subscribe to this page
This analysis first describes the concept of friendships in road movies. He claims that male-bonding is an integral part to the concept of road movies. The author discusses how the two new friends that join the main characters in Easy Rider represent social elements of modern culture. The hippie who joins them provides a look at counterculture, while George Hanson represents southern conservatism. The presence of conservatism is also present as non-actors really judge Wyatt and Billy for being hippies, and George for involving himself with them. The author continues on to discuss drug use in the film. He claims that the film stands alone as an avant-garde work because of its editing techniques especially in the scene where the actors are on LSD. The film includes jump cuts, juxtaposition, and varied camera positioning. The author finishes his discussion with the claim that the film is a modern classic.
The analysis of Easy Rider provides an outlook on the meaning of different elements of the film. It supplies some perspective on the film from someone who obviously holds it in great respect. The article includes some insider information about the film such as the fact that the actors actually took drugs featured in the film, and that the people who react to the characters in the diner scene were not actors. The article also describes how the film was fashioned after French New Wave films, which provides the viewer with an idea of the reasoning behind the film’s structure, and how it contributes to the message of the film.
Davis, Fred, and Laura Munoz. "Heads and Freaks: Patterns and Meanings of Drug Use Among Hippies." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 9.2 (1968): 156-164
This article outlines the use of drugs in the hippie community during the late 1960s. It claims that hippies were more accepting of their brands of drugs like marijuana and LSD because they thought they were safer than tobacco and alcohol let alone the other drugs used at the time. The article also describes the different generalizations about hippie drug use that one must avoid. It asserts that one must understand the different subcultures of the hippie movement in order to understand the use of drugs. It describes prices, appearances, grades and effects of drugs like LSD and Methamphetamine. The article highlights the difference between "heads" who use drugs for mind expansion, and "freaks" who are addicts and their sociological stances.
The discussion of drugs in the hippie community in this article provides background for drug use in Easy Rider. While drug use is not seen by most now and when the film was made as socially acceptable, the characters in the film use drugs as a way of exemplifying aspects of the 1960s counterculture. Easy Rider was geared towards a youthful audience and away from traditional Hollywood standards. Drug use was a common facet of society, so the film highlights an important historical aspect. It is important to note that drug use in the film is not used to demonize the characters, but is rather acceptable. The characters sell harmful cocaine, which is where they go wrong. They sell to an opulent man, one who is completely against their hippie standards. At the same time the take on the role of "heads." They recreationally use hippie drugs in scenes that clarify different internal struggles and their search for understanding society and themselves.
-from AccessMedicine
9th Edition
Changing the criteria for ratings, something that would affect who sees movies in Philadelphia. By E. Denstedt
from the website -
The 55 minute documentary film while replete with humorous anecdotes is one of the most serious and disturbing assessments of the rampant use of this inexpensive and highly addicting drug.
CRACKHEADS GONE WILD is a new and contemporary version of “Scared Straight” an earlier documentary on juvenile crime and the negative road to prison that youth can expect with continued criminal involvement.
The documentary shows the destructive nature of Crack Cocaine through the eyes of actual users who have experienced the devastation of addiction, and how the users cover the racial, ethnic and socio-economic spectrum of our society.