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Easy Rider

Easy Rider

List Price: $14.94
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Freedom
Review: It is as simple as this. There's nothing, really, to "get". This movie is about freedom and peace. It's about how the tyranny of the "Status Quo" stifles the spirit of man, and with bleak outcome, illustrates how this wreckless hatred of difference, and unacceptance of our fellows, ends in destruction of peace. Those with baseless pride, always quick to judge and condemn, are the real villains, despite the protagonists' lawlessness, they bring no harm to anyone, which is in stark contrast to the majority of those they encounter.

I keep reading reviews on how many "sided with the rednecks". All I can say is that if you find yourself doing just that, then you really must delve further into the nature of freedom. *REAL* freedom.

That is the essense of this film. It is the one word of description to label it and define it. The protagonists' are on a quest to discover what it is to be free, whilst indulging in it. The realisation of the farmer's existence is an example of where they see how freedom is manifest in different forms. Despite the choice of the expression, the farmer and the (anti)heroes share a similar viewpoint on life.

This may very well be the most patriotic film ever made. It is a shame that so many can't look past the surface to see that fact.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Milestone Hollywood Classic - A "Trend-Setter"
Review: This thoroughly entertaining movie about two hippies who cross the Southwest on motorcycles and meet disaster when they encounter some trigger-happy rednecks, forever set the pace for the genre.

Symbolizing the era, this remarkable and unique film makes casual statements on hatred and a society that for some is too structured and too organized. Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda are great in the roles of the free-wheeling bikers, but Jack Nicholson's performance as the small-town lawyer who joins them is absolutely amazing.

This "Flower Power" era blockbuster owes much of its phenomenal success to the soundtrack featuring Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild". This is a must-see for anyone who "lived" the times, as well as for fans of classic rock music. A winner anyway you look at it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: CLASSIC FLICK
Review: This is one classic flick. It is very thought provoking,
interesting, enlightening, and generally fun (until the end).
I am a criminology professor, and find this movie very
appropriate as a teaching tool and as a means to stimulate
critical conversations. I am grateful to have been exposed
to this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not Bad.
Review: 'Easy Rider' is a decent film about two free-willed bikers trecking across the country. This movie skyrocketed some of the actor's carrers. The ending is shocking, but the best scene is when they play 'The Weight' by The Band while cruising on the highway.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of my favorite flicks of all time!
Review: The VHS version does not do justice for hopper/fonda's masterpiece work. DVD all the way. I couldn't believe how 'new' it looked when i saw it for the first time on widescreen/dvd. This was always a favorite flick of mine. It is a classic. Yer basic story of 'drug-dealin' buddies, sell their stuff, make money, get bigger bikes and go cross country on two Harley's during the era of "Beautify America", a time of revolution and peace, love rock and roll. Rock and roll: Easy Rider has one of THE best soundtracks as well; Steppenwolf's "The Pusher" and "Born to Be Wild" fit the scenes QUITE well. The Byrd's "I wasn't born to follow", The Band's "The Weight" and Jimi's "If Six Was Nine" made their marks in history by their musical impact in this film. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper portray Wyatt (Capt. America) and Billy (the Kid) in this biker/western cult classic. "Gotta get to Mardi Gras, man!". Luke Askew plays an awesome hippie/guru head of a hippie haven located in the middle of the desert. Jack Nicholson "George Hanson/Blum-blum-blum-tang!" plays a 'well educated' lawyer tryin' to get outta jail....it all flows together so well. The movie starts off with Wyatt and Billy snorting cocaine, then they smoke grass then they drink wine/liquor and then they trip in the gravest of places...a graveyard with two 'whores' from that house mentioned in that Animals song. After the first time I saw this film, i was inspired to go out and make my own...I may do so, someday. I think what makes this a classic flick, the fact that when it was released we had wars going on in Vietnam and at home in the US of A, between protestors and government. This flick avoids government and Vietnam war, just the war between mellow peace bikers against an irrate southern USA culture.....but it goes for the sex, drugs, rock and roll....cornerstone of any nutrious-best movie of all time.....This dvd version also features the making of the film which is interesting to listen to Dennis, Pete, Luke and other writers and crew about the troubles that made Easy Rider the classic that it is.....

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Greatest Road Movie Ever. A True Classic
Review: The scenery alone is enough to send chills down your spine. Add to that the killer soundtrack and Jack Nicholson's star making (and in my opinion, his best) performance and you've got yourself one hell of a film. Easy Rider (Directed by Dennis Hopper) is the story of two hippie bikers who take a trip on their motorcycles down to the Mardi-Gras festival in New Orleans. Along the way they stopped at a hippie commune, end up in a parade, and spend the night in jail before finally making it to Mardi-Gras. Where they proceed to have themselves a good old time with two [women] while taking acid.

The big three things that make this movie special are the scenery (photographed to perfection, by Laslo Kovack) the music. Which just plain rocks and Jack Nicholson's performance. Nothing against Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper's performance but Nicholson steals every scene he's in. This movie is also a fasinating look at the 60's counterculture. Lots of drugs, great music, killer movie. Enjoy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Easy Rider!
Review: Born to be wild! Steppenwolf's anthem to the 1960's counter-culture is all put in one movie...EASY RIDER. With a soundtrack to die for and Really good 'stoned' performances by Fonda and Hoper as well as Jack Nicholson,these guys really acted like they were high. The search for real America. A really nice adventure of a movie!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Born To Be Wild
Review: "Easy Rider" is one of the best releases of 1969. Dennis Hopper starred, directed, and wrote this film. It received two Oscar nominations: Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson). This film has since been held as a history cornerstone, educating viewers the true lifestyles during the 1960's, namely the hippies. Its camera effects are brilliant, though some were accidental. Though accidental, the film's impact wouldn't be nearly as intense. Such effect places it ahead of its time remains influencial to modern-day films. The plot of two motorbikers on a mission to make a drug deal is brilliant. The people they meet and the experiences they live add a lot of originality to the film. The accuracy of the lifestyles prove the writers did their research. The acting is flawless, namely Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Jack Nicholson. This film is what deservingly placed the then-unknown Nicholson into higher fame territory. "Easy Rider" is a great movie for those looking for a great classic or a great history refresher. This is sure to continue pleasing audiences for many more years. Those looking for more should also buy the "Easy Rider" Sdtk., which contains great psychedelic rock and great "biker-pride" songs.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Helmut? Oh, I got a helmut..."
Review: Easy Rider is a truly landmark film in the true sense of the meaning of the term. Produced on a very low budget and set in the late 60's it was, in my opinion, the first movie to really capture a particularly interesting moment in time. While many films sort of used the notion of the late 60's, drugs, sex, rebellion, idealism, as a means to make money, this seemed really the first film to accurately reflect a realistic image of the time period with an unflinching eye.

Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper play Wyatt, or Captain America, and Billy, two free type spirits who, after a making quite a bit of money through a sale of drugs, decide to hit the road and drive cross country to Mardi Gras. Along the way, they pick up George Hanson, a southern lawyer, played by Jack Nicholson.

While watching this movie, you may get a sense that it is sort of a western, with the western landscapes and the main characters riding 'iron' horses. This was the intention of the filmmakers, especially the director, Dennis Hopper. One of my favorite scenes was at the beginning, right before Wyatt and Billy are about to embark on their trip, Wyatt removes his watch and throws it on the ground. This symbolized a sense of throwing off the constraints of the old world and an effort to embrace true freedom, if there is such a thing.

Nicholson tends to steal the scenes he is in, and gives a particularly wonderful piece about what freedom is, and why people are so afraid of it. He sort of represented to me one who has been fed many misconceptions about the individuals and movement Wyatt and Billy represent, but once in their company, finds that much of what he has been told may not be true. A sort of individual caught between the generations.

The film is dated, but that didn't detract anything for me. The only scene I really didn't care for was when Wyatt, Billy, Mary (Toni Basil), and Karen (Karen Black) drop acid in a Louisiana cemetery and proceed to trip for an extended period of time.

Along with wonderful performances, much credit must go to the cinematographer, as the landscapes are beautiful, especially the wide shots of the western scenery. They are truly breathtaking. And the music used was exceptionally good, fitting each scene and helping to create the proper mood throughout the film.

The movie presented here looks excellent, in anamorphic wide screen, and includes a commentary by Dennis Hopper. Also included is a wonderful 'Making of' featurette called Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage which really helps to illustrate all that went into making this film. The production, at time, often reflected the turbulent times of when the film was made, and helps to give more flavor to the movie, really enhancing the overall effect. All in all, Easy Rider is a wonderful slice of outsider Hollywood that captured the true essence of an exceptionally turbulent time in America.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Two for the road
Review: Revolutionary in its time but appearing somewhat dated now, "Easy Rider" was the ultimate road trip: two bikers on a cross-country ride from the west coast to Mardi Gras in New Orleans after scoring big in a drug deal. Produced and directed by, and starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, and almost stolen by a then-unknown named Jack Nicholson playing a hippie lawyer, "Easy Rider" follows its two heroes across some of the most stunning scenery in the Southwest as they head towards Louisiana in search of "freedom", whatever that means. "Easy Rider" not only brings us two (or three, counting Nicholson) of society's dropouts, we also meet a community of hippies, some narrow-minded small-town lawmen, and some rednecks in Louisiana who seem to have a more-than-passing relationship to Neanderthals. We wonder if the film's perhaps unwitting message is that the search for meaningless "freedom" results in meaningless and wanton death and destruction. More than any film of its time, "Easy Rider" caught the mood of the late 1960s in America and the fear of the "establishment" for society's rebels. It may be of its own time, but its timeless rejection of mindless conformity echoes down to us.


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