Kesey came from but I can state categorically and totally qualified, I never wrote that review and I have always spoken very highly of the movie; loved Dennis Hopper and Nicholson and Fonda. The ending was a bummer but "don't bogart that joint" will forever be a part of American jargon. "Going down the highway, looking for adventure . . . born to be wi--ld, born to be wi-ld." Great stuff. A 60's classic.
93 really good
I was too young to watch it first time round. I watched it twice this weeek on dvd, and am sort of hooked on it. It has the same effect on me as 9 1/2 weeks. Weird scenes, great music, and adventerous. I liked Fonda. It makes you want to hire a Harley and blow a small fortune for a month in the west. The ending was terrible. What is the point they were trying to make with this ending ?
94 really good
I was too young to watch it first time round. I watched it twice this weeek on dvd, and am sort of hooked on it. It has the same effect on me as 9 1/2 weeks. Weird scenes, great music, and adventerous. I liked Fonda. It makes you want to hire a Harley and blow a small fortune for a month in the west. The ending was terrible. What is the point they were trying to make with this ending ?
95 The movie that defined the "60's"
This movie is one of those movies that just freezes a moment in time! Three legendary actors in one of the most socially honest movies ever written. I just didn't like the ending!
96 Easy Rider is the best movie that was made before I was born
This movie is about two guys who get a lot of money from a drug deal and decide to take a tour of America on two Harley Davidson motorcycles circa 1969. They get into a lot of adventures that include meeting a hick Jack Nickolson. This movie was wierd and that is why I liked it so much. It wasn't wierd in a dumb way. It made you think. Not a lot of movies do that to me, but this one did. The movie had a message when it was released for it's time. Now it's just a great movie. This movie has lots of grass smoking and an acid trip and they did it all in a cool way. Not blatantly like some movies do with drugs. If you have an open mind and don't mind seeing how the other side think and live then you will like this film. I've seen it three times. One last thing. Great music. From Jimmy Hendrix to The Byrds they have a lot of killer rock tunes.
97 Those who don't get it...can't get it.
I shall not bore you with polysyllabic puffery. Easy Rider is a small documentation of what life was like in the 60's. If you are one to question the very basis of our culture and the system, check this movie out! Never again will a movie be so unprecedented in its truth that it emulates fiction. Hint, hint Blair Witch.
98 So Bad it's good
This film should be purchased to play in the background at parties. It is a strange fantasy film with some good music. Terrible acting and as far from reality as you could get. But for some reason I like the film.
99 laughably bad!!
This is one of those wierd-ass sixties films where you would have had to have been there to really care.
The plot; two guys riding on a motorcyle. Well, whoopty-doodily-ding-dong......
100 Just gettin my thing together
First saw "Easy Rider" when I was but a small child. Since that day, I dreamed of riding a motorcycle...my dream eventually came true with a new Harley many years back. "Easy Rider" is more than just a film, it is a statement of a time and place, a belief system that has been passed over. It is one of the few American films that encompasses an entire collective viewpoint of the turbulent time period of the 60s. I strongly suggest any fans of this film seek out the Laserdisk as it contains running commentary from both Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda. This commentary is insightful to the time as well as the various filming issues, and probably hard to find. "Easy Rider" is easily one of the ten best films ever.
