The behind-the-scenes story about this movie

Fern 2021-12-07 08:01:41

In an interview with "Rolling Stone" magazine, lead actor Peter Fonda explained the meaning of the name Easy Rider:

"The word easy rider is specifically used in the southern United States to refer to men who live by their wives as chickens. No, no. The pimps are those who live with prostitutes because they ride on others and live their lives freely. Well, old man, this is what happened in America. Freedom has become a bitch, We ride on her to live our lives."

-On September 6, 1969, "Rolling Stone"


Wim Wenders introduced this movie in the book Emotion Pictures: Reflection on Cinema. In the book, he mentioned that the original movie wanted to use bob dylan's it's alright ma i'm only bleeding as the ending song, but Bob refused. He told the director, "You have to change the ending of the movie. It's too pessimistic. You have to show hope to others."

But the film still stuck to the original ending. Bob's original soundtrack was gone, so Roger McGuinn had to sing the song.

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Extended Reading
  • Dwight 2021-12-07 08:01:41

    In the true sense, the originator of American road movies, the journey from west to east is destined to be an anti-bone of the American spirit, and the breaking of the American dream. 1969 symbolized the collapse of a utopian illusion, and freedom is destined to be unattainable. Looking at the end of the hippie era and reflecting on the United States in the 1960s, the sense of melancholy and emptiness contained in it cannot be felt and reproduced in retrospect after the new century. Hopper's self-direction brings a lot of free space to self-acting and brings the characters to life. Various insertions, skip cuts, unorganized cross-axis and quick repeated cuts every time the scene changes, the editing of the film is as free and unruly as the spirit of the 1960s. (Billy and Wyatt are named after Billy the Kid and Wyatt Earp, the outlaws of the western United States.

Easy Rider quotes

  • George Hanson: Well, um, that's got a real nice, eh, taste to it. Though, I don't suppose it'll do me much good, though, I mean, I'm so used to the booze and everything.

    Captain America: You've got to hold it in your lungs longer, George.

  • George Hanson: That was a - UFO beamin' back at ya. Me and Eric Heisman was down in Mexico two weeks ago, we seen 40 of 'em flyin' in formation. They - they -they've got bases all over the world now, you know. They've been comin' here ever since 1946, when the scientists first started bouncin' radar beams off of the moon. And they have been livin' and workin' among us, in vast quantities, ever since. The government knows all about 'em.

    Billy: What are you talkin', man?

    George Hanson: Well, you just seen one of 'em, didn't ye?

    Billy: Hey, man, I saw somethin', man; but, I didn't see 'em workin' here. You know what I mean?

    George Hanson: Well, they are people just like us. From within our own solar system. Except that their society is more highly evolved. I mean, they don't have no wars, they got no monetary system, they don't have any leaders; because, I mean, each man is a leader. I mean, each man - because of their technology, they are able to feed, clothe, house, and transport themselves equally and with no effort.

    Captain America: Wow!

    Billy: Well, you know something, man, I think, you want to know what I think? I think this is a crackpot idea! That's what I think. How 'bout that? How 'bout a little of that? I think it's a crackpot idea! I mean, if they're so smart, why don't they just reveal themselves to us, huh, and get it over with?

    George Hanson: Why don't they reveal themselves to us - is because if they did, it would cause a general panic. Now, I mean, we still have leaders upon whom we rely for the release of this information. These leaders - have decided to repress this information because of the tremendous shock that it would cause to our antiquated systems. Now, the result of this has been that the Venutians have contacted people at all walks of life, all walks of life -

    [laughs]

    George Hanson: Yes! It would be a devastin' blow to our antiquated systems. So, now Venutians are mating with people in all walks of life in an advisory capacity. For once, man will have a god-like control over his own destiny. He will have a chance to transcend and to evolve with some equality for all.

    Captain America: How was your joint, George?