Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Easy Rider - 1969 - 2 Stars
It is worth noting that if I had more political clout, I'd be the mayor of Squaresville. This film may not be for me. Its depictions of drug use and sexuality had to be revolutionary at the time - now it just seems boring. This may be an unfair critique - later films should not inform the way this one goes about telling its story. However, it is not only plotless but characterless, and there is nothing for us to grab on to except beautiful Southwestern vistas, 60s counterculture sights, and an interestingly cut film. Further diluting the revolutionary nature is the soundtrack - hearing the strains of 'Born To Be Wild' over the opening credits must've been fresh in 1969, but having heard it trying to hock automobiles, credit cards, and liquor in recent television ads destroys its potency.
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i liked jack nicholson, though
ReplyDeleteso did i, but he's in the movie for 20 minutes, goes on a silly rant about aliens, then promptly gets beaten to death by the deus ex machina.
ReplyDeletearound 30 minutes into the movie, i was like milhouse asking, 'when are they going to get to the fireworks factory?' re: nicholson's promised presence in this movie.
ha, nice. i just remember the odd way it was shot and cut. the last scene the guys get bumped off the road, the camera pans out, and then the movie is over. it resembled a college film project more than a real movie.
ReplyDeleteI hated this movie. I wonder if it's even possible for someone who didn't live through the 60s to enjoy it?
ReplyDeletesomeone on my netflix friends list rated it 5 stars, so it's possible. i just don't see how it's enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteif you want these film techniques used better (and in a similar but tighter story), see godard's breathless.
Breathless has been added to my mental queue.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but some reason I was thinking of Duel because of this discussion (and I don't mean in a bad way. It's Spielberg's first movie and I thought it was awesome. There are like 3 characters in the whole thing but it's worth a watch.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder about Duel. I saw the middle half on TV a couple of years ago and wanted to see how it ended (and started), but forgot all about it.
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