“I still get residuals,” Biskind says of the book that also became the basis of an acclaimed BBC-produced documentary in 2003. Little wonder that 15 years after its paperback edition was published, 'Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'-which manages to pull off the neat trick of being serious about the rebirth of the industry while basking in highly readable first-hand accounts of outrageous behavior-has never gone out of print. These mavericks called the shots, found fame, fed their egos, earned millions, broke the rules, challenged audiences, won Oscars and, with alarming predictability, often fell victim to the type of self-destructive behavior that is neatly summed up in the subtitle of Biskind’s tome. Their personal and grown-up approach to movies stood in stark contrast to the staid and stale offerings of old Hollywood, represented at its peak by 'The Sound of Music' in 1965, which were failing to attract crowds as the ‘60s waned. They bestowed upon us mere mortals such monumental works of art as ' The Godfather,' ' Nashville,' ' Carnal Knowledge,' ' The Last Picture Show,' ' Chinatown,' ' Taxi Driver,' ' Jaws,' ' Star Wars' and ' The Exorcist,' many of which reflected the counter-culture mindset and the societal upheavals of the times. It was a time when directors, who too often were treated as hired hands by the studios, were reborn as the gods of Mount Cinema.

Backed by over 400 hours of interviews, the hefty volume shines a warts-and-all spotlight on a golden decade of renewal in the filmdom.

Easy riders raging bulls review