Captain America: It's grass.
George Hanson: You mean marijuana? Lord have mercy, is that what that is?
I knew this was not the movie for me when I read the back of the DVD. It is described thusly: "Experience the real, uncensored '60s counterculture in this compelling mixture of drugs, sex and armchair politics."
That is the perfect description for the antithesis of my ideal movie.
It was very progressive for the 1960s with its depiction of drugs. I would say it did for drugs what The Last Picture Show did for sex -made it real, put it out there. Tyler also pointed out that from an anthropological perspective it's pretty interesting to see how the 1960s were viewed at the time, and what was considered shocking.
The two main characters are Wyatt and Billy. They are flush with money after a drug deal. Living life on their on terms, they tour the country on their motorcycles. For being and looking different, they are judged negatively by society, and eventually killed:
George Hanson: You know, this used to be a helluva good country. I can't understand what's gone wrong with it.
Billy: Man, everybody got chicken, that's what happened. Hey, we can't even get into like, a second-rate hotel, I mean, a second-rate motel, you dig? They think we're gonna cut their throat or somethin'. They're scared, man.
George Hanson: They're not scared of you. They're scared of what you represent to 'em.
Billy: Hey, man. All we represent to them, man, is somebody who needs a haircut.
George Hanson: Oh, no. What you represent to them is freedom.
Billy: What the hell is wrong with freedom? That's what it's all about.
George Hanson: Oh, yeah, that's right. That's what's it's all about, all right. But talkin' about it and bein' it, that's two different things. I mean, it's real hard to be free when you are bought and sold in the marketplace. Of course, don't ever tell anybody that they're not free, 'cause then they're gonna get real busy killin' and maimin' to prove to you that they are. Oh, yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom. But they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em.
Billy: Well, it don't make 'em runnin' scared.
George Hanson: No, it makes 'em dangerous.
For some reason Billy and Wyatt really bothered people in the South:
Cat Man: Check that joker with the long hair.
Deputy: I checked him already. Looks like we might have to bring him up to the Hilton before it's all over with.
Cat Man: Ha! I think she's cute.
Deputy: Isn't she, though. I guess we'd put him in the women's cell, don't you reckon?
Cat Man: Oh, I think we ought to put 'em in a cage and charge a little admission to see 'em.
George: Those are what is known as 'country witticisms'.
People really couldn't get over Billy having long hair -it's not the end of the world and no reason to become so hostile, people!
On their travels they meet with George Hanson (Jack Nicholson), a drunken lawyer who joins them and is killed by Louisiana hicks, and with a hippie (Luke Askew) who introduces them to his commune. The people at the commune kind of looked like a cross between the Manson Family and the angelic versions of the Red Dwarf characters in Red Dwarf: Angels and Demons (they even have spontaneous theater similar to the hippies):
Angelic Lister: Have I told you today how much I love thee, brother? How much my heart glimmers like a newborn star when I gaze upon thine beauteous countenance?
Angelic Rimmer: Thy love refreshes and cleanses me like a babbling mountain stream, brother.
Rimmer: What a bunch of losers!
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| Angelic Lister and Angelic Cat. |
They also do a lot of drugs. Much of the movie is scenery, seen as they ride along on their motorcycles. Tyler wryly observed: "You know, you could probably watch another movie during this one and not miss anything."
It employs a lot of camerawork that can only be described as psychedelic, presumably so we can feel like we are experiencing their drug-fueled trips with them.
It was not for me. All I could say at the end was "Well, that was something."
But like I said, this is not my type of movie. If you are fascinated by hippies, the '60s, "the man" and "keeping it real" then this is the movie for you. "Buh, neh! Neh! Neh! Neh!"
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