EASY RIDER Blu-Ray Review

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This product was provided to us for free for the purpose of this review.

Although it may not be the first bikesploitation film, or even the best, Dennis Hopper’s 1969 classic Easy Rider proved to be one of the most influential films of the decade, marking the end of the free-love hippie culture and helping to shape independent American cinema as we know it today.

A smash hit at the Cannes Film Festival, this relatively low-budget movie about two hippie bikers trekking across the country managed to break through into the main stream and was a runaway success, pushing Hopper and his co-stars Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson into super stardom.

The Criterion Collection has released a newly restored version of Easy Rider on Blu-ray and, in true Criterion fashion, honors the film by presenting the best quality version yet seen on a home platform.

The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and scanned at 4K from the original film negatives. Nearly all the dust, scratches and other unintended blemishes have been removed, leaving a beautiful transfer of the final product.

Special features on the disc include two documentaries about the making of the film: one from 1995, which – while informative – has some very cheesy chapter divisions, and another from 1999, which is essentially a more comprehensive and higher quality version of the first.

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There’s an interesting snippet of an interview with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper shot at the Cannes Film Festival during the premiere, along with an interview with Steve Blauner, cofounder of BBS Productions – the financier of the film – whose money strangely enough came from the success of The Monkees. The theatrical trailers are also included, an always welcome addition.

There are two commentary tracks included on the disc: one featuring Dennis Hopper and the other featuring Hopper, Peter Fonda and production manager Paul Lewis. Both these tracks are fascinating, providing endless amounts of anecdotes about the tumultuous creation of the film.

Packaging-wise, it’s quality you would expect from Criterion – a great cover, clear Blu-ray case with artwork behind the plastic, and a foldout insert featuring stills from the film along with technical details. Also included in the booklet is a great essay from film critic and filmmaker Matt Zoller Seitz, who clearly has a deep appreciation for the film, much more so than I.

While the film itself doesn’t really do it for me, I still respect the hell out of Easy Rider for its portrayal of American culture during such a turbulent time in our history and its influence on the medium as a whole. If you haven’t seen it yet, or if you’re a fan, this release is the definitive version and is absolutely worth picking up.