Easy rider was made in 1969, directed by Dennis Hopper is an independent film with the themes of sex and drugs which are represented in the cemetery acid trip scene. This scene from easy rider shows four characters in an graveyard, after the characters take the acid, it cuts to a upward tilt of a building, using a shot reverse shot, it cuts back to the characters and back again to the tilt. The tilting of the camera up the wall, represents the characters state, as the tilt gets higher and higher, so are the characters. This creates meaning as the wall shown in the upward tilt is overgrown with plants, it's dirty, old and not well looked after, which could represent the characters. How the characters are behaving recklessly and by taking the drugs and alcohol are damaging their body and brains, meaning that they don't look after themselves. At the last shot of the camera tilting, is when the tilt goes past the wall and up to the sky where the light from the sun creates complete whiteness. This shot looks almost religious in the way that the light slowly consumes the shot, this not only relates to how the characters are in a graveyard, which is considered holy grounds, so this shot gives meaning to the location of the scene as if something significant is about to or has already has taken place in that location which relates to the plot line. The tilting up of the camera can also represent the characters states as they are getting higher and higher and the camera tilts higher and higher. This correlation between the camera tilt and the characters adds more context to the scene because even though we have seen them take the drugs, the camera not only conforms to shows the effect on the characters.
One of the male
characters in this scene is wearing brown fringe jacket, with a bone necklace.
This is linked to Native American culture, which could be a clue towards the
state of America and their views of Native American culture in that time.
The other male character in this scene is dressed in a bright
multi-coloured top with a dark jacket with red, white and blue on the arms. The
top represents hippie culture and how it was around in the late 1960's and as
this character is the only one wearing bright hippie related clothing, and he
is the same character who gives the other three pills, this could give context
as to what Americas view on hippie culture is, which would be someone who takes
drugs and doesn't follow the classic American dream. However this character is
wearing a jacket with red, white and blue over the top, the red, white and blue
represent America, as it is the colours on the American flag. This could
represent the state of which America is in at this point in time, this could
relate to America in the Vietnam War and how the hippies were seen as cowards
or those who did nothing while others went out and fought.
Later in the
scene, after a short cut of a young girl reading a passage from the Bible, there
is a montage of clips with a non-diegetic sounds trying to overpower the voice
of the girl. This could represent how sinful the characters are acting because
of where they are (in a cemetery) getting high and drunk. During this montage, there
is a shot of the character wearing the jacket with the red, white and blue on,
and he is standing next to a holy statute and the camera is zooming out,
as the camera flare takes over the shot and whitewashes it leaving it to fade
to another statue. This shot of the character by the statue with the lens flare
could show once again the religious message in the film as the camera flare
could represent a omnipresent being watching over them and the words
"forgiveness of sins" are being read out by the girl non-dietetic
over the shot. This gives the meaning that even though the character is doing
something he shouldn't be doing but because America, is known for its strong
religious views, by saying these words while the shot is pointed at the
character with the American colours on his clothing, show how’s how Americas
religious views are there.
