Easy Rider (1969)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Dennis Hopper

Writers:

Peter Fonda (written by) &
Dennis Hopper (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 June 1969 (Sweden)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

This Year It's Easy Rider

Plot:

Two counterculture bikers travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans in search of America.

Plot Keywords:

Biker | Mardi Gras | Jail Cell | Motorcycle | Hitchhiker

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Peter Fonda	...	Wyatt
Dennis Hopper	...	Billy
Antonio Mendoza	...	Jesus
Phil Spector	...	Connection
Mac Mashourian	...	Bodyguard
Warren Finnerty	...	Rancher
Tita Colorado	...	Rancher's Wife
Luke Askew	...	Stranger on Highway
Luana Anders	...	Lisa
Sabrina Scharf	...	Sarah
Sandy Brown Wyeth	...	Joanne (as Sandy Wyeth)
Robert Walker Jr.	...	Jack (as Robert Walker)
Robert Ball	...	Mime #1
Carmen Phillips	...	Mime #2
Ellie Wood Walker	...	Mime #3 (as Ellie Walker)
Michael Pataki	...	Mime #4
Jack Nicholson	...	George Hanson
George Fowler Jr.	...	Guard
Keith Green	...	Sheriff
Hayward Robillard	...	Cat Man
Arnold Hess Jr.	...	Deputy
Buddy Causey Jr.	...	Customer #1
Duffy Lafont	...	Customer #2
Blase M. Dawson	...	Customer #3
Paul Guedry Jr.	...	Customer #4
Suzie Ramagos	...	Girl #1
Elida Ann Hebert	...	Girl #2
Rose LeBlanc	...	Girl #3
Mary Kaye Hebert	...	Girl #4
Cynthia Grezaffi	...	Girl #5
Colette Purpera	...	Girl #6
Toni Basil	...	Mary
Karen Black	...	Karen
Lea Marmer	...	Madame
Cathé Cozzi	...	Dancing Girl
Thea Salerno	...	Hooker #1
Anne McClain	...	Hooker #2
Beatriz Monteil	...	Hooker #3
Marcia Bowman	...	Hooker #4
David C. Billodeau	...	Pickup Truck
Johnny David	...	Pickup Truck
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Susan Brewer	...	Woman in Commune (uncredited)
Bridget Fonda	...	Child in Commune (uncredited)
Justin Fonda	...	Child in Commune (uncredited)
Virgil Frye	...	Biker (uncredited)
Dan Haggerty	...	Man in Commune (uncredited)
Randee Lynne Jensen	...	(uncredited)
Carrie Snodgress	...	Woman in Commune (uncredited)

Directed by
Dennis Hopper

Writing credits
Peter Fonda		(written by) &
Dennis Hopper		(written by) &
Terry Southern		(written by)

Produced by
Peter Fonda	....	producer
William Hayward	....	associate producer (as William L. Hayward)
Bert Schneider	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
László Kovács		(director of photography) (as Laszlo Kovacs)
Baird Bryant		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Donn Cambern

Art Direction by
Jeremy Kay		(as Jerry Kay)

Makeup Department
Virgil Frye	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Paul Lewis	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Len Marsal	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Robert Vincent O'Neill	....	property master (as Robert O'Neil)

Sound Department
James Contrares	....	boom operator
Le Roy Robbins	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Steve Karkus	....	special effects

Stunts
Tex Hall	....	stunt gaffer
Gary Littlejohn	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richmond L. Aguilar	....	gaffer (as Richmond Aguilar)
Guy Badger	....	generator operator
Foster K. Denker	....	electrician (as Foster Denker)
Peter Heiser	....	assistant camera (as Peter Heiser Jr.)
Melton Maxwell	....	best boy (as Mel Maxwell)
Tom Ramsey	....	key grip (as Thomas Ramsey)
Peter Sorel	....	still photographer
Les Blank	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
Larry Lapointe	....	electrician (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Henry Jaglom	....	editorial consultant
Marilyn Schlossberg	....	post-production
Stan Siegel	....	assistant editor (as Stanley Siegel)

Music Department
Mike Deasy	....	musician (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Lee Pierpont	....	transportation

Other crew
Joyce King	....	script supervisor
Tony Vorno	....	location manager
Dan Haggerty	....	motorcycle builder (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Pando Company Inc.
• Raybert Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1969) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2000) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Falcon (????) (Czech Republic) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (1987) (Argentina) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Other Companies

• Cinefx  titles
• Edit-Rite  sound effects
• Producers' Sound Services  re-recording (as Producer's Sound Service, Inc.)
• Ryder Sound Services  sound recording (as Ryder Sound Service, Inc.)
• Sunset Gower Studios  sound stages
• Synchrofilm Inc.  music editing (as Synchrofilm, Inc.)

Also Known As:

The Loners (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:18 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | South Korea:18 (DVD rating) | Brazil:16 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:M18 | New Zealand:R16 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2009) | Australia:MA (2009 DVD rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003)

Filming Locations:

157 Bridge Street, Las Vegas, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

For the famous soliloquy that Peter Fonda does in the cemetery while tripped on acid, Director Dennis Hopper asked Peter to talk to the statue as if he were talking to his mother, who died a suicide when Peter was 10 years old. Peter didn't want to do it, as he had never confronted his feelings about his mother. But Hopper insisted, which is why you hear Peter call the statue "Mother", and he states that he both loves her and hates her, which expresses his conflicted emotions. This scene persuaded Bob Dylan to allow the use of his song "It's Alright Ma" in one of the final scenes, which contains lyrics referencing suicide. Peter told Dylan, "I need to hear those words", and he agreed to its use.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: In the diner scene, a shadow on the wood panel between the booths.

Quotes:

Captain America: It's grass.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Recess: School's Out (2001)

Soundtrack:

I Wasn't Born to Follow

A Far Out Document of the late 60's Encapsulates Counter-Culture America.

Not many films have documented an era of American culture the way it must have really been. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES captured the reality of the post-war 1940's. TAXI DRIVER is a masterpiece of social distortion and paranoia exemplary of the 1970's. No film other than EASY RIDER captures the late 1960's as seen by the American counter-culture. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper's story of two men who go in search of America and 'freedom' is a bona fide sign of the times. I may not have been around at the time, but it is great to see a film portraying the long-haired, hippie attitude towards an America in turmoil in the form of a biker flick, circa 1969.

EASY RIDER is an exploration of vast and desolate parts of the country. Of course, the stop at Mardi Gras is a necessity, but what Fonda and director Hopper are trying to tell us is that there was no 'freedom' as they saw it. The sprawling journey shows filmgoers the multiple frictions and shattered idealism of a generation in the midst of cultural change. Sex, drugs, and music were exploding socially and 1960's ideology may have come to an end in 1969, literally and figuratively speaking - much like it shockingly does in this film.

Peter Fonda plays cool "Captain America", otherwise known as Wyatt, while Hopper is a paranoid prophet of the hippies as "Billy the Kid". The stunning DVD version of the film notes the importance of Laszlo Kovacs, the director of photography. Much of the film consists of Kovacs' simple shooting of the riders as they travel spiraling highways and bigoted backroads. It is some beautiful footage and essential to the trip. A major deal is made, much grass is smoked, and the film takes off from there. Their ultimate goal is never clearly defined, but Fonda's final comment to Hopper may sum it up for viewers. Did they find what America was supposed to be about? I guess not according to Fonda.

There is a surreal experience at a commune the Kid and Wyatt stop at. These scenes are out of a Fellini film. One significant shot paints the commune with a 360 degree pan across the faces of the live-in hippies. The expressions on the faces all seem different, some grinning, others just zoned out. Kovac's amazing camera work (especially on the road with the bikes) along with a virtual who's who in rock music of the late 60's makes for a sometimes visceral filmgoing experience. The immortal 'Born to be Wild' blares over the opening title sequence and everyone from Hendrix to The Byrds are heard throughout.

EASY RIDER also contains one of Jack Nicholson's 2 or 3 most memorable performances, even to this day. As drunken lawyer "George Hanson", he creates an amazingly funny and perfect counterpoint to Hopper and Fonda. He realizes what the general public can think of the "long-hairs" and puts himself in danger just by traveling with them. A bizarre notion of alien presence in the U.S. government is part of a hilarious conversation Nicholson and Hopper have over Whiskey and smoke. His scenes on Fonda's chopper with the golden football helmet are absolute, cinematic classics.

Credit must be given to Fonda, Hopper, Nicholson, Kovacs, and Terry Southern for giving a new face to movie-making. They captured the era in a raw, jump cutting fashion. Maybe the hippies were not entirely right by trying to live off the land, or smoking dope all the time, but they may have been onto something.

RATING: ***1/2