Easy Rider - On The Road To Nowhere

It seems bizarre that a film as well-regarded among cinephiles as 1969’s Easy Rider can be an embarrassing “not-watched-yet” on your list, but nonetheless, it had escaped me until recently. I’d always had an outside interest in the now-legendary film; in truth not knowing what it was about, to me, it represented America and more precisely a period of free-love, open-mindedness and exploration of self that captured my imagination from a young age. And boy was I in for a treat.

Easy Rider centres around two Harley-ridding hippies, Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper), who, after making a large sum of money on a cocaine deal, travel cross country to experience Mardi Gras and encounter some characters on their way. It should be noted that Easy Rider could be just appreciated on a surface level; you could just revel in the pensive, sex, drugs and rock n’ roll spirit of the movie, but the true beating heart of it lies just under those laconic layers. What can just appear as a run-of-the-mill road movie, actually becomes a mediation of the clashing ideologies that existed in America at this time. On one hand; you have those who turn their nose in disgust at the two bikers, dismissing the care-free, life-on-the-roa views that Wyatt and Billy develop on their journey, and you have those that aid in developing their ideals, exemplified by the commune that the two visit during the early stages of the film.

Perhaps this is why there is a very limited narrative, that itself is simply a vehicle to explore wider themes such as; the anti-establishment movement, freedom and counterculture so synonymous with late-sixties America. In fact, Easy Rider seems to merely concern itself with creating an honest depiction of a specific “time”, and it conveys this beautifully thanks to the indelible work of László Kovacs whose cinematography paints this time in America’s history as a vibrant, open landscape for us to explore with the two lead characters. It seems apt that Hopper and Fonda, who co-created to movie, essentially wrote and re-wrote it as they went along, it feels as though this free-spirited process has bled into the film and serves the exploration of this time period perfectly.

All great movies conjure meanings that are specific to the viewer and to me Easy Rider captures a period of time that I’d fell in love with so accurately its hard to pin-down what exact ‘part’ does this. In truth, it’s the culmination of the (ridiculously good) soundtrack, the yearning for freedom and most of all the ‘adventure’ the characters are on that make me wish I was sitting by a campfire with Wyatt, Billy and George (Jack Nicholson), an alcohol-dependant lawyer who the two protagonists pick up on their journey, awaiting the next day’s adventure and the things to come.

Although the film doesn’t present this lifestyle as one free from challenges, in fact the trio are subject to continual bigotry, homophobic slurs and despite their Caucasian backgrounds, even racial prejudice. Director/star Dennis Hopper uses these instances of confrontation to paint a clear picture of how the ideological clash between small-town America (the locals who shun the group) and the free-spirited bikers. In truth, Easy Rider is tinged with the connotations of divided America, and despite its laissez-faire attitude, manages to saddle the responsibility of tackling issues like this deftly, even coming to a conclusion that becomes quite moving.

Easy Rider conveys a period of time and a symbiotic mentality that completely captured my attention and garnered my admiration. It oozes freedom, often breaking many of the rules of filmmaking, in the best way possible. A must watch! Especially if like me, you’ve failed to watch it in the past. Imagine a Jack Kerouac novel on wheels, add copious amounts of marijuana, and factor in an organic, introspective take on a specific time in American history and you've got yourself one hell of a ride.

Popcorns - 81.