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Streaming Easy Rider Online.
Movie Title: Easy Rider Easy Rider is available for streaming or downloading. |
“Easy Rider” directed by Dennis Hopper, produced by Peter Fonda and written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern was a low budget film ($340 grand) that surprisingly became a box office smash. The story is about two hippys (Fonda & Hopper) who buy choppers with cash they’ve gotten from a drug deal. They ride cross country heading to Louisianna (to Mardi Gras) and on their way meeting different people, visiting a commune of hippys, ending up in jail, going to a brothel, taking acid etc. The ending was disturbing in 1969 and still is, even in these days of non-stop violence in our country. This 35th Anniversary Edition is identical to the regular dvd version of “Easy Rider” with the exact same bonus material “The Making-Of Documentary “Easy Rider: Shaking The Cage” (feat. interviews with Fonda, Hopper, etc.) and an audio commentary by Dennis Hopper plus production notes. The bonuses for this 35th Anniversary Edition are a cd which includes eight songs (do not confuse this cd with the actual “Easy Rider Soundtrack” as it is not). The songs are “Born To Be Wild” – Steppenwolf, “The Weight” – Smith, “Nights In White Satin” – The Moody Blues, “Wasn’t Born To Follow” – The Byrds, “San Francisco Nights” – Eric Burden And The Animals, “The Pusher” – Steppenwolf, “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” – Roger McGuinn and “Get Together” – The Youngbloods. The 80 page book “Easy Rider” by Lee Hill is interesting and includes all you’ll ever want to know about the film. The bottom line is, if you already own the regular dvd of “Easy Rider” I’d pass on this 35th Anniversary Edition. Of course, if you don’t own this classic film it may be worth the extra cash for the bonus cd and book.
I bought this title because I am a motorcyclist. If you have never ridden one and want to know what it is like, this movie will take you on a virtual road trip from Los Angeles through beautiful mountain scenery down to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The two stars, Peter Fonda (Wyatt) and Dennis Hopper (Billy), head out on the highway to the motorcycle anthem, “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf, and there are some fantastic camera shots of them crossing the Colorado River. If that scene doesn’t get your blood pumping, then you can be assured that motorcycling isn’t for you.
There’s a lot more to this movie than just scenic motorcycling and sixties music. A typical biker movie has a weak plot, usually involving some gang terrorizing the local community. Before creating this movie, Fonda and Jack Nicholson (George), as well as some of the other cast members all appeared in such flicks. By contrast, “Easy Rider” is really a mold-breaker for its type, because it involves a lot of social commentary.
Early in the movie, Billy and Wyatt pick up a stranger along the highway, who turns out to be the leader of a commune. He is a dead ringer for John Lennon, when he had his Sgt. Pepper look. Wyatt and the stranger get along well, but Billy is suspicious of the hitchhiker. They take him back to his commune and hang out for awhile there with the people. Wyatt fits in OK, but Billy is not generally respected. Many of them make fun of Billy. For some time, this was very hard for me to account for, since Billy is a freak.
I did not gain any insights into this until I read the book, “Riders On the Storm” by Doors’ drummer, John Densmore. In it, he explains how the Doors, who were from Los Angeles, were not invited to play the Monterey Pop Festival. San Francisco flower power was about peace and love, and Jim Morrison, the lead singer, gave off an aggressive vibe. Densmore also said that some famous flower power musicians did not want to be publicly associated with The Doors. For instance, John Sebastian agreed to play harmonica on “Roadhouse Blues,” but he would not allow his real name to be used in the credits. I believe that the difference in values between Los Angeles and San Francisco is crucial to understanding why Billy was rejected by the commune members.
Wyatt and Billy are not from San Francisco, and they do not wear psychedelic clothing. They hail from Los Angeles, and they are preoccupied with freedom–not peace and love. Billy has a real aggressive vibe to him. He is very confrontational, and he doesn’t get along well with others. Wyatt is more of a seeker. He is open-minded and interested in what other people have to offer. They’re both rich, but not through legal or reputable means. They smuggled some cocaine across the border from Baja, Mexico, and then they sold it for a huge profit. The two are friends, and they seem to have accepted each others strengths and weaknesses.
The movie makes some clear statements about sixties social values and morals. In other cases, it brings up issues, but doesn’t reach any firm conclusions. The movie ends tragically, but it isn’t an indictment of flower power. Billy had rejected peace and love, and had he not reacted in the confrontational manner that he did, things might have turned out differently. This movie is about the tradgedy and failure of hate–and the need for peace, love, and understanding. I give this movie a five-star rating because it documents the issues of the times so effectively. As a motorcycle movie, this production is practically unbeatable because it has captured the spirit of motorcycling so well.
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