Easy Rider (1969)

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

Director:

Dennis Hopper

Writers:

Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper,

Stars:

Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Antonio Mendoza

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

Wyatt and Billy are two motorcycle riders (bikers) on their way to Mardis Gras, and encounter hitchhikers, a drunken lawyer, a jail cell, a whorehouse and the death of a friend.

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Plot Keywords:

biker | mardi gras | jail cell | motorcycle | hitchhiker | 

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Taglines:

A man went looking for America. And couldn't find it anywhere..

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

26 June 1969 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Loners

Filming Locations:

157 Bridge Street, Las Vegas, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Pando Company Inc., Raybert Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rip Torn was originally cast in the role of George Hanson. According to Torn, Dennis Hopper pulled a knife on him during a pre-production meeting. On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Hopper claimed it was Torn who pulled the knife. Torn sued Hopper for defamation and won.

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Goofs

In the diner scene, a shadow on the wood panel between the booths.

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Quotes

George Hanson: [Drinking his Jim Beam] Here's the first of the day, fellas! To old D.H. Lawrence.
[He starts flapping one arm like a chicken]
George Hanson: Neh! Neh! Neh! Fuh! Fuh! Fuh! Indians.

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Connections

Referenced in Ghost Rider (2007)

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Soundtracks

"The Pusher"
Performed by Steppenwolf
Composed by Hoyt Axton

User Reviews

A Flawed Masterpiece

To me, a flawed masterpiece is a film that is not perfect but by the end achieves something so great it overcomes its' flaws. The two films I can honestly say that about are Lars Von Trier's Dancer In The Dark and Easy Rider. Easy Rider perfectly defines it.

The flaws: Well, the first half although entertaining it pointless. They basically just ride around and pick up hippies and go to a commune. Peter Fonda although he looks the part but for some reason something seemed missing from his character. Also, in the beginning there is a pretty annoying editing technique which they luckily soon abandon.

The film really gets astounding in the second half. The whole film is shot very well by DP Laszlo Kovacs and the music might be one of the best soundtracks ever in film. I might even buy it. The film is filled with genuinely poetic ideas. Jack Nicholson gives a star making performance and Dennis Hopper is once again and forever THE MAN. This film is filled with many biblical metaphors which never came off as pretentious but very powerful. The film is filled with very strong visuals. No wonder Dennis Hopper once wanted to work with Alejandro Jodorwsky. The ending is might be the best part of the movie. It is almost the ultimate "what the f*ck?' moment in history, but for such a chaotic film it fits perfectly. The ending is also powerful. It represented to me the end of a generation.

Well okay. This movie I know will definitely not please everybody but for those who are open minded and into visually driven films, this film will certainly live up to its' title as one of the most influential films in American history.