By using the music of the period from Bob Dylan, The Band, Steppenwolf and Jimi Hendrix, the producers connected the characters with the era and with viewers everywhere. Easy Rider spanned across the breadth of America and captured something truly unique about the American spirit, a sense of freedom, adventure and ability to dream.Įasy Rider was one of the first films to ever use pre-recorded music instead of its own film score. But bikers can still embark on the 2,589-mile Easy Rider route with a commercial tour and rediscover that spirit of individualism for themselves. Outside of film school, few people take the time to appreciate Easy Rider as a piece of classic cinema. Despite the ad’s direct promotion of a car, the elements of the ad echoed the bygone era, which Fonda hopes will renew cultural interest in the film and all it stood for. In 2017, actor Peter Fonda hit the screen in a Super Bowl commercial for Mercedes-Benz.
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Come next year, the movie will celebrate its 50 th anniversary. While Hopper was nearly fired as director, the iconic story and film quality piqued the interest of moviegoers everywhere and became the film that changed the landscape for indie movie makers to come.Īlthough the counter cultural rebellion that made Easy Rider the epic tale it was no longer seem to be what’s fueling today’s youth, the spirit of Easy Rider is poised for a reboot in 2019. Hopper’s subsequent films didn’t achieve the same applause, but he is still lauded for his Easy Rider roles in movie making history. A new documentary titled Along for the Ride recounts the life of Easy Rider’s director Dennis Hopper (who also played the role of Billy in the movie).
Years later, echoes of Easy Rider ring through the culture in documentaries, bike tours, film schools and even the Super Bowl.Įasy Rider isn’t just living on in the hearts of baby boomers and the new riding generation, but in film lore, past, present and future. Still, the movie quickly went on to become a cult classic that grossed more than $60 million worldwide. Between poorly focused shots, lens flares and light-leaks, the movie left some reviewers (and cast) dubious about its reception. The small-budget film cost $380,000 to produce. Easy Rider was the first indie film to actually make money-quickly becoming what many now consider to be one of the most successful indie films of all time. The 1969 indie film holds a key place in film history, despite the many independent films that came before it. This iconic tale of “A man went looking for America and couldn’t find it anywhere” reawakened the very soul of American motorcycling and sparked a renewed commitment to film and biking long after it left theaters.
It’s been nearly 50 years since Easy Rider took us all on a wild ride across the U.S. Helping give riders more freedom to enjoy the bikes they love. The bike was designed with input from Fonda, who insisted on it being decorated with the American flag.Clint Lawrence, founder of Motorcycle Shippers. Another is from Fonda and a third from Haggerty. One is signed by the National Motorcycle Museum, where it was displayed for 12 years. The bike is accompanied by three letters of authenticity. The bike was previously owned by the actor Dan Haggerty, best known for his role as Grizzly Adams, who was responsible for maintaining the Harley-Davidson during the film’s shoot.įour motorcycles were created for the movie, but this is the only one known to have survived. Rolling Stone reports that the bike is being sold by Michael Eisenberg, a Californian businessman who has co-owned an Los Angeles-based restaurant with Fonda and Dennis Hopper, who directed and starred in the film. The custom-made Harley-Davidson motorcycle riden by Peter Fonda’s character Captain America in the film Easy Rider is up for auction.Īccording to Associated Press via Rolling Stone, the auction house Profiles in History estimates that the motorbike will bring between $1 million and $1.2 million at the sale, which will be held online and at their galleries in Calabasas, California.