Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Kenneth Bowser

Writers:

Peter Biskind (book)
Kenneth Bowser (writer)

Release Date:

9 March 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Tagline:

How the Sex Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood

Plot:

A look at 1970s Hollywood when it was known as New Hollywood, and the director was the star of the movie.

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Actor | Interview | Producer | Cinema

Cast

Dede Allen	...	Herself
Peter Bart	...	Himself
Tony Bill	...	Himself
Karen Black	...	Herself
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Himself
Ernest Borgnine	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ellen Burstyn	...	Herself
Roger Corman	...	Himself
Robert De Niro	...	(archive footage)
Micky Dolenz	...	Himself
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Himself
Peter Fonda	...	Himself
Carl Gottlieb	...	Himself
Jerome Hellman	...	Himself
Monte Hellman	...	Himself
Dennis Hopper	...	Himself
Willard Huyck	...	Himself
Stanley R. Jaffe	...	Himself
Henry Jaglom	...	Himself
Gloria Katz	...	Herself
Harvey Keitel	...	(archive footage)
Margot Kidder	...	Herself
László Kovács	...	Himself
Kris Kristofferson	...	Himself
William H. Macy	...	Narrator (voice)
Mardik Martin	...	Himself
Mike Medavoy	...	Himself
Sylvia Miles	...	Herself
John Milius	...	Himself
Charles Mulvehill	...	Himself
David Newman	...	Himself
Arthur Penn	...	Himself
Michael Phillips	...	Himself
David V. Picker	...	Himself
Polly Platt	...	Herself
Roman Polanski	...	(archive footage)
Albert S. Ruddy	...	Himself
Jennifer Salt	...	Herself
Andrew Sarris	...	Himself
Paul Schrader	...	Himself
Cybill Shepherd	...	Herself
Jonathan Tapin	...	Himself
Sharon Tate	...	(archive footage)
Joan Tewkesbury	...	Herself
Fred Weintraub	...	Himself
Gordon Willis	...	Himself
Rudy Wurlitzer	...	Himself
Vilmos Zsigmond	...	Himself

Runtime:

USA:119 min

Country:

Canada | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:M | USA:TV-14

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Many of the subjects profiled in author Peter Biskind's book, including directors Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Robert Altman, and 'William Friedkin', declined interviews for the documentary.

Movie Connections:

References The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)

Good introduction, but nothing on the book

The last golden age of Hollywood film-making is captured in this two hour documentary, based on Peter Biskind's bestselling book of the same name. Director Kenneth Bowser does a commendable job of corralling many of the key names of the period in this light but passable introduction to the topic.

Bowser's treatise of 1970s Hollywood is essentially a potted history of the time – many of the key developments and vital films that were made during this period are passed over or given nothing more than a cursory glance. The documentary suffers as a result and added to this, historical inaccuracies are also evident.

Film fans will most enjoy the scenes of archival footage – a desperately nerdy George Lucas being introduced as Francis Ford Coppola's 'assistant'; Jack Nicholson, Bob Rafelson, Dennis Hopper and Peter Tork on the set of The Monkees vehicle 'Head'; and the piece de resistance, a home movie with Messrs Spielberg, Lucas, Milius, Coppola, de Palma, Schrader and Scorsese all in the same room. To be a fly on the wall at that party!

There are also current interviews with the likes of Peter Bogdanovich, Dennis Hopper, Peter Bart, John Milius, Michael Phillips, Paul Schrader, Peter Fonda, Albert S. Ruddy and many more figures of the time.

Bowser's documentary serves as a snapshot of the time – Biskind's novel is a veritable diary. The book is packed with amazing stories that even a 13-part series couldn't document. Watch this documentary, get a taste of the time and then buy the book to immerse yourself in a fantastic period of American filmic creativity.