‘We blew it…’
It is common knowledge that the surprise success of Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider in 1969 changed Hollywood completely going into the ‘70s. That film’s success ushered in the age of the auteur, of New Hollywood, of directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese – giants of cinema. The films produced during this era (The Godfather, The French Connection, Chinatown, Taxi Driver, Jaws, Star Wars, The Exorcist etc) are still lauded today and they have left an indelible mark on the cinematic landscape.
In Easy Rider, Raging Bulls (subtitled: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock ‘N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood) cultural critic and film journalist Peter Biskind explores this era of initial innovation and eventual bloated decadence through various extensive interviews and conjecture. Before I give my own opinion on this book, I must address the criticism it has received from some of the people profiled within its pages. In the aftermath of its publication, Robert Altman described Biskind as “the worst kind of human being I know”. Peter Bogdanovich claimed, “…he got it all wrong”. Leave it to Friedkin to find the perfect summation, however. Friedkin noted the book is “… partial truth, partial myth and partial out-and-out lies”. This feels right. However, what can’t be denied is how entertaining this book is. Despite weighing in at over 400 pages, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls gallops along through cinematic history detailing the singular swirl of conditions that led to the inmates taking control of the madhouse for a while there in the ‘70s before the studios inevitably wrestled back control in the ‘80s through multiplexes and the blockbuster.
The overall tone of the book is one of melancholy and missed opportunity. To paraphrase Peter Fonda at the end of Easy Rider, They blew it. Aside from Scorsese, none of the so-called movie brats achieved longevity (not without compromising their original vision at least – Lucas and Spielberg). Most of them are dead. Of those still alive, only Paul Schrader is still creating anything of worth. Their light shone brightly and briefly and Easy Rider, Raging Bulls is surely the definitive version of their story – no matter how much of it is actually true. It wouldn’t be Hollywood without exaggeration, embellishments and downright lies.
I’ve read a lot of books written about cinema over the years. Honestly? This is the best. Essential reading for anyone who calls themselves a film geek.