Easy Rider (1969) + Extra [The Criterion Collection]

This is the definitive counterculture blockbuster. The down-and-dirty directorial debut of former clean-cut teen star Dennis Hopper, Easy Rider heralded the arrival of a new voice in film, one pitched angrily against the mainstream. After the film’s cross-country journey – with its radical, New Wave–style editing, outsider-rock soundtrack, revelatory performance by a young Jack Nicholson, and explosive ending – the American road trip would never be the same.



Audio Commentary track with Actor/Writer/Director Dennis Hopper. Hopper discusses the film's roots, writing the script with Peter Fonda, shooting locations, the film's budget, the film's Western undertones, the soundtrack serving as part of the narrative of the story, and much more.

Extra (with English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian subs):
- Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage (IMDB, 1:04:51), an in-depth documentary that recounts the history of the production from beginning to end. The cast and crew discuss writing the film, the difficulty of the shoot, the role of drugs in culture and in the film, shooting on a tight budget, casting the secondary parts and the authenticity of several of the actors, editing the film, adding the soundtrack, the film's reception and legacy, and more.