5 films for all tastes to (re)watch if you love motorbikes

The highly anticipated film will arrive in Italian cinemas on June 19th The Bikeriderslatest effort by Jeff Nichols distributed by Universal Pictures Italy. The film with Tom Hardy, Austin Butler And Jodie Comerset in the Sixties, tells the story of the birth of Vandals MCa Chicago motorcycle gang destined to become a real criminal organization.

The motorcycles, a symbol of transgression and freedom, have always exercised a discreet charm on the big screen. With them, i motorcyclists: now ruthless vagabonds, now indomitable adventurers. In any case, reckless and fearless creators of their own destiny. To stay on topic, we propose 5 unmissable titles for those who love full-throttle forays on two wheels. These are films for all tastes: whether you prefer comedy, biopic or classic road movie in the theater.

Do you know them all?

1) Easy Rider by Dennis Hopper (1969)

Let’s open the ball with a great classic which is, at the same time, a milestone of New Hollywood cinema. Easy Rider has collected an avalanche of victories and nominations for the most prestigious awards and, since 1998, theAmerican Film Institute placed it in the list of the best one hundred American films of all time. In saddle theirs Harley Davidsonthe iconic protagonists Captain America (Peter Fonda), Billy (Hopper) And George Hanson (Jack Nicholson) embark on a journey from California to New Orleans, at the end of which they will never be the same again.

Cult inspired Overtaking Of Dino RisiEasy Rider is uA timeless and essential title for motorbike lovers. To the sound of roaring engines, the film has translated into images the ferment and counterculture of ’68, made up of the desire for escape and new challenges, bold and without limits.

2) Troppo Forte by Carlo Verdone (1986)

Written by Carlo Verdone, Sergio Leone And Alberto Sordithe film tells the daring epic of Oscar Pettinari (Verdone). The Roman, who poses as a tough son of the streets, dreams of making it in the cinema with roles à la Sylvester Stallone, but faces one bitter disappointment after another. After reinventing himself as Stuntmanis convinced by a mythomaniac lawyer (Deaf) to defraud a rich film producer with a fake car accident.

What do motorbikes have to do with it? The protagonist of the blockbuster comedy is inseparable from his Yamaha FZ750one of the best performing and most coveted models of the Eighties. In this case, the vehicle represents a status: that of the upstanding suburban bad boy best stayed away from. Beneath the armor, however, Oscar has a dreamer’s heart of gold. Curiosity: Eddie Lawsonfour-time world champion, in the year of release of Too strong he won the Daytona 200 with a motorcycle of the same model.

3) The Motorcycle Diaries of Walter Salles (2004)

Inspired by the travel diaries of Ernesto Che Guevara and awarded the Oscar for Best Song, The Motorcycle Diaries It is halfway between a road movie and a biopic. We are in 1952 and two young university students, Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) and Ernesto Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal) depart aboard the ‘Poderosa’ (one Norton 500 M18 of 1939) for a trip through South America. The adventure on two wheels, which began in the name of lightheartedness, will transform into a real awareness thanks to the comparison with different civilizations and the desire for revolution.

The Motorcycle Diaries it is not only inspired by the aforementioned Latin American of Che Guevara, but also to A lonely gypsy by Alberto Granado. The screenplay bears the signature of Jose Rivera (On the Road) and the photograph is by Eric Gautier (Into the Wild).

4) Ghost Rider by Mark Steven Johnson (2007)

A pinch of trash is not denied to anyone, so let’s completely change ground and move into the comic book universe. Not even there Marvel has remained immune to the charm of motorbikes and so there it is Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) – character inspired by the famous American stuntman Evel Knievel – who fights evil riding his chopper. The latter is none other than the faithful reproduction of Captain Americathe character’s motorbike Peter Fonda in Easy Rider. Fun Fact: the actor and director is also part of the cast of Ghost Riderin the role of Mephistopheles.

In recent weeks there has been a lot of talk about a possibility reboot of the franchise and, according to rumors, the most likely star to take up Cage’s fiery legacy is Ryan Gosling. In fact, in the past, the actor openly declared that he would like to play the centaur skeleton bound by a pact with the devil. At the moment, nothing concrete is cooking.

5) The Savage by László Benedek (1953)

Hard to forget Marlon Brando in the role of the rebel motorcyclist Johnny Strabler. Let’s go back, then, to where it all began. Even before Easy Rider, the representation of motorbikes on the big screen – and of the stereotype of the brawling biker wearing a leather jacket – has its roots in The Savage. Strabler is the leader of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club, a motorcycle gang that vandalizes and terrorizes various towns. Arrived at WrightsvilleJohnny knows Kathie Bleeker (Mary Murphy), the sheriff’s daughter, with whom he falls in love. At the same time, the rival gang arrives in the city, The Beetlesled by Stooped (Lee Marvin) and thirsty for confrontation.

The cult draws inspiration from a accident that happened in 1947 in Hollister, California. For three days and three nights, 4000 motorcyclists invaded the streets of the town without the police being able to do anything to prevent it. The motorbike driven by Brando in the film is one Triumph Thunderbird T6 650cc of ’49. It was the first Thunderbird that the English company launched on the market and, at the end of filming, it became the star’s personal motorbike. The latter, to prepare for the role, frequented some gangs of young motorcyclists, also ending up with spend a night in prison.