I watched Easy Rider for the first time! WTF???

[Shell Beau]

Please help me understand why this is such a great movie! And why did they have to die at the end?

[progmom]

1. hmmmmmmm

I've never seen it. Good to know the ending though. ;)

[Shell Beau]

4. Oops! Sorry! Don't worry about watching it though! It is strange!

[Hugin]

40. It was pretty cut up if you watched it on regular T.V.

The Family Friendly editing kind of ruins the flow of it.

[Shell Beau]

62. We bought it! I know better than to watch that on TV!!

:)

[rug]

42. After 36 years spoilers are allowed.

[progmom]

49. ha ha - yes

hence my smiley ;)

[hfojvt]

52. okay, now I understand the other thread

but we already did this once.

Once.

[progmom]

58. ?

we did what once? :shrug:

[LynneSin]

2. Did you watch it totally sober

no drinking, no drugs, absolutely nothing whatsoever to altar your mind? Then that explains why maybe you didn't get it. Same thing with a Grateful Dead concert. I went to one sober and just couldn't get into it especially the second half of the concert where the band just jammed on for what seemed like eons.

To be honest, I love the movie, well all but the end. But I thought it was symbolic at how society killed free love

[Shell Beau]

5. I heard you need to be a little "goofy" to watch it.

Some parts I did find funny b/c I could understand them in their frames of mind. I guess the ending was symbolic!! :)

[GalleryGod]

7. Released less than a year before the slaughter at Kent State

I would say the ending had some resonance with it's audience.

[LynneSin]

27. I absolutely love the movie and I've never watched it with anything more..

..than maybe 1 or 2 beers in me beforehand.

I think Easy Rider could almost be considered like a parable of man's struggle for freedom but ultimately he was crushed by society (Those who were unwilling to open their eyes to this new freedom).

[hippywife]

43. Excellent analysis, Lynnesin!

I remember seeing it at the drive-in when I was a teenager. I haven't worn a watch since. And, yes, I was horrified and angry at the end but not at the film makers, at society. :hi:

[hfojvt]

53. reminds me of what one of my profs said

"You can't be part of a civilized society, unless you wear a watch."
Other grad student "What about him?" Pointing to me.
"That's different. He doesn't want to be part of a civilized society."

I am still watchless, fifteen years later. And I never saw the movie.

[GalleryGod]

3. Context, Context, Context...though really hokey and corny NOW

it was cutting edge and really edgy in 1968 when filmed, and 1969 when released:hippie: .
For those of us in college that Spring...it was the Best Date Movie.

But, FWIW..that's my opinion.









:smoke: Soundtrack kicked ass,too.

[Shell Beau]

6. Oh, the music was awesome!!

:)

[In_The_Wind]

11. It was perfect then.

I enjoyed it on the big screen.

[GalleryGod]

16. I enjoyed it 5X on the Big Screen, J.A. !

John Kay and Steppinwolf just boomin' in your ears !:wow:

[In_The_Wind]

18. Born To Be Wild ...

On A Magic Carpet Ride ...

[ET Awful]

24. Don't forget the Byrds (and McGuinn solo stuff as well) and, of course,

Fraternity of Man's hit . . . Don't bogart that joint my friend :P

[In_The_Wind]

25. Ahhh ~ McGuinn

[ET Awful]

28. I've seen McGuinn live a few times in the past 5 or 6 years, and he still

sounds great. He looks a little worse for the wear these days, but he's still one of the most creative 12-string guitarists I've ever heard :).

[In_The_Wind]

29. So - he's preforming in the northeast.

That's something for me to keep in mind when the warm weather returns. :)

[ET Awful]

32. Off and on, he does a lot of folk festivals and the like these days

from what I understand anyway.

[In_The_Wind]

33. Mellow is very good.

Although I tend to stay away from large crowds.

[ET Awful]

34. Crowds aren't that bad. Last time I saw him it was an outdoor concert

on a college campus, probably less than 5,000 people all spread out on a huge lawn with blankets and ice-chests. Very relaxed and open :)

[In_The_Wind]

35. That's sounding better all the time.

I love visiting college campuses. They all add a different bit of charm to the experience.

[ET Awful]

36. Well, if I hear of any appearances, I'll post and let you know

:P

[Jack from Charlotte]

38. Jim McGuin.... inventer of the "jangly" guitar. He changed his .....

1st name to Roger sometime after he left The Mitchel Trio

[livetohike]

8. It had great music and was a commentary on the times

I guess you had to be "coming of age" during the sixties. Which I was. I am 53 years old now. It's a generational thing, I guess.

I haven't seen the movie in a while.

[Shell Beau]

10. I guess when you think of it in the time it came out, it probably

was a coming of age film. The effects had me laughing. My how things have changed!

[GalleryGod]

14. Yes, but, (sound like Wolf Blitzer) Cutting Edge 37 years ago.

One thing about movies, Shell...."cutting edge" fades fast:wtf:

[GalleryGod]

12. Nail On Head: Hit !

Rent it again...it won't rev-you-up, but, you'll enjoy it with a sentimental catch-in-your-throat. It's not about the movie anymore when you view it; It's about "where you were in your life" when you first viewed it.

Oceanside? One of my favorite towns!:hippie:

[livetohike]

15. Where I first viewed it

was a drive-in theater back in W. Pennsylvania with shall we say some natural ingredients to pave the way.

[GalleryGod]

17. It had a Big Drive-In Audience that Summer

South Jersey Drive-In that Summer (near Ft. Dix) was my 6th viewing..different date :popcorn: though...

[taterguy]

9. Easy Rider comprehension

Pick up a copy of the book Easy Riders and Raging Bulls. That should answer all your questions about it.

[GalleryGod]

13. Great Gift Idea , too,Tater !

This is one of the great "movie books" of all time...my Stepson gave it to me for Christmas 5 years ago, and since then I've given it as a gift for many people who've :bounce: raved over it !

[Jim__]

19. The music and the times.

So many people were struggling with those issues at that time. People really believed that they had dropped out of "society" permanently. The problem was, what do you do now. I think they were struggling with that issue in the movie.

As to the ending, maybe it was purely gratuitous. "Everybody" knew that southern rednecks were like those idiots in that pick-up. It just fed your rage.

[GalleryGod]

20. Who can forget- getting "hassled by The Man "

though mildly amusing today, it was real,that rage; very real.

[peekaloo]

21. Redneck road rage!

Longhairs were not welcome back then.

[VaYallaDawg]

22. You were supposed to watch that movie in the 60s.

I watched it then. Don't remember it though. In fact I'm pretty sure I don't remember the 60s at all. Or the 70s. Or the .....

[ET Awful]

23. Oh I'd rather go and journey where the diamond crest is flowing and

Run across the valley beneath the sacred mountain and
Wander through the forest
Where the trees have leaves of prisms and break the light in colors
That no one knows the names of

And when it's time I'll go and wait beside a legendary fountain
Till I see your form reflected in it's clear and jewelled waters
And if you think I'm ready
You may lead me to the chasm where the rivers of our vision
Flow into one another

I will want to die beneath the white cascading waters
She may beg, she may plead, she may argue with her logic
And then she'll know the things I learned
That really have no value in the end she will surely know
I wasn't born to follow

___________

The scenery and music alone make it worth watching.

Jack Nicholson makes it doubly so :) . . . "Oh, I've GOT a helmet, she's a beauty."

[Shell Beau]

31. I did laugh at that helmet!

Jack was great in the movie! And yes, the music was too!

[Blue_In_AK]

51. Thank you, ET

I love that song. I have it on "The Notorious Byrd Brothers."

[Zomby Woof]

26. What??!!? NO CGI? NO CHEESY EXPLOSIONS??

It must SUCK! x(

It made Jack Nicholson the star he is today. It was THE turning point of his career, and for that, it is worthy of attention.

Otherwise, it may be a relic, but at least not a soulless one, like so many of today's movies.

[ET Awful]

30. Nicholson ruled in that movie.

I can't even describe how pissed I was at what happened to him.

I was out of breath from laughing when he started his talk about UFO's and aliens :P

[Hugin]

39. Doesn't the exploding gas tank count?

:shrug:

[Zomby Woof]

48. No

Because it was not CGI, or cheesy. (Think Lethal Weapon or Die Hard)

[edbermac]

37. It helps if you smoke a few joints while watching it...

Made perfect sense to me...:hippie:

[otohara]

41. It Was Silly

I remember going when it came out - My sister who is a few years older than me and quite the drama queen was crying her eyes out at the end. I was scratching my head and the last time I saw it - did the same thing.

More hype than anything.

[Medium Baby Jesus]

44. Holy Modal Rounderss nuff said

[Bridget Burke]

66. My Favorite Folk Group!

The Bird Song came from "The Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders." That LP was more listenable than "Indian War Whoop" but not as great as their earlier Prestige records.

I saw Easy Rider during its first run. I didn't LOVE it & it hasn't aged well. Jack Nicolson was great--in fact, his act soon got old.

But the soundtrack was very cool.

[GRLMGC]

45. It's kinda dated, unfortunately nt

[Oeditpus Rex]

46. The entire film is summed up in two lines

:bluebox: The sig line: "A man went looking for America and couldn't find it anywhere."

:bluebox: "You know what, Billy? We blew it."

[robbedvoter]

47. You just watched in the wrong decade/century

When it came out - it was the ONLY movie depicting reality for many young people at that time. All the rest of TV/movies were still stuck in the 50's. So, it struck a nerve.

[Blue_In_AK]

50. How old are you, Shell Beau?

Maybe you had to have been there.

[Shell Beau]

56. 27, so yeah, I guess I don't really understand the times!!

:)

[derby378]

54. It's what I call a "stream of consciousness" film

There's not structured plot - the story just unfolds, and you're being invited to come along for the ride.

Basically, it's a story about two motocyle-riding, drug-dealing nomads who managed to form a very rough code of honor and ethics in the deserts of the Southwest. In a tangible way, they represent the very freedoms that Americans have fought and died for, even though their story takes some bizarre turns and ends violently.

I enjoyed it. It's definitely different, though.

[madrchsod]

55. ya had to be there at that time

today it`s kind`a corny but that`s the way it was

[Blue_Tires]

57. i'm 29, and i loved it

and i first saw it when i was 19 or 20...

[Shell Beau]

59. Well, maybe if I were in the right frame of mind, but

I agree with the posters here, that you really had to understand that time period to appreciate the film and the fact that there was no other film like that at that time.

[WCGreen]

60. It's a cowboy journey movie on bikes....

A traditional story overlayed by updated (almost) costumes and modern (almost) music...

It is no accident that a lot of the music was acoustic based and a lot of the costumes had an American Indian and Southwestern Cowboy motif...

It's almost the same as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid....

The longing to be free... The longing to be free of having to do illegal things in order to live....

They had their chance at the commune, but left to find their own freedom...

Sadly, with all the far outs and what not, the movie sinks under the weight of all that satire that came after, cheech and chong come to mind....

[In_The_Wind]

63. ...

The desperado still wins the ladies hearts ...

[GalleryGod]

61. Kick ! Start Bike. Cue Steppenwolf !

:yourock:

[Joe Chi Minh]

64. I once read that it was based on a real-life incident/mystery.

Apparently, there was evidence to suggest that similar hippie-type characters on motorbikes were murdered by the worst kind of rednecks. A rope across a road or some such. Maybe it was an urban legend or maybe not.

[kick-ass-bob]

65. kick