Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)

A look at 1970s Hollywood when it was known as New Hollywood, and the director was the star of the movie.

Director:

Kenneth Bowser

Writers:

Peter Biskind (book), Kenneth Bowser

Stars:

Martin Scorsese, Dennis Hopper, Peter Bogdanovich

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martin Scorsese	...	Himself
Dennis Hopper	...	Himself
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Himself
Sam Peckinpah	...	Himself (archive footage)
Warren Beatty	...	Himself
Robert Altman	...	Himself
Arthur Penn	...	Himself
Jack Nicholson	...	Himself
Francis Ford Coppola	...	Himself
Steven Spielberg	...	Himself
George Lucas	...	Himself
Tony Bill	...	Himself
Peter Bart	...	Himself
Paul Schrader	...	Himself
Sharon Tate	...	(archive footage)

Storyline

Based upon Peter Biskind's book of the same name, this BBC-produced documentary traces the rise of a generation of Hollywood filmmakers who briefly changed the face of movies with a more personal approach that pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable on-screen. Influential directors who appear include Arthur Penyn ("Bonnie and Clyde"), Dennis Hopper ("Easy Rider"), Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather"), John Schlesinger ("Midnight Cowboy"), Bob Rafelson ("Five Easy Pieces") Martin Scorsese ("Taxi Driver"), Peter Bogdanovich ("The Last Picture Show"), and Jonathan Demme ("Crazy Mama"). Narrated by William H. Macy, the documentary features vintage clips of Coppola, Scorsese, Beatty, George Lucas, Sam Peckinpah, Roman Polanski, Robert Altman, and Pauline Kael. It also includes original interview material with Penn; Roger Corman; Bogdanovich; Hopper; David Picker; writer/directors John Milius and Paul Schrader; actresses Karen Black, Cybill Shepherd, Margot Kidder, and Jennifer Salt;...

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Plot Keywords:

hollywood | producer | interview | filmmaker | actor | 

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Taglines:

How the Sex Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

UK Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Cactus Three, The Fremantle Corporation

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the subjects profiled in author Peter Biskind's book, including directors Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Robert Altman, and 'William Friedkin', declined interviews for the documentary.

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Connections

References Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

User Reviews

A Glance at the Second Golden Age of Cinema

"Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" is an orgy for movie lovers. How can anyone who loves film not be in heaven at the constant parade of landmark films and key industry figures that charges across the screen in this fast-paced documentary? If you've read the book, the movie will feel cursory, and one will find himself wishing for more detail, more insider stories. There are curious omissions here, and wonders if Bowser structured his content based on who he could get to agree to interviews. Altman is hardly mentioned, Scorsese (who shows up everywhere talking about movies) is not interviewed, and Kubrick isn't mentioned at all (save for one shot of the "2001" poster). Still, what's there is great, and if you're like me, you'll be left with a twinge of sadness that such a rich time in film artistry seems to be gone forever.

Grade: A-