| Released in 1969, Easy Rider tells the story
of Captain America (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper), who after making the drug deal
of their lives decide to travel from somewhere in the west to New Orleans, the promised
land of the Mardi Gras. The two are promptly arrested when they join the procession in a
public parade. In the local jail, they meet a young lawyer played by Jack Nicholson,
who for no particular reason decides to go with them. As they continue their trip, they
meet people who either turn against them for being hippies, or love them for the same
reason. The tone of the film is remarkably downbeat and bleak, apparently reflecting the
collapse of the idealistic 60s. The film's
screenplay was written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern (the film
received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay). Both Fonda and Hopper
co-starred, Fonda produced, and Hopper directed (his first effort). The film won the 1969
Cannes Festival award for the Best Film by a new director. Jack Nicholson's
performance earned him an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor.
Interestingly and for you trivia gurus according to Peter Fonda, four police bikes were
customised for the film. One was burned during filming, and the other three were stolen
before filming was completed.
So How Does This Transfer Hold Up??
VIDEO
The transfer which is anamorphically framed at 1.85:1 is generally very good. It is
quite sharp, clear with good colour saturation. Flesh tones are natural and the image is
generally clean and free of artifacts. You will notice a touch of grain here and there,
some scenes were apparently shot on 16mm film instead of 35mm. These look quite grainy and
apparently was demo footage was shot a year before production began. Also during the LSD
scenes, some of the weird lighting effects came about because an exposed can of film was
opened accidentally before it was developed. That said the transfer considering the age of
the film overall is very, very good and will no doubt please fans of this film. The change
of layer is at 1:06:45.
AUDIO
The disc contains an English only 5.1 channel Dolby Digital mix. Other tracks are
mono only and include German, Italian, Spanish & French. The 5.1 mix is a special
remix for this DVD. The audio is generally limited to the front sound stage, the surrounds
are quite limited and used for a bit of ambient effects here and there. The mix does
however make excellent use of the film's soundtrack. The songs are reproduced beautifully
and across all three front channels.
EXTRAS
Included are an audio commentary -by Director Dennis Hopper. A Making-of
Documentary - made in 1999 by Columbia, entitled 'Shaking the Cage' this runs
for 67 minutes and has accompanying commentary by Peter Fonda. This documentary also
includes interviews with most of the cast and crew. Lastly are the usual Facts and
Filmographies of cast & crew.
Overall, apparently a great film for the
60's era, albeit a bit dated for my taste. However if you are a fan of the film, then this
DVD is truly an excellent purchase, If you haven't yet watched it, a rent would be the
better option first. Recommended.
| PICTURE QUALITY |
8/10 very good |
SOUND
Quality /
5.1 Wow Factor |
8/10 excellent use of film's soundtrack
2/10 limited to front sound stage |
| FEATURES |
8/10 great extras for an oldie |
Review Equipment
TV: Pioneer SD-T43W1 (16:9 RPTV)
DVD: Toshiba 2109 Region Free
Receiver: Yamaha RXV995 (DD/DTS)
Speakers:-
Fronts: Polk Audio RT55
Centre: Polk Audio CS350
Rears: Polk Audio AB705's
Sub: M&K V125
- Reviewed 02nd March 2000 |
