Easy Rider was an influential American motion picture that became a landmark portrayal of the “hippie” youth movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The film was released in 1969. It cost less than $400,000 to make but earned millions of dollars throughout the world. Easy Rider also provided actor Jack Nicholson with his first important role. He was nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actor.
Easy Rider follows two young men, played by Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, as they take a motorcycle trip through the American Southwest and South. The two encounter various colorful characters in episodes involving drugs, prostitutes, hippies, and rednecks. Their journey through America finally ends in violence and death.
Hopper directed the motion picture and wrote the script with Fonda and Terry Southern. The film was aided by its rock music soundtrack that featured recordings by several major rock performers. The unexpected box-office success of Easy Rider led to many imitation “motorcycle” films about society dropouts seeking meaning in life outside mainstream America. However, Easy Rider remained unique as a portrait of the American counterculture of the 1960’s and 1970’s.
See also Hippies ; Nicholson, Jack .
