I saw this
movie long before reading the Lewis & Clark journals. When I did
begin to read those journals, much of the imagery in my mind was
informed by this fine movie.
Though filled
with tired renditions of the "white guilt" theme and a storybook
portrayal of the Lakota Sioux, this was a good movie... even if only
for the images...
I was as influenced as any other young teenager in the early 1970's
by this film... by the images and music before actually seeing the
entire movie around 1972. I've watched Easy Rider at least
once in each subsequent decade, and on the whole, it gets dumber and
dumber with each viewing... although many of the images remain
compelling. The image of riding across the land stuck deep in my
mind...
