easy rider- cemetery analysis- HNC induction
first and foremost easy rider is a critique on the state of decay that America found itself in during the 60’s. America during this period was undergoing drastic social changes, people were realising that the fabled american dream was nothing more than a illusion. the cemetery scene represents this existential moment perfectly.
the scene starts with the two protagonists sitting in a cemetery with two prostitutes, the camera in this scene is a mid shot, angled slightly downwards this combination creates a impression of uncertainty, the static camera makes the viewer feel uneasy, a state of uncertainty that anything could happen in the moments following, the slightly tilted camera angle the shot relies on could be considered condescending, we are looking down at these individuals, the bottom of the social chain, we can easily relate this shot set up to the existing existential motif, the low angle and static camera represent that these people are people are stagnant, the american dream is dead and for these characters it has died with them, they have given up on the illusion of happiness and its pursuit of it
following this we watch as the four take LSD, a psychoactive stimulant that induces hallucinations, immediately after, a non diegetic pulsing metallic clanging plays and continues to play throughout the scene, the metallic clanging is alien and disorientating, this could possibly be a representation of the the american dream, about how men and women forced themselves to conform to the ideals set by society at the time, a slow repetitive march that leads nowhere. the scene uses cross cutting at this point to represent the characters trip, the scene frequently cuts to religious iconography, slats in walls which resembles crucifix, are decayed and warped, possibly a representation on how america is now out of touch with its founding morals and principles, a preacher reads out scripture whilst the camera shifts in and out of focus, disorientating the viewer, shots of the sun, shot extremely close up till the screen is engulfed in white create a feeling of nothingness, of a blinding light that creeps forward unwaveringly possibly a representation of the characters impending deaths. one shot used within the cross cutting is particularly interesting, a prostitute lies completely naked in a graveyard, her limbs obscured by water droplets, making her look deformed and warped, this was filmed on a fish eye lens, resulting in a frame that is perfectly rounded which only adds to the alien aesthetic of the shot. this could potentially be a representation of to this fringe group of people, sex is the only thing that matters, not wealth or money or the american dream, but sex in all its forms. we are also presented with fast consecutive shots of one of the men crying next to a statue, upon analysis the statue is a model of the liberty statue, he utters the words “why did you leave me like that, shut up”, the fact that he is saying these words to the statue of liberty itself could mean that he feels as though america has abandoned him, the very ideals that america was built on have escaped him. the scene ends with one of the men sitting on the statue almost mockingly, the sun lights fills the screen and ends with nothing but white, this sunlight which eventually takes over the entire screen could be seen as the protagonist finally accepting that he has finally succumbed to the vices that have claimed so many before him, his sudden realisation that the american dream has indeed died, and this is his moment of clarity
easy rider was released in 1969, filmmaking during this period was primitive when compared to the digital era we are in now, all film was recorded on reels, and were edited by hand, to create an effective cross cutting a editor must have spent an extreme amount of time and determination to finish editing. 1969 was also a time in which american avont guarde cinema was being released, for the time this style of film making and editing was considered very experimental, with most directors of the time focussing more on linear narrative and
well established filming techniques.
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