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Released in 1969, the free wheel road movie Easy Rider captured the Zeitgeist and quickly became the most successful independent production of all time, Release more than $ 60 million With a budget of less than $ 500,000. This success has proven to be a little ironic, since the film concerns two counter-culture iconoclasts, played by Screen Legends Dennis Hopper (which also managed) and Peter Funda , who took the road and travels through the American Southwest in search of an escape from the oppressive restrictions of capitalism. In addition, a dispute on money - and, more importantly, artistic credit - would ultimately lead to a gap between the co -stars which would continue for the rest of their lives. Continue to read to find out how the massively successful film changed the friendship of two Hollywood legends, to the point where Fonda was prohibited from hopper funeral.

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Easy Rider had a curious production, literally fueled by drugs And alcohol, but that poisoning or misty memories are to be blamed, the question of who deserved credit for the scenario nominated to the Oscars turned out to be controversial.

The script is officially credited with Hopper, Fonda, and Terry Southern (writer of Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove ), but the writing process was apparently anything but traditional. According to Fonda, He came with the initial idea Alone and brought Hopper and Southern afterwards, by Slashfilm. What followed was less a writing collaboration than the improvisation inspired by substances, because the trio "began to smoke drugs in seriously and to have a conference on non -stop history", in the words of Sourthern , which led to a frame of the loose plot. The end result was shaped during the shooting and included many unicenized moments.

Southern later said that he had not granted the two co-edited credits to the two stars because they asked them (something he had to enter the arbitration with the Writers Guild of America to allow it) . According to a story of the creation of the script in the criticism of Los Angeles of books (Larb), Southern only received only 12 -page treatment For the Hopper and Fonda film, in which the duo would have led cars, not motorcycles.

"None of them are writers," said Southern, quoted by the Larb. "They cannot even write a [explained] letter. [Giving them a credit] was not fair, but that didn't matter to me at the time because I was ultra safe. . It didn't bother me. Anyway, we were great friends at the time, so I accepted it without thinking too much. "

Once the film became a success, said Southern, Fonda and Hopper began to claim more credit than they deserved - fighting with them on whom was the real author of the film.

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Hopper not only written Southern in the history of Easy Rider , telling a journalist in 2001 that Southern only brought the title, as reported by Larb, but also minimized Fonda contributions. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

"Twenty-seven years later, Dennis still believed that he and he alone wrote the script for Easy Rider , "Fonda wrote Its 1998 memories Don't tell daddy . "Of course, he was not the only writer in the scenario Easy Rider . Of course, he still thinks he was. ""

This friction spread to determine who deserved to take advantage of the massive success of the film. In the end, Hopper brought a prosecution against Fonda in the 1970s and again in the 90s to request a higher percentage of the product. The problem, according to the The Wall Street newspaper , was born because The benefit sharing agreement for the film had never been written, and Hopper felt that he had been deceived from what he deserved.

In the decades following the release of Easy Rider , the stars put a good front, appearing, at least in public, to stay something like friends. They worked together again in the film The last movie in 1971. and, as The Wall Street newspaper In other words, after its role of resurgence in the years 1986 Blue velvet , Hopper "also gave Mr. Fonda a boost by inviting him to appear on a special television in 1991 that he organized.

The two even joined a commercial company in the early 90s, co-dosing a restaurant on the theme of the bikers located in West Hollywood and appearing in Chummy during his opening evening. "You would have thought it was the greatest friends who ever lived," said William Heyward , the associated producer of Easy Rider , as mentioned by Wsj .

However, things separated shortly after. In 1992, Fonda signed an agreement to give Hopper its "fair share" of the benefits of Easy Rider, Wsj reported. However, these good vibrations dissipated after the appearance of Hopper on The Tonight Show in 1994, during which he said to the host Jay Leno this actor RIP TORN , who was originally for the role in Easy Rider who finally went to Jack Nicholson , was thrown from the film after threatening Hopper with a knife at a dinner.

Torn denied the complaint and continued Hopper for defamation, by Wsj . When Hopper turned to Fonda, who was also at dinner, to corroborate his story, his co-star refused, affirming in a deposition that the incident never took place.

"Dennis may have naively sought Peter to bail him out of this trial," said Heyward Wsj . "I think Dennis was very frustrated and bored." Shortly after, Hopper's lawyer sent a letter claiming that Hopper deserved a single credit for the Easy Rider scenario.

According to Heyward, this letter is the reason why founded to honor its 1992 agreement with Hopper for the profits of the film, which prompted the latter to bring legal action in 1996. The case was finally settled Outside the court, according to Slashfilm.

(In 1998, Hopper lost the defamation pursuit; Torn obtained $ 475,000 in damages, according to the Los Angeles Times .)

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Even after being prosecuted, Fonda seemed willing to bury the ax with Hopper. "We can imagine The romantic relationship I had with him all this time, "he wrote in his memoirs, as quoted by Express United Kingdom . "I did not think twice about his wish not to speak to me anymore ... I will see all his work, and I call him to tell him how I liked it."

Hopper apparently did not feel such a reciprocity and was frank on what he thought of, saying They had never been close . "We were not friends when we fired on [ Easy Rider ] ", he said in an interview with The Transom, as quoted by Far Out magazine." Jack Nicholson and I are friends. ""

The actor turned out to be more than intended to maintain a grudge as long as he lived, refusing to bury the ax even when his health has worsened in the years 00. As fundaled, "I knew that Dennis was dying and I made many attempts to see him [but he refused. The funeral were in a chapel in Taos, in New Mexico. I praised a private jet and I Stolen, but I am not allowed in the chapel. So, as much as I wanted to pay my tribute, to Dennis and his family, I was not allowed to be part of it. "

Hopper died in 2010 At 74 years of complications from prostate cancer.