Easy Rider: The American New Wave Movement

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New Hollywood In the mid sixties and early seventies, The United States was undergoing many changes within its boarders. Social and political circumstances were the main causes of these changes that were going on in American society. During this time there was much criticism towards the United States government at well as societal ideologies. This led to changes not only only within society, but American forms of entertainment and, more specifically, the film industry as well. During this time period the film industry hit a low point in which theater attendance dropped and as a result production of feature films dropped. This lead to studios having to find away to make films that were cheap and appealed to the masses. Studios soon learned…show more content…
This is a film about two hippies that are traveling across the country to New Orleans for Mardi Gras with money that they got selling drugs put into a tube and stuffed in the gas tank of a motorcycle. The life style of these two men and how they are treated for living this life style is one of the biggest parts of the film that relates it to the New Hollywood movement. These men live a life that most of the youth at the time would have idolized. they are just traveling across the country with not a worry in the world and are living of the hospitality of the people that they meet along the way. This, however, causes them trouble when they meet people that are opposed to their lifestyle. In one scene, they are sitting in a restaurant and there is a very aggressive vibe being given off all of the older people in the restaurant except for the youth girl. The young girls are fascinated by the men but the other people in the restaurant start talking about them and making fun of them out loud which causes them to leave because they do not feel welcome. Then that night in their sleep they are attacked and the friend that they had maid in jail was killed. This shows how the youth at the time are living the life style that they choose and feel as if they are being targeted for it and do not feel welcomed by society. The film also puts an emphasis on sex, drugs, and rock and roll.…show more content…
With ticket sales plummeting due to suburbanization the the introduction of the television, the film industry had to make changes to keep from going out of business. Hollywood studios began making films geared towards the youth because they were the ones that had the time to go to theaters and watch films. This led to a film movement taking place in Hollywood in which movies were being made for the youth that had a big emphasis on the types of lifestyles and ideologies that they young people at the time were fascinated with. Bonnie and Clyde and Easy Rider are two great examples of these types of films. These two films depict lifestyles that the youth at the time were interested and showed rebellion from the government and traditional ways of thinking. Although Bonnie and Clyde is credited with starting the American New Wave, Easy Rider was made during the height of this movement and is a better representation of what this movement was all
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