Easy Rider (DVD, 1999, Special Edition)

It took me awhile to realize the connection between Easy Rider & several movies written by Phillip K. Dick.The connection is from opposite sides of the same issue, which is predestination versus free will. Captain America,& Billy,in this movie,are doomed,& act out what is seen,as a flash forward,in the New Orleans whorehouse,which is the predestination side.Tom Cruise's character,in Minority Report,is saved,through multiple opportunities,being assisted by the Pre-Crime prophetess,(& being really innocent),due to free will.
It is also a great period piece,a time-capsule representation of what life was like,in the early 70's,in the drug culture.

For me this movie was all about Captain America's panhead chopper. What I noticed this time was the time period in relation to the biker/hippie discrimination mentality and how the movie made southerners look like either dirt poor or intolerant bigots. Great soundtrack!! Excellent views of the countryside. Awesome time capsule of the late 60's communal lifestyle and how drug use was a part it. Peter Fonda defines cool. Dennis Hopper was great. A young Jack Nicholson was a hoot to watch. Ending was sudden and terrible.

Easy Rider is not a movie that would appeal to everyone. It's about freedom, and finding one's way. It's about non-conformity and expression. It's about the yoke of stereotyping, and the difference between American ideals, and what Americans actually practice.

On a large scale, it introduced the concept of cross country motorcycling. Something a lot of us take completely for granted today.

If your looking for a more 'standard' movie with a set of wholesome characters and a more standard cookie cutter plot, this movie is not it. It's not a 'family' movie. Unless, your a family of 'bikers'.

Easy Rider takes you back to an earlier, simpler time. The 1960s and 1970s. Americans we're rebelling against wars, trying to get over the horrors of WWII, and Korea and watching the ramp up the Viet Nam War. Young men and women were trying to find their way in life, and asked serious questions about what it's all about. Take that context in with this movie.

The riding scenes are still striking. The music score is still valid and powerful today. I was so inspired by the film that I've nearly completed building my own Captain America motorcycle.

Again, it's a movie that you either 'get' or can't 'get'. If your a biker, and you ride alone through the country or on distance trips with friends... you'll get it.

"AN ASTONISHING WORK OF ART AND AN OVERPOWERING MOTION PICTURE EXPERIENCE."
EXPERIENCE THE REAL, UNCENSORED '60S COUNTERCULTURE IN THIS COMPELLING MIXTURE OF DRUGS,SEX, AND ARMCHAIR POLITICS. JACK NICHOLSON STARS WITH PETER FONDA AND DENNIS HOPPER IN THIS UNCONVENTIONAL CLASSIC. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PICTURES OF THE DECADE. EASY RIDER CONTINUES TO TOUCH A CHORD WITH AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES.

WHO COULD ARGUE THE FACT THAT THIS MOVIE IS AN ICONIC HIGHWATER MARK OF THE 1960's LOVE, PEACE AND HAPPINESS CULTURE? A DIRECTORIAL MASTERPIECE BY DENNIS HOPPER PLUS JACK NICHOLSON'S "COMING OUT" PERFORMANCE. EVERYONE(INCLUDING ME) WANTED TO ENVISION THEMSELVES AS THE FREE SPIRITS EMBODIED IN PETER FONDA,HOPPER,JACK AND LUKE ASKEW. I SAW THIS MOVIE TWICE IN THE THEATER(SUMMER OF '69)AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER HITCH-HIKED TO FLORIDA FROM GREENWICH VILLAGE,NEW YORK. THOSE WERE THE DAYS!
THE QUALITY OF THIS DVD IS EXCELLENT AND WATCHING IT MAKES ME FEEL YOUNG AGAIN EVEN THOUGH I'M CLOSING IN ON 60. I RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE WHO WANTS AN ACCURATE LOOK INTO A COUPLE OF GUYS LIVES(AND DEATHS) BACK IN THOSE TURBULENT BUT WONDERFUL BYGONE DAYS. PEACE! ROD LENT