Easy Riders, Raging Bulls DVD (2003) (1 Disc) (UK)

First things first, I caught this by chance on BBC4 recently, so given the number of times they show repeats, you can probably see it for free some time within the next few weeks if you check the listings.

I found it fascinating, interspersed with clips from films from the late 60s & 70s & choice interviews with, among others, Dennis Hopper, Peter Bogdanovich, & Peter Fonda, it tells the story of Hollywood in the decade when directors dicatated the agenda, before studios settled on a formula for routine blockbusters in the style of Jaws, Star Wars & their sequels.

A parallel story is how a group of artistically minded directors, led by Francis Ford Copolla, together with his protege, George Lucas & other widely recognised names like Martin Scorsese, Warren Beatty, & Steven Spielberg combined ideas & pooled resources to come up with some of the most original films in cinema history. Given free licence by the studios, out of this group emerged films like The Conversation, The Last Picture Show, The Godfather, American Graffitti & Taxi Driver, & with them came some of the great movie actors like Robert De Niro & Harvey Keital. As the 80s neared, the status of these directors, & so implies the film, their complacency & drug-fulled excesses, reached fever pitch, & it was this excess which ultimately led to their downfall. Meanwhile, from their own midsts emerged a new, clean, studio friendly & box-office driven director named Steven Spielberg with a film called Jaws that generated unprecedented publicity & opened to more screens than any film before & gained not only critical acclaim, but enormous box office returns. It, like Star Wars, & to a lesser extent, Alien & Superman heralded a new age. Martin Scorseses Raging Bull was the last hoorah for the artistically minded film maker, bucking the trend of the new super-blockbuster. Appreciating the marketability of their products to a previously under-appreciated yourh market, studios were on the road to tie-ins & Empire Strikes Back lunchboxes. As one of the contributors on the film comments, studios were about to start making some serious money.

Add this central story to the fascinating anecdotes, the excellent archive footage & contemporary interviews, this film offers a fascinating insight into the personalities of the film industry & the history of a golden cinematic age that youll want to share & discuss with friends. Recommended to anyone with at least a passing interest in cinema.