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| Artsy, wild-colored poster for Roger Corman's The Wild Angels |
The Wild Angels is a sub-genre-creating counter-culture gem from genre maestro Roger Corman (The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)). It created the outlaw biker genre that culminated three years hence in Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider (1969), which became a massive hit and a mainstream pop-cultural reference.
As with most biker films, the narrative is pretty thin in Angels:
'Blues' is the president of the Hell's Angels Venice California chapter, and he orders his guys out to look for some missing choppers at a warehouse controlled by some Mexicans. After a fist fight breaks out, the police butts in, and the bikers have to flee the warehouse on their Harleys. The president's right hand man 'Loser' unfortunately gets chased and shot by a cop who then drives off the road, killing himself. 'Loser' gets broken out of the hospital by his biker compadres, SPOILER which kills him. 'Blues' and the rest of the gang stage a funeral at a far-away funeral parlor, but end up assaulting the minister and trashing the place instead, and their wild ways eventually make the burial of 'Loser' almost impossible.
Angels was wildly popular at the time and stroke fear across parents' hearts in the Western world, as their wild kids suddenly seemed to adore violent bikers wearing swastikas.
The film is provoking, because it presents the aimless drifters in a fascinated, positive light. They are the heroes of the film, but at the same time, they are pretty ridiculous and morally reprehensible with their disregard for everyone besides themselves and their stupid ways in general. Different things will outrage each person most, be it the Nazi symbols they flaunt everywhere, the rape of the girlfriend of 'Loser' at his funeral (!), the way 'Loser''s corpse is dragged around and fed a smoke at his funeral, the violence, or the disrespect towards religion, as they abuse the minister at 'Loser''s funeral. They're pretty terrible.
Peter Fonda tells the minister what they want at his friend 'Loser''s funeral: To be left alone and get wasted and have fun
At the same time, their unity is fascinating: They seem very poorly dressed by the surrounding society. They have no norms or objections but just accept acting out in most every circumstance they find themselves in.
Peter Fonda (Easy Rider (1969)) is charismatic as the president 'Blues', and Bruce Dern (Nebraska (2013)) is good as 'Loser'. The women are Nancy Sinatra and Diane Ladd, portraying 'Loser''s girl. Ladd was Dern's wife at the time, which probably helped her play the part.
The details:
A lot of Angels' attraction also comes from its awesome rock soundtrack by Mike Curb (It's a Bikini World (1967)) and Davie Allan (Night on Earth (1991)), which runs like an electric zeitgeist-fueled current through the picture.
The version I have on DVD is very well-restored picture- and sound-wise, and the film was no blight to the eye like the terrible, topically related Hells Angels on Wheels, which is technically and dramatically nowhere near Angels in terms of quality.
I know that this review is more positive than most that have been written about of The Wild Angels. (Leonard Maltin, to take one critic, has written that the film is "OK after about 24 beers.")
- I have a very soft spot for Corman and the confrontational approach he uses in some of his films like this one and for instance Shame/The Stranger (1962). I also have a soft spot for his more colorful horror and suspense pictures, but that's another story.
The by Film Excess beloved Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show (1971)) co-wrote the script for Angels with Charles B. Griffiths and did second unit direction and other jobs on the picture.
The Wild Angels serves as an impeccable historical source to understand youth rebellion in the 60s and the crazy flux of values that was present at the time for these youths, often replaced by anarchistic or nihilistic tendencies.
It is not a very likable bunch in the film, but I enjoyed it anyway. It is made with persuasion and power. And, personally, I like it better than the super-praised Easy Rider (1969), which makes martyrs out of its two drug-toking, anarchistic bikers. Angels is more fun, raw and makes more sense to me.
Related reviews:
Hells Angels on Wheel (1967) or, The Troglodyte Outlaws!
Peter Bogdanovich: What's Up, Doc? (1972) - Screwball comedy revived for a wonderful show
Bruce Dern: Nebraska (2013) or, Father and Son
The provocative opening title with a swastika against Peter Fonda on his Harley
Budget: 0.3 mil. $
Box office: 15.5 mil. $
= Huge hit
What do you think of the biker pictures and The Wild Angels in particular?
Which Corman-film is your favorite?
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