Article by Rhia Chohan
Fans of motorcycles like to live the lifestyle to accompany their fascination for bikes. The wheels, the leathers and the music are all part of motorcycle mania and being an adrenaline junkie. Most important however, are the films, which define motorcycle culture today. So hold on tight while we chopper through the five must-see motorcycle pictures to rev through our cinemas during past decades.
The Wild One (1953)
Marlon Brando in his iconic pin-up days stars as the hard-nosed and gritty Johnny Strabler. Based on an actual event that took place in Hollister, California it is considered by many to be the king of outlaw biker cinema.
Brando leads the Black Rebels motorcycle gang who ride British Triumphs while the rival American Harley Davidson riding Beatles are led by Chino, played by Lee Marvin. The locals of small town Wrightsville, California are caught in the middle of a biker war. Both Brando and Marvin are dressed for the part in biker leathers for their wild roles.
Easy Rider (1969)
The film’s tagline was: “A man went looking for America. And couldn’t find it anywhere…” Easy Rider was directed by Dennis Hopper, who also starred as Billy alongside Peter Fonda’s character Wyatt, nicknamed Captain America. Both of them are free spirits who ride down to Mardi Gras in New Orleans after making a drug deal in Los Angeles.
Along the way they pick up Jack Nicholson, playing an alcohol lawyer called George Hanson who meets an unfortunate end at the hands of a tribe of rednecks. This film explores the societal landscape of 1960s America and is a cocktail of drugs, prostitution, hippies and a rock soundtrack, which features the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Steppenwolf.
A motorcycle lover’s favourite, Easy Rider features four former police bikes, including the 1949, 1952 and 1952 Harley Davidson with hardtail frames and Panhead engines.
Quadrophenia (1979)
The British film Quadrophenia is loosely based on the 1973 rock opera by The Who. Phil Daniels stars as Jimmy, a Mod, along with Leslie Ash, Ray Winstone, Phil Davis, Mark Wingett and Sting. The film’s plot includes an ensuing battle between Mods and Rockers in Brighton and a dramatic ending on the cliffs at Beachy Head.The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
This is not a cult biker film but it is based on a book about a political icon and is a definite must-see if you’re after a bit of culture as well as bikes. The Motorcycle Diaries is a biopic about the written memoir of a 23-year-old medical student Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara who took a journey in 1952 with his biochemist friend Alberto Granado, across South America.
His experiences and observations of indigenous poverty influenced him to become what popular culture best knows as the Marxist icon Che Guevara. Ernesto (Gael García Bernal) and Alberto’s (Rodrigo de la Serna) main form of transport is an ancient and leaky – but functional – Norton 500 motorcycle named La Poderosa, meaning ‘The Mighty One’.
Hells Angels on Wheels (1967)
This cult classic stars Jack Nicholson who plays Poet, a bored gas-station attendant, who finds life more exciting after he begins to associate with a chapter of the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle club led by Buddy (Adam Rourke). There is a lot of wild partying mayhem in this film as well as tense relationships and the Hells Angels’ continuing encounters with the ‘squares’ of society.
About the Author
Hideout Leather are a UK company who stock draggin motorcycle jeans as well as daytona boots and a wide range of helmets.
This public domain movie is a classic example of film noir and one of my favorite movies. In it, a guy is poisoned by radiation poisoning put in his drink, and he knows he is going to die, but in with his remaining time he dedicates himself to discovering who killed him, and why. It wasn’t on YouTube yet so I thought I’d put it up. Orchard-L, author of Boundless Ocean, Missing, and who is helping me make Saturated Dreamers, recommended the movie to me. Director: Rudolph Mate Producer: Leo C. Popkin Cardinal Pictures Public Domain www.archive.org
Video Rating: 4 / 5