CULVER CITY, CALIF. (Aug. 20, 2009) — To commemorate the 40th anniversary of EASY RIDER, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will debut the Oscar®-nominated counterculture classic October 13th on high definition Blu-ray Disc.
The epitome of cool, EASY RIDER, was released during the Woodstock era and features a rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack, shaped by the likes of Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn (“The Byrds”), a cast of decked out choppers (a.k.a. motorcycles) and an anti-establishment storyline right out of its 60’s era roots, helped along with a generous sprinkling of hippies, communes, free love and various hallucinatory agents. Starring three acting icons, Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, EASY RIDER is the ultimate road movie, considered by AFI (American Film Institute) to be one of the top 100 films of all time.
To honor the anniversary of this landmark film, SPHE will team with Southern California’s annual Love Ride, for which EASY RIDER star Peter Fonda serves as honorary grand marshal. This year’s Love Ride will be themed to the 40th Anniversary of EASY RIDER, including events, appearances and artwork related to the film. The 26th annual Love Ride, the culmination of California Bike Week (October 23 – 25), starts at Glendale Harley in Glendale, CA and ends at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA on October 25th. For more information on the Love Ride, please visit www.loveride.org.
The Blu-ray™ edition of EASY RIDER will feature a running commentary by Dennis Hopper, and the interactive movieIQ feature, which allows viewers to immediately access continuously updated information on cast and crew and explore relevant trivia such as production facts, music and soundtrack information all tied to scenes within the movie. The special edition Blu-ray will arrive packaged in a deluxe 32-page graphic booklet with information on the soundtrack, actors, and historical significance of the film.
A Columbia Pictures film, EASY RIDER will be available on Blu-ray Disc for $38.96.
SYNOPSIS: EASY RIDER
Academy Award(r) winner Jack Nicholson (Best Actor, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975) stars with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper (who also directs) in this unconventional classic which Time Magazine hails as “one of the ten most important pictures of the decade.” Experience the real, uncensored ’60s counterculture in this compelling mixture of drugs, sex and armchair politics. In the role that catapulted him to stardom, Jack Nicholson portrays an alcoholic attorney who hooks up with two part-time, drug-dealing motorcyclists (Fonda and Hopper) in search of their “American Dream.” Heading from California to New Orleans, they sample the highs and lows of America the beautiful in a stoned-out quest for life’s true meaning. Nominated for an Academy Award(r) (1969) for Best Screenplay (written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern), Easy Rider continues to touch a chord with audiences everywhere.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
• Shaking the Cage – Featurette with Hopper and Fonda
• Commentary with Hopper
• movieIQ – Using a BD-Live enabled Blu-ray Player’s internet connection, movieIQ allows viewers to immediately access continuously updated information on cast and crew and explore relevant trivia such as production facts, music and soundtrack information all tied to scenes within the movie
