Tag Archives: peter fonda

EASY RIDER (1969)

I recently caught this movie again and I came away more impressed than I have in the past.  The print I saw had been digitally restored and the imagery benefits greatly from the treatment.  I include this clip because it shows a lot of the road trip that these two anti heroes (dope dealers, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda,  travelling cross country on motorcycle “choppers” and taking it easy on the open road, while taking in the sights) initially debark upon.  It also is accompanied by The Bryds’ “I Wasn’t Born To Follow”, a nice country rock style tune which I like a lot.  The grandeur of the old highways, their quaintness and the splendor of the American landscapes are represented magnificently here.  But times and transportation have changed in the nearly 50 years since this picture was made.   Unless you specifically seek out what may be left of these old roads, they are mostly gone.  That being said, film and video also provide a valuable method of preservation of moments and places in time.  This is what the country once looked like and how these stars once appeared.  Credit Director of Photography Laslo Kovacs for the beautiful visuals.

 

 

RACE WITH THE DEVIL – 1975

Ah!!!  Here is a delightful little trifle called “Race with the Devil”.  Two vacationing couples take their RV out into the wild and make the mistake of setting up camp smack dab in the middle of human sacrifice country!  Truly terrible luck.  After this unfortunate incident, the movie becomes one long chase sequence as the blood thirsty devil worshippers continue in hot pursuit of  the couples.  Great action and some nice turns by the always dependable actors Warren Oates and Peter Fonda.  This one is definitely not an Easy Ride.