The Wild Angels *** (1966, Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern) – Classic Movie Review 3867

‘Their credo is violence…Their God is hate…and they call themselves The Wild Angels.’ Producer-director Roger Corman’s 1966 cheaply made ($360,000) biker gang movie, made with help from real California Hell’s Angels and the young Peter Bogdanovich (who appears as an extra), plays like a trial run for Easy Rider (1969). It was a good-sized, profit-making hit, grossing $6,500,000 in the US.

Corman’s used several members of the real Hell’s Angels as extras but the Hell’s Angels ended up bringing a $5-million defamation lawsuit against him for what they perceived as a negative portrayal of them.

Peter Fonda swaps his clean-cut Tammy and the Doctor  (1963) image to be the rather aloof and intellectual head biker boy Heavenly Blues, who leads a group of violent motorcycle bikers called The Wild Angels.

The Wild Angels take on townsfolk who attack them when they decide they don’t want their sort in town. [Spoiler alert] Bruce Dern plays Fonda’s buddy, who lives up to his name as The Loser by getting himself shot by the cops. To be fair, it is not his actual name, that is Joe Kearns. Nancy Sinatra also stars as Fonda’s girlfriend called Monkey, aka Mike.

It is made by Corman and performed by the cult cast with considerable rough-and-ready energy, even though with little notable panache or style.

This then controversial film was banned in Britain in 1966 when the BBFC refused it a UK cinema certificate. They eventually passed it with cuts in 1972. But later video and DVD releases were fully uncut.

Monte Hellman was the film editor.

Corman recalled: ‘I started yelling “Cut! Cut!” My assistant director started screaming “Don’t cut, this is great stuff”. It was just that sort of movie.’

Also in the cast are Diane Ladd, Michael J Pollard, Buck Taylor, Norman Alden, Gayle Hunnicutt, Lou Procopio, Coby Denton, Marc Cavell, Dick Miller, Joan Shawlee, Art Baker, Frank Maxwell, Frank Gerstle and Kim Hamilton.

Dern was assaulted by two real Hell’s Angels, though he tried to explain he was in a movie. ‘It was, like, hey, I’m not even alive in the movie, I’m dead, and they’re still beating on me.’

Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd’s daughter Laura Dern was conceived during the shoot.

George Chakiris was to play the star role of Black Jack but replaced him with Fonda after he insisted that a stunt double do his motorcycle riding. Fonda, originally cast as Loser, changed Black Jack to Heavenly Blues.

http://derekwinnert.com/easy-rider-1969-peter-fonda-dennis-hopper-jack-nicholson-classic-movie-review-1738/

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3867
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