The end of the 1960's was a turbulent time for America. The death of John F. Kennedy had sent shock waves around the world and they were entrenched in a war which was rapidly losing popularity with the voters. Out of this rose the hippy counter-culture movement where disaffected youths, tired of the policies of the government and the way they had been brought up, rebelled against all American values.
Hippy Movement
The hippy scene had been burgeoning for a few years before Easy Rider with its epicentre in San Francisco. Woodstock had promoted peace and love and a new way of living based on sex, drugs and rock n' roll had captured the minds of a younger audience.
Hollywood could not fail to be affected by this. The studio system was in meltdown, the power was leaving the heads of the studios and falling into the hands of young directors and actors who demanded greater control over their work. Easy Rider would be the start of the a new era in Hollywood and one which some say to be the greatest.
Road Trip Through The American Dream
Directed by Dennis Hopper, a drug-fuelled hippy, the film is basically a road trip through the heart of America. Hopper and Peter Fonda are on a mission to deliver some drugs but on their journey they encounter an America which is still ensconced in its old values. Mixing scenes of hippy freewheeling set to a contemporary soundtrack with a shocking brutal ending which show the dark side of America at the time it was a powerful piece of filming which changed Hollywood forever.
The success of the film took Hollywood by storm. This small independent film opened doors for a new breed of director. Films such as Bonnie and Clyde, Mean Streets and Taxi Driver followed which were ever more brutal and dark. It could no longer be a given that the film would have a happy ending reflecting the way the world was now.
Altamont and the End of An Era
Altamont killed off the hippy dream and with stark realisation Dennis Hopper showed this in Easy Rider. A darker America was born, one which would involve scandal such as Watergate and drug- fuelled psychosis. Highly influenced by what was happening in the film world outside of America, the rise of New Hollywood as it became known would eventually change the way Hollywood thought about itself and how they promoted their values.
This new age couldn't last though. For a few years audiences were treated to more visceral films than they had ever had but in 1977 New Hollywood director George Lucas changed it all again with Star Wars. This signalled the start of the Blockbuster era, one which is still going strong today, and a return to a sort of studio system albeit one where directors had much more power.
Martyn Coppack - I am a writer who is just starting out and am looking to concentrate on film, music and literature. Having passed my degree in English and ...
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