Although the motorcycle was invented in 1885, the first short film about it was made only 24 years later, in 1909. In the English-made short film called “Uncontrollable Motorcycle”, according to the plot, the teenager was very offended by his older brother and decided to take revenge on him in a very original way: to attach explosives to his beloved motorcycle. What the young pyrotechnician could not have foreseen was that the motorcycle would lose control, drive into the house and explode inside, and the house would eventually burn down.
Movies similar in plot, as well as films about motorcycle competitions, were offered to viewers for viewing until about the end of the 40s of the 20th century. The scriptwriters simply did not have more interesting ideas that would catch the audience, and interest in such films slowly began to subside.
If this continued, then the entire sub-industry of the film industry could “safely” die without fledging properly. In fact, for 40 years there have been only 14 films on motorcycle topics – this does not fit into any gates.
However, the bikers, through their actions, influenced, unwittingly, the film industry.
“SAVAGE”
Former soldiers of the Second World War clearly lacked adrenaline and thrills in the “civilian”. Therefore, they began to stray into motorcycle racing gangs, which later became known as “bikers”.
The case that stirred up the United States and served as the basis for the plot of “The Savage” occurred at the Hollister motorcycle festival in California, when several biker gangs arrived uninvited and staged a mayhem in a small town with drunkenness, excesses and fights. The press gleefully rubbed their hands and savored the “fried” details of the “riot in Hollister”, and the movie bosses felt a great opportunity to raise the box office at the hype event.
“The Savage” was filmed in 1953, and since its release has gained wild popularity with moviegoers. The bikers honored the film as a symbol of their movement.
WHY “SAVAGE” DID NOT LEAVE ANYONE INDIFFERENT:
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The film realistically and without embellishment showed the bikers of the 40s and 50s, their values and beliefs. Director Benedek called real bikers to the shooting to make what is happening on the screen more convincing.
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The film lifted the veil on some biker beliefs and explained to the audience what motorcyclists want. For example, the scene where the biker is asked what the motorcyclists are protesting against has become famous. He replies that they are rebelling against what the questioner has. Simply put, the protest of bikers is caused by the very fact of everyday life.
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The film was based on the events of the “Hollister riot”, the memory of which was still alive. The general public wanted to know more about scary bikers, so she happily went to the movies.
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Starring American movie star Marlon Brando. Part of the audience probably watched the film solely because of him. And I must admit, biker Johnny is one of Brando’s best roles in his entire career. The credibility of Brando as an actor was that in reality there were not so many differences between him and the bikers in character and attitude to the world.
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Cool movie set with modern biker bikes, leather jackets with patches and boots.
“The Savage Man” played an important role in the development of biker cinema, set the benchmark for subsequent films and influenced the biker movement by attracting a significant number of new adherents to its ranks.
“EASY RIDER”
The golden age for biker films began immediately after the triumphant march of The Savage and lasted about 30 years. The biker theme became fashionable, so the films were stamped by a conveyor method, several per year. The quality of a significant part of the tapes was below the plinth. It lacked something original, some kind of unhackneyed look at the biker subculture.
New trends were set by “Easy Rider”, filmed by non-professional director Dennis Hopper, who simultaneously played the role of biker Billy. The film successfully withstood the rental, having beaten off the costs of its creation by 111 times. What were the reasons for such a resounding achievement:
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The tape for the first time in the history of biker cinema explored the meaning of freedom for bikers, how important it is for them and whether a biker is ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of devotion to his beliefs.
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The authenticity of what is happening on the screen, with the exception of the scene during which cocaine is used. That is, if the actors drink, then they drink real alcohol. If they are smoking “weed”, then they are smoking real “weed”.
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Great soundtrack. One of the songs later became the unofficial biker anthem. It’s about Born To Be Wild .
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Cool Harley at Captain America. So, if you didn’t know where the fashion for motorcycles with long forks and handlebars came from, when a biker sits on a motorcycle as if on a throne, then you know – all this is the influence of Easy Rider.
“SONS OF ANARCHY”
Of course, the TV series industry could not ignore such an exciting topic as bikers. The undisputed leader in terms of the number of viewers and disputes among viewers about their attitude to the actions of the main characters is the series “Sons of Anarchy”, which was released from the fall of 2008 to the winter of 2014. I see the popularity of the series in the following:
- Famously twisted plot in the spirit of Shakespeare’s tragedy “Hamlet”. In the series, the role of a kind of “Hamlet in a leather jacket” was played by the president of the bike club, Jax Teller.
- Great biker outfits. Everything is as it should be according to the biker canon.
- Demonstration of the rules governing relationships within biker clubs.
- Ways (mostly criminal) in which bikers financially support the activities of the community.
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