Curtis, "Don't ever tell anybody that they're not free."

The political message of the 1969 film Easy Rider is that true freedom can only achieved by those who allow themselves to simply be. The pseudo-philosophical musing is totally appropriate when pondering the scene in which Jack Nicholson's character George Hanson notes, "This used to be a hell of a good country. I can't understand what's gone wrong with it... They're not scared of you, they're scared of what you represent to them... What you represent to them is freedom... It's real hard to be free when you are bought and sold in a market place." What Hanson's spiel means is that Americans talk about the value of freedom everyday, but rarely do we ever honestly exhibit our liberty. The United States National Guard broke up anti-war movements in California, the Vietnam War has been going on for five years, and there's been a draft lottery. The year 1969 was the perfect opportunity for Americans to showcase their democracy and liberation. But with our own government reprimanding us for speaking against its injustices, it is understandable why someone would be afraid of living to their full, free potential.

In the scene, Hanson and his new buddies Wyatt and Billy are shrouded in darkness, only lit by the minor, warm light of the campfire. There is only the diagetic sound of the campfire crackling, the animals roaming about in the wilderness around them, and the heavy breathing of Hanson and Billy. The soundtrack is simply the bare necessities because there needs to be an emphasis on Hanson's words. And there cannot be any emphasis; it needs to be natural. Music and other nondiagetic sounds influence the viewer far too much, and since Hanson is blatantly stating the political message of the film at this point, the track needs to be clean. Also, the dim lighting shows the raw honesty to the scene. Any scene can be done in hyperlighting to make it flashy and extravagant, but that was not the point for this scene. There needed to be a focus on the sincere meaning of Hanson's words and of his character. Had we seen Hanson share his thoughts in the daylight of the following scene, his words would have meant much less. Lighting can really change how perceptive an audience is to a certain scene. The emotion in this particular scene required the audience to feel trusting and empathetic towards the trio, hence the low light.

All in all, the film spotlights the imbecilic nature of the people who do not like Billy and Wyatt. The people that are afraid of the rebellious Wyatt and Billy are ignorant and violent. They are from small, rural, Southern towns in Louisiana and Florida. They are what would be known as rednecks and hillbillies. They are usually men, "free men", who make homophobic and racist comments at Wyatt and Billy for no good reason.