It may be the most important movie of the 1960s, but it’s also possibly the one I enjoy the least. Still, I can’t help but appreciate Easy Rider for the incredible influence it’s had despite the issues I have with the experience of watching it. Its experiments have varying success. Some of the dialogical exchanges seem pointless, as do some of its visual effects and editing methods. Although one of its most endearing characteristics is its utter lack of polish, and slickness, allowing the heart of Dennis Hopper to be visible in the raw. It’s just that Dennis Hopper is hard to take sometimes.
There’s a wide range of what movies were able and willing to do in the 1960s, whether it was technical experimentation with hallucinogenic sequences, or narrative experimentation with difficult and complicated subjects and characters. But despite the many failed experiments, there were plenty that proved overwhelmingly successful, and inspirational for a number of young, impressionable artists who were discovering a new way to tell stories they felt were important.
With conditions on the ground changing in terms of the cultural shifts in the country and the logistical production studio upheaval in Hollywood, the door was open for people to try new things. The familiar and dependable methods of the 40s and 50s were becoming less available and less appreciated. Audiences craved the new. The result was a slight awkward phase that saw full potential finally realized in the 1970s and the formation of New Hollywood.
Seeing the early stages of this monumental era in cinematic history in 1960s movies, however, is nearly as fascinating and enjoyable as the golden decade that followed.
Any movies from the 1960s that you think are crucial to understanding what the decade was all about? Share your picks in the comment section below.
