Roger Corman x Peter Fonda “The Wild Angels” Before the Dawn of American New Cinema

“Prince” Peter Fonda’s coolness

The aforementioned `` Corman Empire '' also stars Peter Fonda, and in ``The Wild Angels'' he revealed that he was a stand-in for George Chakiris, known for `` West Side Story '' (61). It seems that Chakiris was actually the main character and Fonda was supposed to play his friend, but it turned out that Chakiris (even if he could dance?) couldn't ride a motorcycle, so he was replaced. When I interviewed Fonda directly, she gave me the following comment.

"At that time, I was seriously thinking about my career as an actor, and Corman approached me and said, 'Are you interested in my movies? He said, ``I'm thinking of making a movie about the Health Angels, but I'm not sure what kind of argument I should make.'' I replied, ``My idea is to make a movie about the Health Angels.'' ”

Incidentally, at the time, Fonda was also offered the lead role in the Disney movie ``Love Back,'' but she turned it down and starred in ``The Wild Angels,'' which was produced by Corman's film company, AIP. ``With the success of this movie, I became a voice for young rebels. I became an AIP movie prince, not a Disney prince,'' Fonda said with a laugh.

Peter half-jokingly calls himself ``Prince,'' but the appeal of this film is that we follow him. Because Peter is a tall and long-legged "prince" character, he looks great riding a Harley-Davidson. He wears a black leather jacket and Rayban sunglasses, which is perfect for him, and the mere presence of him in this scene makes the picture so beautiful that I can't help but stare at it.

THE WILD The Wild Angels(c) 1966 Orion Pictures Distribution Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

As an actor, even though he rides his motorcycle wildly, he somehow feels a sense of emptiness, and especially after the death of his friend, the way he is conscious of the end of his youth seems somehow sad.

In Japan, after the success of `` Easy Rider ,'' he gained immense popularity among young Japanese audiences, and was even featured in Renown's Simple Life commercial in the 1970s.

Although he came from a prestigious family, with his father being the famous actor Henry Fonda and his older sister Jane Fonda, he continued to focus on B-movies, and in 1976, he directed ``Fury Mountains and Rivers'', produced by Corman and directed by (then newcomer) Jonathan Demme. Also starring. He also appeared in Japanese director Ryu Murakami's `` It's Okay, My Friend '' (1983). As a director, he also left a masterpiece, `` The Wandering Cowboy '' (1971), which director Kon Ichikawa was fond of.

Graduates of the “Corman School”