Disc Details
Special Features:	Widescreen anamorphic format. Commentary by director and co-star Dennis Hopper. Production notes. Making-Of Featurette: "Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage." Talent bios.
Video Format:	Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) [SS-DL]
Languages:	English (Dolby Digital 5.1) English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Subtitles:	English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Thai.
Closed Caption:	Yes
Sides:	1-Disc Keep Case

The supporting cast includes Jack Nicholson as a drunken ACLU lawyer who tags along with our heroes on the way to Mardi Gras. Karen Black and Toni Basil appear as a couple of New Orleans prostitutes. Reclusive record mega-producer Phil Spector has a cameo in the films opening drug deal. Look quick for a pot smoking Grizzly Adams. Carrie Snodgrass appears unbilled as a commune hippie-chick. Luana Anders (Hopper's so-star in Curtis Harrington's Night Tide) reteams with Hopper as a free-love pit stop.

"Easy Rider" shocked the Hollywood establishment with it's box-office returns. This indie film turned Hollywood on its head as the major studios scrambled to duplicate the success of "Easy Rider." The result were a slew of counter-culture movies made by the establishment which rightfully died at the box-office. There's a lesson there somewhere.

Picture Quality: 10/10
I love the American West. "Easy Rider" was one of the films, along with those of John Ford that made me ache to go west when I was growing up in Memphis. There visuals captured by cinematic master Lazlo Kovacs are panoramic and majestic. The shot of Monument Valley at sunset with a plethora of colors is awe inspiring. No artifacts or pixilation.

Sound Quality: 10/10
Dennis Hopper made the decision to use found music for the score. This was the first film to do so. The result is a soundtrack which captures 1968 and 69 perfectly. I cranked up the home theater system full blast and watched the credit sequence several times. Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild" rattled my walls. I wish I hadn't sold my motorcycle.

Menu: 10/10
Simple but effective design. Makes good use of movie's images. Easy to navigate.

Extra Features: 10/10
I enjoyed comparing Dennis Hopper's commentary track to the comments of Peter Fonda and others on the documentary "Shaking the Cage." Their stories don't always jibe, but it is fascinating. Hopper and Fonda both give a lot of insight into the art of indie filmmaking. Tons of great anecdotes about what happened on location and the set.

The Final Word:
I rented "Easy Rider" from cafeDVD.com. I logged onto their web-site, looked through their catalogue and ordered. 5 days later, my movies showed up in the mail. They came in an envelope which was also the return postage paid envelope. This is the first time I've rented from their company. The DVDs were in excellent condition. I also like the fact that I could plan ahead for my weekend. I ordered on a Sunday and got them on a Thursday. Check them out.

One of these days I intend to add "Easy Rider" to my permanent library. A modern classic.

Rusty White