Stroszek [ˈstrɔʃɛk] is a 1977 West German tragicomedy film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Bruno S. , Eva Mattes , and Clemens Scheitz . Written specifically for Bruno S. , the film was shot in Plainfield, Wisconsin , and North Carolina . Most of the lead roles are played by inexperienced actors.
122-471: Bruno Stroszek is a West Berlin street performer. Released from prison and warned to stop drinking, he immediately goes to a familiar bar where he meets Eva, a prostitute down on her luck, and lets her stay with him at the apartment his landlord kept for him. They are then harried and beaten by Eva's former pimps , who insult Bruno, pull his accordion apart and humiliate him by making him kneel on his grand piano with bells balanced on his back. Faced with
244-454: A "square" , George is reluctant to try it due to his fear of becoming " hooked " and it leading to worse drugs but quickly relents. Stopping to eat at a small-town Louisiana diner, the trio attracts the attention of the locals. The girls in the restaurant think they are exciting, but the local men and a police officer make denigrating comments and taunts. Wyatt, Billy, and George decide to leave without any fuss. They make camp outside town. In
366-469: A transit visa for a fee of 5 Western Deutsche Mark . For journeys between West Berlin and Poland or Czechoslovakia through East Germany, each traveller was also required to present a valid visa for the destination country. The transit routes for road travel connecting West Berlin to other destinations usually consisted of autobahns and other highways, marked by Transit signs. Transit travellers (German: Transitreisende ) were prohibited to leave
488-753: A "third" German jurisdiction, called an "independent political unit" ( German : selbständige politische Einheit ). On maps of East Berlin, West Berlin often did not appear as an adjacent urban area but as a monochrome terra incognita, sometimes showing the letters WB, meaning "Westberlin" ( German : Westberlin ) or overlaid with a legend or pictures. It was often labelled "Westberlin special political area" ( German : Besonderes politisches Gebiet Westberlin ). The Federal Republic of Germany issued West German passports to West Berliners on request that showed West Berlin as their place of residence. However, West Berliners could not use their passports for crossing East German borders and were denied entrance by any country of
610-446: A 96% approval critic response based on 23 reviews, indicating "Fresh" and an average score of 8.2/10. Vincent Canby of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, stating, "It's a 'road' picture. In some distant way it reminds me of Easy Rider , but it's an Easy Rider without sentimentality or political paranoia. It's terrifically, spontaneously funny and, just as spontaneously, full of unexpected pathos." Gene Siskel of
732-509: A Blu-ray SteelBook was released. On May 3, 2016, Criterion re-released Easy Rider as a 2-disc collection. In 2012, a sequel to the movie was released, titled Easy Rider: The Ride Back and directed by Dustin Rikert. The film is about the family of Wyatt "Captain America" Williams from the 1940s to the present day. No members of the original cast or crew were involved with the film, which
854-527: A Blu-ray release on October 20, 2009. In November 2010, the film was digitally remastered and released by The Criterion Collection as part of the box set America Lost and Found: The BBS Story . It included features from previous DVD releases; the documentary Born to Be Wild (1995); television excerpts showing Hopper and Fonda at the Cannes Film Festival; and a new video interview with BBS co-founder Stephen Blauner . On November 23, 2014,
976-494: A Captain America chopper displayed there as a rebuilt original movie prop. Many replicas have been made since the film's release, including examples at the Deutsches Zweirad- und NSU-Museum (Germany), National Motorcycle Museum (Iowa), Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum (Alabama), and Harley-Davidson Museum (Milwaukee). Hopper and Fonda hosted a wrap party for the movie and then realized they had not yet shot
1098-470: A cinematic translation of the psychedelic experience . Peter Biskind , author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls wrote: "LSD did create a frame of mind that fractured experience and that LSD experience had an effect on films like Easy Rider ." While Easy Rider is famous for the Harley-Davidson choppers, the movie actually begins with the characters riding two European-made dirt bikes , Fonda on
1220-445: A dozen lines and six of them survive the cutting room floor he'll put in for screenplay credit. Now it would be almost impossible to exaggerate his contribution to the film—but, by George, he manages to do it every time." According to Southern, Fonda was under contract to produce a motorcycle film with A.I.P., which Fonda had agreed to allow Hopper to direct. According to Southern, Fonda and Hopper didn't seek screenplay credit until after
1342-535: A great gaffer ." Besides the camera car, the production used two five-ton trucks , one for the equipment and pulling an 750 Amp generator trailer, and one for the up to four motorcycles, with the cast and crew in a motor home. One of the locations was Monument Valley . The restaurant scenes with Fonda, Hopper, and Nicholson were shot in Morganza, Louisiana . The men and girls in that scene were all Morganza locals. In order to inspire more vitriolic commentary from
SECTION 10
#17327838889601464-409: A knife on him during the altercation when it was actually the other way around. This infuriated Torn, so he sued Hopper for defamation seeking punitive damages. Torn ultimately prevailed against Hopper on all counts. The filming budget of Easy Rider was $ 360,000 to $ 400,000. Peter Fonda said that on top of this, he personally paid for the costs of travel and lodging for the crew, saying, "Everybody
1586-411: A large frozen turkey from the store and the shotgun, Bruno returns to the garage where he works, loads the tow truck with beer, and drives along a highway into the mountains. Upon entering the small town of Cherokee, North Carolina , the truck breaks down and Bruno pulls over to a restaurant, where he tells his story to a German -speaking businessman. He then starts the truck and leaves it circling in
1708-433: A red Bultaco Pursang, Hopper on Norton P11 Ranger. In total, two dirt bikes , and four former police bikes were used in the film. The 1949, 1950 and 1952 Harley-Davidson FL Hydra-Glide bikes were purchased at an auction for $ 500, equivalent to about $ 4600 in 2024. Each bike had a backup to make sure that shooting could continue in case one of the old machines failed or got wrecked accidentally. The main motorcycles for
1830-591: A second in Berlin- Frohnau , finished on 16 May 1980 with a height of 358 m (1,175 ft). This tower was demolished on 8 February 2009. West Berliners could travel to West Germany and all Western and non-aligned states at all times, except during the Berlin Blockade by the Soviet Union (24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949) when there were restrictions on passenger flight capacity imposed by
1952-474: A two-lane country road by two local men in an older pickup truck, the passenger in the truck reaches for a shotgun, saying he will scare them. As they pass Billy, the passenger fires, and Billy has a lowside crash . The truck passes Wyatt who has stopped, and Wyatt rides back to Billy, finding him lying flat on the side of the road and covered in blood. Wyatt tells Billy he's going to get help and covers Billy's wound with his own leather jacket. Wyatt then rides down
2074-467: A version performed by Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn was used instead. Also, instead of writing an entirely new song for the film, Dylan simply wrote out the first verse of " Ballad of Easy Rider " and told the filmmakers, "Give this to McGuinn, he'll know what to do with it." McGuinn completed the song and performed it in the film. Originally, Peter Fonda had intended the band Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young to write an entirely original soundtrack for
2196-442: A waitress at a truck stop and Scheitz pursues his interest in animal magnetism . Eva and Bruno buy a mobile home which is sited on Clayton's land; with bills mounting, the bank threatens to repossess it. Eva returns to prostitution to supplement her wages, but it is not enough to meet the payments. She tires of Bruno's worrying and leaves him, accepting a ride with truck drivers bound for Vancouver . A repossessor visits Bruno, who
2318-677: A worldwide gross of $ 60 million, including $ 41.7 million domestically in the U.S. and Canada. In 1998, Easy Rider was added to the United States National Film Registry , having been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." In April 2019, a restored version of the film was selected to be shown in the Cannes Classics section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival . American Film Institute Lists Along with Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate , Easy Rider helped kick-start
2440-444: Is now drinking heavily, and has him release the home. The home is auctioned, and he and Scheitz, who is convinced that the world is conspiring against him, set off to confront the "conspiracy." Finding the bank they wish to rob closed, they hold up a barber shop beneath it, make off with 32 dollars and then go shopping in a small store across the street. The police arrive and arrest Scheitz for armed robbery without noticing Bruno. Holding
2562-498: Is overwhelmed by its own symbolisms and is disappointing, it has in its first half some passages of terrific power and brutal believability." Penelope Gilliatt of The New Yorker wrote, "This is a brilliant, poetic film about a man's clutch on a difficult existence." A less enthusiastic review by Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called it a "dogged, obstinately despairing parable" that "is strewn with gauche little appeals for sympathy." Richard Combs of The Monthly Film Bulletin
SECTION 20
#17327838889602684-576: The Chicago Tribune awarded his top score of four stars and placed it at #10 on his year-end list of the best movies he saw in 1978, calling it a "strange, funny, heartbreaking film." Variety called it "a moody, overlong pic ... which seems to fizzle out and climax at least three times before the actual finale." Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times declared it "a strange and original piece of work ... if in its last third it
2806-759: The Berlin Airlift . In May 1949, the Soviets lifted the blockade, and West Berlin as a separate city with its own jurisdiction was maintained. Following the Berlin Blockade, normal contacts between East and West Berlin resumed. This was temporary until talks were resumed. In 1952, the East German government began sealing its borders, further isolating West Berlin. As a direct result, electrical grids were separated and phone lines were cut. The Volkspolizei and Soviet military personnel also continued
2928-960: The Bundestag in Bonn by 22 non-voting delegates chosen by the House of Representatives. Similarly, the Senate (the city's executive) sent four non-voting delegates to the Bundesrat . In addition, when the first direct elections to the European Parliament were held in 1979, West Berlin's three members were instead indirectly elected by the House of Representatives. However, as West German citizens , West Berliners were able to stand for election in West Germany. For example, Social Democrat Willy Brandt , who eventually became Chancellor,
3050-545: The Eastern Bloc , since governments of these countries held the view that West Germany was not authorized to issue legal papers for West Berliners. Since West Berlin was not a sovereign state, it did not issue passports. Instead, West Berliners were issued with "auxiliary identity cards" by the West Berlin authorities. These differed visually from the regular West German identity cards, with green bindings instead of
3172-704: The Federal Republic of Germany . The West German Federal Government, as well as the governments of most western nations, considered East Berlin to be a "separate entity" from East Germany, and while the Western Allies later opened embassies in East Berlin, they recognised the city only as the seat of government of the GDR, not as its capital . Communist countries, however, did not recognise West Berlin as part of West Germany and usually described it as
3294-544: The New Hollywood era during the late 1960s and 1970s. The major studios realized that money could be made from low-budget films made by avant-garde directors. Heavily influenced by the French New Wave , the films of the so-called "post-classical Hollywood" came to represent a counterculture generation increasingly disillusioned with its government as well as the government's effects on the world at large and
3416-488: The New Hollywood era of filmmaking during the early 1970s. A landmark counterculture film, and a "touchstone for a generation" that "captured the national imagination," Easy Rider explores the societal landscape, issues, and tensions towards adolescents in the United States during the 1960s, such as the rise of the hippie movement, drug use , and communal lifestyle. Real drugs were used in scenes showing
3538-640: The Western Allies and entirely surrounded by East Berlin and East Germany. West Berlin had great symbolic significance during the Cold War, as it was widely considered by westerners an "island of freedom ." It was heavily subsidized by West Germany as a "showcase of the West." A wealthy city, West Berlin was noted for its distinctly cosmopolitan character, and as a centre of education, research and culture. With about two million inhabitants, West Berlin had
3660-432: The de facto 11th state of West Germany and was depicted on maps published in the West as being a part of West Germany. There was freedom of movement (to the extent allowed by geography) between West Berlin and West Germany . There were no separate immigration regulations for West Berlin, all immigration rules for West Germany being followed in West Berlin. West German entry visas issued to visitors were stamped with "for
3782-510: The " flash-forward " narrative device, wherein scenes from later in the movie are inserted into the current scene. Only one flash-forward survives in the final edit: when Wyatt in the New Orleans brothel has a premonition of the final scene. At the request of Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider , Henry Jaglom was brought in to edit the film into its current form, while Schneider purchased a trip to Taos for Hopper so he wouldn't interfere with
Stroszek - Misplaced Pages Continue
3904-456: The "formulaic biker" persona and critiquing "commodity-oriented filmmakers appropriating avant-garde film techniques." It was also a step in the transition from independent film into Hollywood 's mainstream, and while The Trip was criticized as a faux, popularized underground film made by Hollywood insiders, Easy Rider "interrogates" the attitude that underground film must "remain strictly segregated from Hollywood." Mills also wrote that
4026-457: The 1960s counterculture. The film's success, and the new era of Hollywood that it helped usher in, gave Hopper the chance to direct again with complete artistic control. The result was 1971's The Last Movie , which was a notable box office and critical failure, effectively ending Hopper's career as a director for well over a decade. It also gave Fonda the chance to direct with The Hired Hand , although he rarely produced again. The movie
4148-488: The Basic Law as binding law superior to Berlin state law (Article 1, clauses 2 and 3). However, that became statutory law only on 1 September and only with the inclusion of the western Allied provision according to which Art. 1, clauses 2 and 3, were deferred for the time being; the clauses became valid law only on 3 October 1990 (the day of Germany's unification). It stated: Article 87 is interpreted as meaning that during
4270-627: The British or American sectors after 1945, so that parts of West Berlin came to be surrounded by East Germany Furthermore, the Gatow/Staaken exchange in August 1945 resulted in the geographically western half of Berlin-Staaken, which was located in the western outskirts of the city, becoming de jure Soviet occupied. However, the de facto administration remained with the Borough of Spandau in
4392-584: The British sector. Therefore, all inhabitants of Staaken could vote in West Berlin's city state elections in 1948 and 1950. On 1 February 1951, East German Volkspolizei surprised the people of western Staaken by occupying the area and ended its administration by the Spandau Borough; instead, western Staaken became an exclave of the Soviet occupied borough Berlin-Mitte in the city centre. However, on 1 June 1952, western Staaken's de facto administration
4514-540: The British sector: In the French sector: West Berlin's border was identical to the municipal boundary of Berlin as defined in the Greater Berlin Act of 1920 and amended in 1938, and the border between the Soviet sector and the French, British, and American sectors respectively, which followed the boundaries of Berlin administrative boroughs as defined in the same years. Another amendment was added in 1945 at
4636-439: The East German government, border guards would calculate the travel duration from the time of entry and exit of the transit route. Excessive time spent for transit travel could arouse their suspicion and prompt questioning or additional checking by the border guards. Western coaches could stop only at dedicated service areas since the East German government was concerned that East Germans might potentially use coaches to escape into
4758-628: The Federal Republic of Germany, including the State of Berlin", in German " für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland einschl. [einschließlich] des Landes Berlin ", prompting complaints from the Soviet Union. However, this wording remained on the visas throughout the rest of the entire period of West Berlin's existence. West Berlin remained under military occupation until 3 October 1990, the day of unification of East Germany, East and West Berlin with
4880-544: The GDR), replacing the formerly used term Demokratisches Berlin , or simply "Berlin", by East Germany, and "Berlin (Ost)" by the West German Federal government. Other names used by West German media included "Ost-Berlin", "Ostberlin", or "Ostsektor." These different naming conventions for the divided parts of Berlin, when followed by individuals, governments, or media, commonly indicated their political leanings, with
5002-575: The Lumberjack Café — remains in Flagstaff, but now stands inside the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome on the campus of Northern Arizona University . A second, very similar statue was also moved from the Lumberjack Café to the exterior of the Skydome. Most of the film is shot outside with natural lighting. Hopper said all the outdoor shooting was an intentional choice on his part, because "God is
Stroszek - Misplaced Pages Continue
5124-625: The New Buffalo commune in Arroyo Hondo near Taos, New Mexico , did not permit shooting there. Among the extras who appear in the sequence are actors Dan Haggerty and Carrie Snodgress , musician Jim Sullivan , and Fonda's daughter Bridget . A short clip near the beginning of the film shows Wyatt and Billy on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona , passing a large figure of a lumberjack. That lumberjack statue — once situated in front of
5246-493: The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! On 9 November 1989, the Wall was opened, and the two parts of the city were once again physically—though at this point not legally—united. The Two Plus Four Treaty , signed by the two German states and the four wartime allies, paved the way for German reunification and an end to
5368-402: The Soviets also informally allowed road and rail access between West Berlin and the western parts of Germany (see section on traffic). At first, this arrangement was intended to be of a temporary administrative nature, with all parties declaring that Germany and Berlin would soon be reunited. However, as the relations between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union soured and the Cold War began,
5490-549: The Soviets would accept the offer because East Germany would lose important industry, but hoped that making the proposal would reduce tensions between the western and eastern blocs, and perhaps hurt relations between the USSR and East Germany if they disagreed on accepting the offer. While the Kennedy administration seriously considered the idea, it did not make the proposal to the Soviet Union. NATO also took an increased interest in
5612-611: The Stars & Stripes-painted fuel tank of Wyatt's California-style chopper , they ride eastward aiming to reach New Orleans , Louisiana, in time for the Mardi Gras festival. During their trip, Wyatt and Billy stop to repair a flat tire on Wyatt's bike at a farmstead in Arizona and have a meal with the farmer and his family. Later, Wyatt picks up a hippie hitch-hiker , and he invites them to visit his commune , where they stay for
5734-432: The Wall was built, East Germany wanted to control Western Allied patrols upon entering or leaving East Berlin, a practice that the Western Allies regarded as unacceptable. After protests to the Soviets, the patrols continued uncontrolled on both sides, with the tacit agreement that the western Allies would not use their patrolling privileges for helping Easterners to flee to the West. In many ways, West Berlin functioned as
5856-510: The West. On 1 September 1951, East Germany, because of a shortage in foreign currencies , started to levy road tolls on cars using the transit routes. At first, the toll amounted to 10 Ostmark per passenger car and 10 to 50 for trucks, depending on size. Ostmarks had to be exchanged into Deutsche Mark at a rate of 1:1. On 30 March 1955, East Germany raised the toll for passenger cars to 30 Deutsche Marks, but after West German protests, in June of
5978-405: The Western Allies' occupation of West Berlin. On 3 October 1990—the day Germany was officially reunified—East and West Berlin formally reunited as the city of Berlin, which then joined the enlarged Federal Republic as a city-state along the lines of the existing West German city-states of Bremen and Hamburg . Walter Momper , the mayor of West Berlin, became the first mayor of the reunified city in
6100-547: The administration of four Allies (the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union , and France) until a German government "acceptable to all parties" could be established. The territory of Germany, as it existed in 1937, would be reduced by most of Eastern Germany thus creating the former eastern territories of Germany . The remaining territory would be divided into four zones, each administered by one of
6222-431: The airlift. Travelling to and from West Berlin by road or train always required passing through East German border checks, since West Berlin was an enclave surrounded by East Germany and East Berlin. On 2 October 1967, six years after the Wall was constructed, tram tracks in West Berlin were removed because the authorities wanted to promote car usage, meaning that the tram system remaining today runs almost entirely within
SECTION 50
#17327838889606344-483: The approval of the city's legislature. The ambiguous legal status of the city, then still legally styled as Greater Berlin (although technically only comprising the western sectors), meant that West Berliners were not eligible to vote in federal elections. In their notification of permission of 12 May 1949 the three western military governors for Germany explained their proviso in No. 4, as follows: A third reservation concerns
6466-648: The bleak flatlands of poor white America. His view of that country is the most askance since the films of Monte Hellman . For all the supposed lightness, it is the film's core of despair which in the end devours everything." In 2002, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called it "one of the oddest films ever made" when including it as one of his "Great Movies". West Berlin West Berlin ( German : Berlin (West) or West-Berlin , German pronunciation: [ˈvɛstbɛʁˌliːn] )
6588-480: The bonus DVD feature, "Shaking the Cage", Hopper was difficult on set. During test shooting on location in New Orleans, with documentary filmmaker Baird Bryant on camera, Hopper fought with the production's ad hoc crew for control. At one point, a paranoid Hopper demanded camera operator Barry Feinstein hand over the footage he shot that day so he could keep it safe with him in his hotel room. Enraged, Feinstein hurled
6710-642: The border between the British sector of Berlin (ceding West-Staaken ) and the Soviet zone (ceding the Seeburg Salient ) so that the Wehrmacht airfield at Berlin-Gatow became part of the British sector and the airfield at Berlin-Staaken became part of the Soviet sector. The resulting borderline was further complicated with a lot of geographical oddities, including a number of exclaves and enclaves that Greater Berlin had inside some neighbouring municipalities since 1920, all of which happened to become part of
6832-537: The centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung using "Ost-Berlin" and the centre-left Süddeutsche Zeitung using "Ostberlin." After the Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961, West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer suggested to U.S. President John F. Kennedy that the United States propose a swap of West Berlin with Thuringia and parts of Saxony and Mecklenburg ; the city's population would have been relocated to West Germany. Adenauer did not believe that
6954-519: The chairlift, and animals performing nonstop. The film ends with footage of a dancing chicken and other animals. Stroszek was conceived during the production of Woyzeck , for which Herzog had originally planned to use Bruno Schleinstein in the title role. After believing Klaus Kinski to be more suitable for the part, Herzog specifically wrote the leading role in Stroszek to compensate Schleinstein for his disappointment over Woyzeck . The film
7076-463: The commanders-in-chief rejected a bill, it did not become law in West Berlin; this, for example, was the case with West German laws on military duty. West Berlin was run by the elected Governing Mayor and Senate seated at Rathaus Schöneberg . The Governing Mayor and Senators (ministers) had to be approved by the Western Allies and thus derived their authority from the occupying forces, not from their electoral mandate. The Soviets unilaterally declared
7198-754: The counterculture" in The Wild Angels (1966), where he established "a persona he would develop further in The Trip and Easy Rider ." The Trip also popularized LSD, while Easy Rider went on to "celebrate '60s counterculture" but does so "stripped of its innocence." Author Katie Mills wrote that The Trip is a way point along the "metamorphosis of the rebel road story from a Beat relic into its hippie reincarnation as Easy Rider ", and connected Peter Fonda's characters in those two films, along with his character in The Wild Angels , deviating from
7320-466: The day Germany was officially reunified , East and West Berlin united, joined the Federal Republic as a Stadtstaat (city-state) and eventually became the capital of Germany again. The London Protocol of 1944 and the Potsdam Agreement established the legal framework for the occupation of Germany in the wake of World War II. According to these agreements, Germany would be formally under
7442-409: The defining features of the city. The Western Allies remained the ultimate political authorities in West Berlin. All legislation of the House of Representatives, whether of the West Berlin legislature or adopted federal law, only applied under the proviso of confirmation by the three Western Allied commanders-in-chief. If they approved a bill, it was enacted as part of West Berlin's statutory law. If
SECTION 60
#17327838889607564-549: The dreams, hopes, and hopelessness of 1960s counterculture." The film opened on July 14, 1969, at the Beekman theater in New York City, and grossed a house record of $ 40,422 in its first week. It grossed even more the following week with $ 46,609. In its fourteenth week of release, it was the number one film at the U.S. box office and remained there for three weeks. It was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1969 , with
7686-407: The establishment in general. Although Jack Nicholson appears only as a supporting actor and in the last half of the film, the standout performance signaled his arrival as a movie star, along with his subsequent film Five Easy Pieces in which he had the lead role. Vice President Spiro Agnew criticized Easy Rider , along with the band Jefferson Airplane , as examples of the permissiveness of
7808-637: The establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) on 23 May and of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) on 7 October. Under Article 127 of the Basic Law (or constitution) of the Federal Republic, provision was made for federal laws to be extended to Greater Berlin (as Berlin was called during the 1920 expansion of its municipal boundaries ) as well as Baden , Rhineland-Palatinate and Württemberg-Hohenzollern within one year of its promulgation. However, because
7930-489: The famous acid trip scene in Easy Rider "clearly derives from their first tentative explorations as filmmakers in The Trip ." The Trip and The Wild Angels had been low-budget films released by American International Pictures and were both successful. When Fonda took Easy Rider to AIP, however, as it was Hopper's first film as director, they wanted to be able to replace him if the film went overbudget, so Fonda took
8052-413: The film cans at Hopper and the two got into a physical confrontation. After this turmoil, Hopper and Fonda decided to assemble a proper crew for the rest of the film. Consequently, the rest of the film was shot on 35mm film , while the New Orleans sequences were shot on 16mm film . The hippie commune was recreated from pictures and shot at a site overlooking Malibu Canyon on Piuma Canyon Road, since
8174-525: The film to Bert Schneider of Raybert Productions and Columbia Pictures instead. When seeing a still of himself and Bruce Dern in The Wild Angels , Peter Fonda had the idea of a modern Western , involving two bikers travelling around the country and eventually getting shot by hillbillies. He called Dennis Hopper, and the two decided to turn that into a movie, The Loners , with Hopper directing, Fonda producing, and both starring and writing. They brought in screenwriter Terry Southern , who came up with
8296-455: The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Wyatt and Billy are freewheeling motorcyclists. After smuggling cocaine from Mexico to Los Angeles , they sell their haul and receive a large sum of money. With the cash stuffed into a plastic tube hidden inside
8418-404: The film, based on hardtail frames and panhead engines , were designed and built by two African American chopper builders — Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy — reflecting chopper designs popular among Black motorcyclists at the time, and following ideas of Peter Fonda, and were handled by Tex Hall and Dan Haggerty during shooting. One "Captain America" was demolished in the final scene, while
8540-406: The film, but this failed to materialize for two reasons. For one, Cambern edited the footage much more closely to what were only meant as temporary tracks than was customary at the time, which led to everyone involved finding them much more suited to the material than they had originally thought. Also, upon watching a screening of the film with Cambern's edits, the group felt they could not improve on
8662-539: The film. Taking prostitutes Karen and Mary with them, Wyatt and Billy wander the parade-filled streets of the Mardi Gras celebration. They end up in a French Quarter cemetery, where all four ingest the LSD the hitch-hiker had given to Wyatt. Later at their campsite, while Billy enthusiastically recounts their travels, Wyatt melancholically muses that they "blew it" in their quest. The next morning, as they are overtaken on
8784-415: The final campfire scene. Thus, it was shot after the bikes had already been stolen, which is why they are not visible in the background as in the other campfire scenes. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it "pretty but lower case cinema" despite the "upper case" "pious statement about our society which is sick". He was mildly impressed by
8906-541: The first half of 1968, roughly between Mardi Gras and the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy , with production starting on February 22, the film did not have a U.S. premiere until July 1969, after having won an award at the Cannes film festival in May. The delay was partially due to a protracted editing process. Inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey , one of Hopper's proposed cuts was 220 minutes long, including extensive use of
9028-439: The first screenings of the film, which required Southern's agreement due to writers guild policies. Southern says he agreed out of a sense of camaraderie, and that Hopper later took credit for the entire script. According to Terry Southern's biographer, Lee Hill, the part of George Hanson had been written for Southern's friend, actor Rip Torn . When Torn met with Hopper and Fonda at a New York restaurant in early 1968 to discuss
9150-578: The former East Berlin. As there were no dedicated walled-off-road corridors between West Germany and West Berlin under West German jurisdiction, travellers needed to pass through East Germany. A valid passport was required for citizens of West Germany and other western nationals to be produced at East German border checks. West Berliners could get admission only through their identity cards (see above). For travel from West Berlin to Denmark, Sweden and West Germany via dedicated East German transit routes (German: Transitstrecke ), East German border guards issued
9272-505: The four allied countries. Berlin, which was surrounded by the Soviet zone of occupation —newly established in most of Middle Germany —would be similarly divided, with the Western Allies occupying an enclave consisting of the western parts of the city. According to the agreement, the occupation of Berlin could end only as a result of a quadripartite agreement. The Western Allies were guaranteed three air corridors to their sectors of Berlin, and
9394-642: The grey standard, they did not show the "Federal Eagle" or coat of arms , and contained no indications as to the issuing State. However, they did have a statement that the holder of the document was a German citizen. From 11 June 1968, East Germany made it mandatory that West Berlin and West German "transit passengers" obtain a transit visa , issued upon entering East Germany, because under its second constitution East Germany considered West Germans and West Berliners foreigners. Since identity cards had no pages to stamp visas, issuers of East German visas stamped their visas onto separate leaflets which were loosely stuck into
9516-530: The identity cards, which, until the mid-1980s, were little booklets. Although the West German government subsidized visa fees, they were still payable by individual travellers. In order to enter visa-requiring Western countries, such as the US, West Berliners commonly used West German passports. However, for countries which did not require stamped visas for entry, including Switzerland, Austria, and many members of
9638-639: The interim. City-wide elections in December 1990 resulted in the first "all Berlin" mayor being elected to take office in January 1991, with the separate offices of mayors in East and West Berlin expiring by that time, and Eberhard Diepgen (a former mayor of West Berlin) became the first elected mayor of a reunited Berlin. West Berlin comprised the following boroughs ( Bezirke ): In the American sector: In
9760-413: The joint administration of Germany and Berlin broke down. Soon, Soviet-occupied Berlin and western-occupied Berlin had separate city administrations. In 1948, the Soviets tried to force the Western Allies out of Berlin by imposing a land blockade on the western sectors—the Berlin Blockade . The West responded by using its air corridors for supplying their part of the city with food and other goods through
9882-552: The largest population of any city in Germany during the Cold War era. West Berlin was 160 km (100 mi) east and north of the inner German border and only accessible by land from West Germany by narrow rail and highway corridors . It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors established in 1945. The Berlin Wall , built in 1961, physically separated West Berlin from its East Berlin and East German surroundings until it fell in 1989. On 3 October 1990,
10004-414: The local men, Hopper told them the characters of Billy, Wyatt, and George had raped and killed a girl outside of town. The scene in which Billy and Wyatt were shot was filmed on Louisiana Highway 105 North, just outside Krotz Springs , and the two men in the pickup truck—Johnny David and D.C. Billodeau—were Krotz Springs locals. While shooting the cemetery scene, Hopper tried to convince Fonda to talk to
10126-448: The middle of the night, a group of locals attack the sleeping trio, beating them with clubs. Billy screams and brandishes a knife, and the attackers leave. Wyatt and Billy suffer minor injuries, but George has been bludgeoned to death. Wyatt and Billy wrap George's body in his sleeping bag, gather his belongings, and vow to return the items to his family. They continue to New Orleans and find a brothel George had told them about earlier in
10248-486: The movie was: four hours, four and a half hours, or five hours. In 1992, the film's producers, Schneider and Rafelson, sued Columbia Pictures over missing negatives, edit footage and damaged prints, holding them negligent concerning these assets. Some of the scenes which were in the original cut but were deleted are: Easy Rider' s style — the jump cuts, time shifts, flash forwards, flashbacks, jerky hand-held cameras, fractured narrative and improvised acting — can be seen as
10370-579: The movie, Hendrix later wrote a song " Ezy Ryder ", with lyrics reflecting the film's themes, while Iron Butterfly wrote " Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way) ". The film was first released to DVD on December 7, 1999 as a Special Edition from Columbia Pictures. Special features included an audio commentary track with Dennis Hopper; the documentary Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage (1999); production notes; and new interviews with Peter Fonda and Hopper. It received
10492-462: The music that was used. On the other hand, Hopper increasingly got control over every aspect over the course of the project and decided to throw CSNY out behind Fonda's back, telling the band as an excuse, "Look, you guys are really good musicians, but honestly, anybody who rides in a limo can't comprehend my movie, so I'm gonna have to say no to this, and if you guys try to get in the studio again, I may have to cause you some bodily harm." Inspired by
10614-450: The occupation of Berlin could be ended only by a quadripartite agreement, Berlin remained an occupied territory under the formal sovereignty of the allies. Hence, the Basic Law was not fully applicable to West Berlin. On 4 August 1950, the House of Representatives , the city's legislature, passed a new constitution, declaring Berlin to be a state of the Federal Republic and the provisions of
10736-496: The occupation of East Berlin at an end along with the rest of East Germany. This move was, however, not recognised by the Western Allies, who continued to view all of Berlin as a jointly occupied territory belonging to neither of the two German states. This view was supported by the continued practice of patrols of all four sectors by soldiers of all four occupying powers. Thus, occasionally Western Allied soldiers were on patrol in East Berlin as were Soviet soldiers in West Berlin. After
10858-631: The other three were stolen and probably taken apart before their significance as movie props became known. The demolished bike was rebuilt by Dan Haggerty and offered for auction in October 2014 by Profiles in History, a Calabasas, California -based auction house with an estimated value of $ 1–1.2 million. The provenance of existing Captain America motorcycles is unclear, and has been the subject of much litigation. The EMP Museum in Seattle identified
10980-503: The pair are arrested for "parading without a permit" and thrown in jail. There, they befriend lawyer George Hanson, who has spent the night in jail after overindulging in alcohol. After the mention of having done work for the ACLU along with other conversation, George helps them get out of jail and decides to travel with Wyatt and Billy to New Orleans. As they camp that night, Wyatt and Billy introduce George to marijuana . As an alcoholic and
11102-417: The parking lot with a fire taking hold in the engine compartment. He enters a roadside attraction across the street and activates the coin-operated animal exhibits, then switches on a chairlift and rides it with his frozen turkey. After completing a trip up and down the mountainside, he passes out of view and a shot is heard. The police arrive at the scene to find the truck fully ablaze, Bruno's body still on
11224-583: The participation of Greater Berlin in the Federation. We interpret the effect of Articles 23 and 144 (2) of the Basic Law as constituting acceptance of our previous request that while Berlin may not be accorded voting membership in the Bundestag or Bundesrat nor be governed by the Federation she may, nevertheless, designate a small number of representatives to the meetings of those legislative bodies. Consequently, West Berliners were indirectly represented in
11346-536: The photography, rock score and Nicholson's performance. Penelope Gilliatt in The New Yorker said that it "speaks tersely and aptly for this American age, that is both the best of times and the worst of times." Roger Ebert added Easy Rider to his "Great Movies" list in 2004. Easy Rider holds an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 7.70/10. The site's consensus states: "Edgy and seminal, Easy Rider encapsulates
11468-610: The process of blocking all the roads leading away from the city, resulting in several armed standoffs and at least one skirmish with the French Gendarmerie and the Bundesgrenzschutz that June. However, the culmination of the schism did not occur until 1961 with the construction of the Berlin Wall . From the legal theory followed by the Western Allies, the occupation of most of Germany ended in 1949 with
11590-510: The prospect of further harassment, Bruno and Eva decide to leave Germany and accompany Bruno's eccentric elderly neighbour Scheitz, who was planning to move to Wisconsin to live with his American nephew Clayton. After sightseeing in New York City they buy a used car and arrive in a winter-bound, barren prairie near the fictional town of 'Railroad Flats'. There Bruno works as a mechanic with Clayton and his assistant. Eva works as
11712-414: The recut. Upon seeing the final cut, Hopper was originally displeased, saying that his movie was "turned into a TV show," but he eventually accepted, claiming that Jaglom had crafted the film the way Hopper had originally intended. Despite the large part he played in shaping the film, Jaglom only received credit as an "Editorial Consultant." It is unclear what the exact running time of original rough cut of
11834-468: The rest of the day. The notion of " free love " appears to be practiced, with two of the women, Lisa and Sarah, seemingly sharing the affections of the hitch-hiking commune member before turning their attention to Wyatt and Billy. As the bikers leave, the hitch-hiker gives Wyatt some LSD for him to share with "the right people, at the right time". Later, while riding along with a parade in New Mexico,
11956-533: The road toward the pickup as it makes a U-turn. Passing in the opposite direction, the passenger fires the shotgun again, this time through the driver's-side window. Wyatt's riderless motorcycle flies through the air and comes apart before landing and becoming engulfed in flames. Hopper and Fonda's first collaboration was in The Trip (1967), written by Jack Nicholson, which had themes and characters similar to those of Easy Rider . Peter Fonda had become "an icon of
12078-495: The role, Hopper began ranting about the " rednecks " he had encountered on his scouting trip to the South. Torn, a Texan, took exception to some of Hopper's remarks, and the two almost came to blows, as a result of which Torn withdrew from the project. Torn was replaced by Jack Nicholson. In 1994, Jay Leno interviewed Hopper about Easy Rider on The Tonight Show , and during the interview, Hopper falsely claimed that Torn had pulled
12200-572: The same year, it changed it back to the previous rate. Easy Rider Easy Rider is a 1969 American road drama film written by Peter Fonda , Dennis Hopper , and Terry Southern , produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South , carrying the proceeds from a cocaine deal. Other actors in the film include Jack Nicholson , Karen Black and Toni Basil . The success of Easy Rider helped spark
12322-492: The short code 0372. Conversely, those made to West Berlin from East Berlin only required the short code 849. In order to reduce eastern wiretapping of telecommunications between West Berlin and West Germany, microwave radio relay connections were built, which transmitted telephone calls between antenna towers in West Germany and West Berlin by radio. Two such towers were built, one antenna in Berlin- Wannsee and later
12444-409: The specific issue related to West Berlin, and drafted plans to ensure to defend the city against an eventual attack from the East. A tripartite planning group known as LIVE OAK , working together with NATO, was entrusted with potential military responses to any crisis. On 26 June 1963, President Kennedy visited West Berlin. On his triumphant tour, cheered by hundred of thousands of West Berliners in
12566-486: The statue of the Madonna as though it were Fonda's mother , who had committed suicide when he was 10 years old, and ask her why she left him. Although Fonda was reluctant, he eventually complied. Later Fonda used the inclusion of this scene, along with the concluding scene, as leverage to persuade Bob Dylan to allow the use of Roger McGuinn 's cover of " It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) ". Despite being filmed in
12688-491: The status of West Berlin. While many restrictions remained in place, it also made it easier for West Berliners to travel to East Germany and it simplified the regulations for Germans travelling along the autobahn transit routes. At the Brandenburg Gate in 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan provided a challenge to the then Soviet leader: General Secretary Gorbachev , if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for
12810-663: The streets, he stopped at the Congress Hall, near the Brandenburg Gate , and at Checkpoint Charlie , before delivering at West Berlin's city hall a speech, which became famous for its phrase " Ich bin ein Berliner " and a hallmark of America's solidarity with the city. The Four Power Agreement on Berlin (September 1971) and the Transit Agreement (May 1972) helped to significantly ease tensions over
12932-470: The then European Economic Community , including the United Kingdom , West Berlin identity cards were also acceptable for entry. Active immigration and asylum politics in West Berlin triggered waves of immigration in the 1960s and 1970s. As of 2017, Berlin was home to at least 178,000 Turkish and Turkish German residents, making it the largest Turkish community outside of Turkey. West Berlin
13054-541: The title Easy Rider . The film was mostly shot without a screenplay, with ad-libbed lines, and production started with only the outline and the names of the protagonists. Keeping the Western theme, Wyatt was named after Wyatt Earp and Billy after Billy the Kid . However, Southern disputed that Hopper wrote much of the script. In an interview published in 2016 [Southern died in 1995] he said, "You know if Den Hopper improvises
13176-1351: The transit routes, and occasional traffic checkpoints would check for violators. There were four transit routes between West Berlin and West Germany: The latter three routes used autobahns built during the Nazi era. They left West Berlin at Checkpoint Dreilinden , also called Checkpoint Bravo (W)/ Potsdam -Drewitz (E). Transit routes to Poland were via today's A 11 to Nadrensee -Pomellen (East Germany, GDR)/ Kołbaskowo (Kolbitzow) (PL), eastwards via today's A 12 to Frankfurt upon Oder (GDR)/ Słubice (PL), or southeastwards via today's A 13 and A 15 to Forst in Lusatia/Baršć (GDR)/ Zasieki (Berge) (PL). Additional routes led to Denmark and Sweden by ferry between Warnemünde (GDR) and Gedser (DK) and by ferry between Sassnitz (GDR) and Rønne (DK) or Trelleborg (S). Routes to Czechoslovakia were via Schmilka (GDR)/ Hřensko (Herrnskretschen) (ČSSR) and via Fürstenau (a part of today's Geising ) (GDR)/ Cínovec (Cinvald/Böhmisch Zinnwald) (ČSSR). The transit routes were also used for East German domestic traffic. This meant that transit passengers could potentially meet with East Germans and East Berliners at restaurants at motorway rest stops. Since such meetings were deemed illegal by
13298-562: The transitional period Berlin shall possess none of the attributes of a twelfth Land. The provision of this Article concerning the Basic Law will only apply to the extent necessary to prevent a conflict between this Law and the Berlin Constitution.... Thus, civic liberties and personal rights (except for the privacy of telecommunications) guaranteed by the Basic Law were also valid in West Berlin. In addition, West German federal statutes could only take effect in West Berlin with
13420-440: The use of marijuana and other substances. An independent production, the film was released by Columbia Pictures on July 14, 1969, and earned $ 60 million worldwide compared to a modest filming budget of $ 400,000. Critics have praised the performances, directing, writing, soundtrack, and visuals. It received two Academy Awards nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson). In 1998,
13542-447: The western occupying powers. Most Westerners called the Western sectors "Berlin" unless further distinction was necessary. The West German Federal government officially called West Berlin "Berlin (West)", although it also used the hyphenated "West-Berlin", whereas the East German government commonly referred to it as "Westberlin." Starting from 31 May 1961, East Berlin was officially called Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR (Berlin, Capital of
13664-573: Was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War . Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1990, the territory was claimed by the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany), despite being entirely surrounded by the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany). The legality of this claim
13786-494: Was also a destination for many people fleeing East Germany both before and after the construction of the Berlin Wall. As many immigrants from East Germany did not intend to stay in Berlin , flights – the only option for those people to reach West Germany without coming into contact with East German authorities – were subsidized by the West German government despite being operated only by companies registered in and owned by nationals of
13908-423: Was also somewhat negative and stated, "On such well-trodden ground, it seems, Herzog has little to say that is not derivative of himself or others; one can only hope that he quickly finds his way back to more unfamiliar regions." Geoff Andrew of Time Out said, "Although relatively indulgent for Herzog, the film's comedy works well enough, because Herzog's idiosyncratic imagination finds an ideal counterpoint in
14030-476: Was completely integrated with West Germany's, using the same postal code system. West Berlin was also integrated into the West German telephone network, using the same international dialling code as West Germany, +49 , with the area code 0311, later changed to 030 . Unlike West Germany, from where calls to East Berlin were made using the prefix 00372 (international access code 00, East German country code 37, area code 2), calls from West Berlin required only
14152-456: Was contested by the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries. However, West Berlin de facto aligned itself politically with the FRG from May 1949 and was thereafter treated as a de facto city-state of that country. After 1949, it was directly or indirectly represented in the institutions of the FRG, and most of its residents were citizens of the FRG. West Berlin was formally controlled by
14274-429: Was elected via his party's list of candidates. The West German government considered all West Berliners as well as all citizens of the GDR to be citizens of West Germany. Male residents of West Berlin were exempt from the Federal Republic's compulsory military service. This exemption made the city a popular destination for West German young people, which resulted in a flourishing counterculture , which in turn became one of
14396-736: Was financed with money made from the Monkees , and features a cameo of record producer Phil Spector in the opening scenes, but neither provided any music. The "groundbreaking" soundtrack featured popular rock artists including the Band , the Byrds , the Jimi Hendrix Experience , and Steppenwolf . Editor and negative cutter Donn Cambern used various music from his own record collection to make watching up to 80 hours of bike footage more interesting during editing. Most of Cambern's music
14518-410: Was placed with neighbouring East German Falkensee in the East German district Nauen . West Berlin had its own postal administration first called Deutsche Post Berlin (1947–1955) and then Deutsche Bundespost Berlin , separate from West Germany's Deutsche Bundespost , and issuing its own postage stamps until 1990. However, the separation was merely symbolic; in reality, West Berlin's postal service
14640-582: Was taking my credit cards and would pay for all the hotels, the food, the gas, everything with Diner's Club". Cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs said that an additional $ 1 million, "about three times the budget for shooting the rest of the film" was spent on the licensed music tracks that were added during the editing. He already had made two outlaw biker films and suggested that a 1968 Chevy Impala convertible be purchased to carry his camera smoothly, with speeds not exceeding 25 mph. According to associate producer Bill Heyward in interviews included as part of
14762-420: Was used, with licensing costs of $ 1 million, triple the film's budget. The film's extensive use of pop and rock music for the soundtrack was similar to what had recently been used for 1967's The Graduate , including songs been used more than once, or being adapted for the movie. Bob Dylan was asked to contribute music, but was reluctant to use his own recording of " It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) ", so
14884-828: Was written in four days and uses a number of biographical details from Schleinstein's life. Parts of the movie were shot in Nekoosa, Wisconsin and in a truck stop in Madison, Wisconsin . Other parts of the film were shot in Plainfield, Wisconsin . Herzog had planned to meet documentary filmmaker Errol Morris in Plainfield to dig up the grave of infamous killer and body snatcher Ed Gein 's mother, but Morris never showed. The concluding scenes were shot in Cherokee, North Carolina . Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports
#959040