Easy Rider

The film Easy Rider isn't easy to start a discussion on because most
people that even talk about it haven't actually seen the movie or even know what
it is about. Of course, people think it's a film purely about driving
motorcycles around. While that may be the case, there is a theme that runs under
it's surface that makes it timeless. This theme is especially important when
looked at against films that are released today that are made to simply generate
income for studios and those involved.Easy Rider is an
interesting anomaly because those involved never forsaw it's commercial success
nor did they create it based off another well established idea to generate
income. Fonda and Hopper created soley to show America. And in doing so they
solidified on film the essence of living free of what society, at the time,
wanted them to conform too. Not an easy feat for any film, especially one made
outside the studio system. They made this film to quench a need they had to
expose what they thought America was like. For those that don't know the
basic plot, the film follows two bikers who are more or less hippies that sell
some cocaine to finance their living. Their living being driving around on
motorcycles and generally just being a part of America. They stop at a ranch,
pick up a hitchhiker, then visit a commune, pick up Jack Nicholson (who plays a
drunken ACLU attorney), and end up tripping on acid in New Orleans. I won't
spoil the ending, but it's unexpected and is perfect all in the same.
The film is gritty and raw. There isn't much polish and most all of the
dialogue seems ad-libbed (even though they wrote a proper script). The whole
movie just seems organic in the sense that it flows as if it's entirety is just
a snippet of the lives of it's protagonists. Even in the opening scene it seems
as if we, the viewer, join these characters in the middle of their quest. The
cinematography by Laszlo Kovacs is stellar as it really shows the American
landscape in all of it's glory. He frames the night shots perfectly and creates
a sense of isolation with the characters whenever they are sitting around a
campfire and just talking. There isn't a moment wasted in the film either. It
moves along at a fast pace and is never boring. Peter Fonda and Dennis
Hopper really nail their characters and feel like authentic counter-culture
members. Not once do they seem fake or like they are acting. They just exist in
this film as these characters. Which brings me to the point of everything about
this film seeming authentic, because it is. There isn't any subtle jabs at the
counter culture or out of place humor. Being purely focued on showing the lives
of these drifters that are so far out of the mainstream yet embody everything
that makes America great shows the skill that Fonda and Hopper created the film
with. In short, this has shown me what the late 60's were really like.
The hippies weren't as extreme as the media from the time would lead one to
believe and the counter culture was more an offshoot of not conforming to the
50's ideals of work and life instead of taking large amounts of drugs and
freaking out. The film works on a visual level because Kovacs is able to capture
the American landscape in intimate detail while still exploring it's vastness.
The film might seem shallow but when one looks at the deeper meaning of it's
characters motivations, which are to live free and escape the confines of "The
System", it is easy to see why Easy Rider has held up so well over the
years.Favorite Quote: "If God did not exist it would be necessary to
create him"Check this film out if you haven't, it is one of my favorites