Easy Rider
1969
***
Director: Dennis Hopper
Cast: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, Luke Askew, Phil Spector, Karen Black
Dennis Hopper's directorial debut is the quintessential hippie movie in many ways. It came from outside the studio system but was a big hit with the counterculture movement. It tells a story of two bikers who dream of living free of conservative constraints, but they repeatedly run into prejudice. It's very much a product of its time and it doesn't have the same impact now. Jack Nicholson gives a breakthrough performance as a fellow traveller. Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" has become synonymous with this film.
