The first of a wave of biker movies that hit American screens in the late 60s, this seminal exploitation film stars soon-to-be cult hero Peter Fonda as the leader of a leather-clad biker gang. When one of the cyclists, Loser (Bruce Dern), is injured, Heavenly Blues (Fonda) and company
snatch him from his hospital bed, taking time to trash the place and gang-rape a nurse. Loser dies en route to a hideout, and his comrades requisition a church and hold a funeral service that soon degenerates into a festive, drugged-out orgy. Soon after, the bikers find themselves in a pitched
battle with furious local townspeople and police.
Unusually violent for its time, THE WILD ANGELS became one of AIP's most successful films, grossing some $25 million on a production budget of $350,000. Most critics hated the film, but some defenders called it an allegory of America's descent toward nihilism; today, it's of interest as a vivid
piece of pop culture history and as a watershed in several careers. Peter Bogdanovich was called in to rewrite the screenplay (he also acted as Corman's assistant and played a small role); Michael J. Pollard went on to a major role in BONNIE AND CLYDE the following year; Monte Hellman, the editor,
later directed TWO-LANE BLACKTOP and THE SHOOTING. WILD ANGELS was better received in Europe than in the US, and Corman was invited to bring the picture to the Venice Film Festival--the only US picture that year to be so honored. leave a comment
