![]() ![]() Dennis Hopper insisted on using the “flash-forward” narrative device, wherein scenes from later in the movie are inserted into the current scene. The photography throughout the whole film is largely structured around its scenery, less concerned with dialogue, and is most reliant on symbolism. The cinematic language of Easy Rider made all of its hidden messages all the more alluring. “I thought the moment for the biker film had come, especially if the genre was moved one step away from exploitation toward some kind of literary quality.” – Jack Nicholson ![]() Nicholson’s character encapsulates the true essence of the central characters of Easy Rider and, most importantly, what both keeps them going, and simultaneously isolates them from the rest of the world. Audiences loved Nicholson’s personality and his performance created a sensation. His jailhouse dialogue in Easy Rider lights up the movie almost instantly. Jack Nicholson plays an alcoholic lawyer named George Hanson whom Captain America and Billy meet in a jail cell. He’s talented, too! Easy Rider was Nicholson’s breakthrough into Hollywood and marked the real beginning of his legendary career. If there’s one thing we can all agree upon, that would be the simple fact that Jack Nicholson’s smile is intoxicating. It almost feels like a time capsule conveying the value of the open road and its endless possibility. Easy Rider explores the idea of freedom and what it means to different people as well as its cost. Billy and Wyatt don’t have regular jobs, families, or homes. ![]() These characters wish to live outside of society and outside of judgment. Together they symbolise the disillusionment with the land of the free as they disrupt whatever is expected of them and play by their own rules. Billy relies on his intuition and his raw take on the world with his constant giggles. Captain America is full of sensitivity and sympathy with his quiet, solitary nature. Wyatt, aka Captain America (Fonda) and Billy (Hopper) seem very different than one another, but they share the same mission. ![]() They ride their motorcycles across America en route to the Mardi Gras festival, picking up hitchhikers, stopping at communes and brushing with the law until they reach their tragic end in the Deep South. Released by Columbia Pictures on July 14, 1969, Easy Rider’s intense and somewhat transformative plot centres around Wyatt and Billy. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider The older guys around the studios didn’t understand the youth market.” – Joseph McBride, film historian and author The major studios were in big trouble and they seemed to be out of touch. The studio system was really collapsing by about 1966. Peter Fonda has said that on top of this, he personally paid for the costs of travel and lodging for the crew, “ Everybody was taking my credit cards and would pay for all the hotels, the food, the gas, everything.” Numbers aside, Easy Rider holds a key place in film history because of its multi-faceted, interpretable script open to interpretation and cinematic storytelling, all of which make it stand out from the many independent films that came before it. The small-budget film earned $60 million worldwide from a filming budget of no more than $400,000. Easy Rider won the award for Best First Work in the Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Dennis Hopper and produced by Peter Fonda, it received two Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson for playing the part of ACLU lawyer George Hanson). Written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, Easy Rider is one of the first hit movies made outside of the studio system. Not only that - Easy Rider is the first indie film to actually make money. However, when Easy Rider was gifted to the world, it became clear that movies can have musical identities that intensify the plot and its characters. Once upon a time, musical numbers had to be specially produced and tailored to each movie. But movie soundtracks weren’t always a natural part of the rapid pace of production. Every scene – especially the most emotionally driven ones – always feels a little bit more human and within our reach if the right melody is playing in the background. Sometimes we are lucky enough to manage to let go and completely immerse ourselves in the movie scene that’s playing before our eyes. ![]()
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