Technically, this is not a great movie, maybe not even a very good one. But it came at a time of cultural upheaval and political unrest in the country, with the rise of the hippie culture when the youth of America was questioning establishment values. 1969 saw the first moon landing, an upset win by the New York Mets in the World Series, and the spirit of Woodstock descending on a nation in turmoil. In the midst of all this, "Easy Rider" arrived with it's valiant attempt to underscore a conservative nation's attempt to grapple with the apprehension posed by the kind of personal freedom personified in the characters of Wyatt's Captain America (Peter Fonda) and his pot addled partner Billy (Dennis Hopper). The film was the embodiment of Kerouac's "On The Road", written a little over a decade earlier. So even if it's not a great film, it's probably an important one. One that puts into perspective what was going on at a time that helped shape the future of the country, some of it for good and some of it for bad. Watching the film today with my forty year old son, I had to field questions about whether things were really that skewed with rednecks belittling long hairs at a roadside diner because they looked different. Anyone old enough can attest to that kind of treatment of hippies, blacks, college students and anyone who didn't quite fit the mold of following in their parents' footsteps. I happened to see the picture when it first came out, and it had a lasting impact, especially the final scene in which Wyatt and Billy met their tragic end. And though I never traveled down the same path that they did, I've tried to keep that sentiment of personal freedom alive and well in my own life. Watch the movie with an open mind and search for it's message between the lines. You might come up with some surprising answers.
Review of Easy Rider
Easy Rider
(1969)
"You know, this used to be a hell of a country."
28 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers