Posted: February 11th, 2022

Easy Rider Movie Analysis Film Studies Essay

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“Easy Rider … invokes each affirmative and significant visions of 1960s America, making it extra of a measure of its occasions than both its authentic or later audiences might think about” (Klinger, B. 1997, p.199). By way of shut textual Assessment establish and talk about the methods wherein the affirmative and significant visions of 1960s America are represented.

‘ Easy Rider was just a little highway film that got here out of nowhere to vary Hollywood ceaselessly… Upon launch, the movie turned an important a part of the 60s iconography, embodying the hopes and fears of the time’. (Hill, L, 1996, pg eight)

Easy Rider (Hopper,D, 1969) is an unbiased American movie which was directed by Dennis Hopper and predominantly produced Peter Fonda, the movie was solely given a finances of roughly ‘$400,000’ (Worldwide Movie Database, no date) by Columbia Photos however resulting from its success by way of controversially displaying essential visions of America it produced a gross revenue of $60,000,000 (Worldwide Movie Database, no date) inside the ten years it was launched. The themes of, medication, intercourse, hippie tradition and racism are portrayed inside the movie by way of the protagonists representations and reactions, the way in which wherein these themes went towards the conventions of American movie making by not portraying an idealistic America created controversy but additionally made nice success as audiences might align with the true happenings in society. Easy Rider’s principal ideology is freedom, Billy and Wyatt, the primary characters, ‘went on the lookout for America, however couldn’t discover it anyplace’ (Durks ,T, no date) , they appeared to discover a corrupt society as a substitute of the American Dream way of life which had at all times been portrayed beforehand; This movie broke the conventions of American cinema and gave inspiration and freedom to all future movie makers. By way of shut Assessment of the characters representations and particular scenes inside Easy Rider the essential visions of America that are displayed will grow to be clear. The scenes I’ll analyse are: Junk yard, Parading with no licence, cafe, Jacks demise, Whore home, ‘We blew it’ and the ultimate shootings, these particular scenes clearly painting zeitgeist creating clear ideologies that are essential in regards to the American society.

Billy and Wyatt are represented as Hippies; Hippie tradition started to have a critical influence on America’s society within the 1960’s,

‘The Hippie motion began in San Francisco, California and unfold throughout america, by way of Canada, and into elements of Europe. But it surely had its biggest affect in America. In the course of the 1960’s a radical group known as the Hippies shocked America with their various way of life and radical beliefs.’ (Huber, A, Lemieux, C, Hollis, M, no date.)

The clothes codes and the characters’ look immediately makes the viewers conscious that they each belong inside this controversial tradition, the traditional jackets, trousers, cowboy hats, sun shades, biker gloves, neck scarves and lengthy hair shows this. Billy and Wyatt did have the ‘radical beliefs’ related to the Hippie way of life, they’d ambitions of changing into ‘free’ and dwelling the American dream; in ‘The south’ the characters would have already been classed as having freedom due to their lengthy hair , lengthy hair is seen as representing freedom; nevertheless as a result of Billy and Wyatt can not discover the American way of life that they’re looking for they suppose that ‘all they characterize … is somebody who desires a haircut’. ( Hopper, D, 1969) The protagonists ‘compulsive seek for untrammelled freedom’ (Lawrence,JB, 1970, web page 665) continues and the highway journey begins.

An enormous a part of the Hippie tradition included medication, the theme of medication could be very obvious inside Easy Rider this subsequently shows a ‘essential America’, throughout the rise of Hippie tradition it was estimated that round 800,000 People had tried marijuana; Marijuana is the predominant drug that’s offered to the viewers inside the movie. In the course of the opening sequence of the movie Billy and Wyatt are established as drug sellers, shut up pictures of the characters sniffing the medication creates pessimistic ideas about them, displaying them as illegal residents, additionally emphasising the notion of Hippies being outcasts. All through the protagonists’ journey medication play an vital half of their actions; this turns into clear to the viewers as medication are offered inside each main stage of their journey.

After mockingly promoting junk at a junk yard, Billy and Wyatt subsequent journey to a commune. The primary few seconds of footage makes the viewers imagine the commune goes to characterize a ‘lovely America’, a mid shot of a tranquil valley portrays this concept. The true way of life is then revealed; a colourless pallet of browns makes the commune immediately look mundane as that is juxtaposed within the audiences thoughts to the valley of vibrant blues and greens. When the characters arrive, diegetic sound codes of laughter and singing makes the neighborhood appear very welcoming and dwelling a cheerful way of life, this notion is quickly modified when shut up pictures of ft strolling on naked floor reveal their desperation for crops and meals. An extended digicam pan then exhibits the depressed and determined faces of every particular person within the commune, this might additionally characterize the battle that Hippies are having within the American society. A prayer for ‘easy meals’ makes the viewers empathise for the characters, the person who says the prayer might be perceived as being a Jesus determine, his look of lengthy hair, a beard and a necklace current the viewers with this notion. Despite the fact that Billy and Wyatt are satisfied that the folks within the commune ‘will make it’ ( Hopper,D,1969) the ‘prayer for good crops visually foretells the catastrophe that lies forward, the commune will fail as a result of its hope and idealism have outstripped actuality’. ( Worldwide Movie Database, no date) Sexual innuendos are additionally created between Billy, Wyatt and two females from the commune, flirtatious conversations and having a unadorned swim collectively shows this concept, while additionally portraying a way of freedom.

Billy and Wyatt then transfer on to their subsequent vacation spot, they find yourself driving in a parade. Up-beat diegetic music of the band enjoying, helps the viewers to flee into the world of the characters, the music additionally portrays an concept that America is a rustic of celebration; quickly after the celebration begins the sound of police sirens take over and immediately the viewers are conscious the characters have been illegal once more. Billy and Wyatt are put into jail for ‘parading with no licence’, Billy can not imagine they’ve been put in jail as a result of Wyatt is ‘Captain America’ and he’s ‘Billy’. Sarcastically Wyatt has been given the nickname Captain America, Captain America is a comic book guide tremendous hero, who wears American motifs which is analogous to Wyatt who has the flag on his helmet and his jacket; the very fact he has been given the identify Captain America connotes that he’s a strong character. Billy’s identify may be perceived as regarding ‘Billy the Child’ who was as an American outlaw within the 19th Century, it is because Billy can also be classed as being an outlaw for being a Hippie. In Jail Captain America and Billy meet and American Lawyer known as George, George states that he can inform that they’ve simply arrived as a result of they’ve nonetheless lengthy hair in a ‘scissor glad’ society. This shows zeitgeist in America; in Texas in 1968 lengthy hair was not allowed, residents needed to have their hair shaved off which might ‘beautify America’, this might be portrayed as America ‘shaving’ away peoples freedom, once more making a imaginative and prescient of a ‘essential America’. George makes use of his excessive standing profession to get all of them out of jail and so they resolve to proceed their journey collectively. Throughout a break from their journey, Billy and Wyatt persuade the American Lawyer to smoke marijuana; this might characterize how the Hippie tradition is beginning to take over the American Society.

The following essential stage within the character’s journey is in a restaurant, the cafe conveys messages that America could be a racist and homophobic society. A panning shot establishes that everybody within the cafe is white and immediately shows the thought of a racist society. When Billy, Wyatt and George enter the cafe a sheriff stereotypes them, referring to them as ‘bother makers’, one other man then calls Billy a ‘she’ due to his notably lengthy hair, these phrases trigger the viewers to suppose that these males are intimidated by the Hippies which is why they’re reacting to them on this method. The notion of America being a racist society is reiterated when one of many males says that he ought to ‘mate’ Billy with ‘a type of black winches on the market’ as ‘that’s about as little as they arrive’. This dialogue confirms the audiences’ authentic intuition a couple of racist America. Billy, Wyatt and George are additionally known as having ‘inexperienced’ pores and skin not white, this can be perceived as representing that they’re alienated from society due to their hippie tradition. The ideology of homophobic America can also be displayed inside this scene when the lads name the hippies ‘Yankee queers’ as they go away the cafe. After the cafe scene George is proven because the conscience, he states that ‘ this was a hell of a superb nation’, this shows zeitgeist about how American society is altering and changing into extra essential. As a result of George was a ‘true’ American he is aware of what the primary downside People have with the Hippie tradition and why they react in such a pessimistic manner, he informs the characters and the viewers that the People are merely ‘scared’ of what the Hippie tradition represents, ‘freedom’, this explains the perspective of the lads within the cafe and virtually permits the viewers to align with their standpoint. This additionally makes the viewers realise that this can be the explanation all People in Texas needed to have their hair shaved off, to keep away from the illustration of freedom. Later in Easy Rider the conscience is killed by the lads within the cafe, this shows how People are ‘scared’ of ‘freedom’ and do grow to be ‘harmful’ to try to cease it, similar to George said earlier within the movie.

The following stage in Billy’s and Wyatt’s journey revolves round a whore home, this scene explores the themes of medication and intercourse displaying America’s girls as not dwelling the traditional American dream, however in actual fact promoting their physique to males and being simply lead. The digicam follows the characters round the home permitting the viewers to see many ladies are ready for determined males to pay for his or her providers, this creates a pessimistic view of American girls displaying them as weak and dependent of males. It’s on this scene the place the viewers realise that Billy and Wyatt have made it to Mardi-Gras, as a substitute of flirting along with his whore Wyatt asks ‘what’s taking place out on the streets…Mardi-Gras’. The loud diegetic sounds of the celebrations mixed with the overriding noise of the police sirens reminds the viewers of the sooner parade and creates an enigma that one thing goes to occur. When the hippies and the whores take to the streets of Mardi-Gras everybody in society seems to be observing them, once more creating a way of being outcast and alienated. The theme of medication turns into dominant within the characters actions once they all arrive in a cemetery; after taking the medication fast cross cuts of, non secular readings, the solar, the cemetery, the sky handing over circles, Wyatt sitting on a statue, a whore bare and a deathly determine, this places the viewers within the place of the characters creating a way of disorientation, forcing the viewers to see the consequences of the medication clearly, this emphasises the affect that hippies are having on American society and the rise of drug use due to their tradition. The determine in black is perceived as representing demise, when Wyatt his sitting on the statue saying ‘why did you allow me like that’ he’s seen to be holding the determine’s umbrella, this creates an innuendo that the characters could also be near demise, the statue wherein Wyatt is sitting on may additionally be seen as representing the statue of Liberty, displaying that he feels America has let him down.

Subsequent, the long-lasting phrase said by Wyatt, ‘we blew it’, is offered to the viewers when the characters are sitting spherical a camp fireplace, this phrase shows how the character couldn’t discover the America he was on the lookout for, and didn’t make any change to the essential American society.

Within the remaining scene, Billy is shot off of his bike by two American males in a truck, who determined to shoot him as a result of he was a hippie; Wyatt drives again and locations the jacket with the American motif over Billy earlier than ‘going for Help’, while going to get Help he himself will get shot by the identical males, a crane shot of the flame from Wyatt’s bike shows that their journey is over; as a result of Hippie tradition made them so alienated in American society they have been killed. The ultimate tune’s lyrics ‘the place ever the river flows is the place I need to be’ connotes a remaining message of freedom. The shootings additionally show zeitgeist, within the 1960’s 5 political leaders have been assassinated, Malcolm X, John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

In conclusion an affirmative and significant America is represented inside Easy Rider, the way in which wherein the themes of, medication, intercourse, hippie tradition, freedom and racism are portrayed present a essential America. The affirmative characters search to search out the American dream way of life however the place ever they journey all they will discover is a essential America. The movie leaves the viewers questioning why the American society doesn’t let folks have freedom and makes them Question Assignment as to why the American dream way of life is at all times represented in movies when it’s so exhausting to search out in actuality. By way of not displaying the traditional American way of life the director and producers of Easy Rider have challenged Hollywood cinema and created freedom for future movie makers.

‘ From the lowest-Finances, most formally audacious or politically radical to the quirky, the offbeat, the cultish and the extra typical, the unbiased sector has thrived in American cinema… producing a physique of labor that stands out from the dominant Hollywood mainstream…It represents a problem to Hollywood’. (King, G. 2005, 1)

Phrase depend: 2310

Filmography

Easy Rider, 1969. Film. Dennis Hopper. America. Columbia Photos.

Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage, 1999. Video. Charles Kiselyak. America. Columbia TriStar house video.