The Wild Angels

"The Wild Angels" stars Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, and Bruce Dern, and was directed by the legendary B-movie auteur Roger Corman. The casting of Fonda was instrumental in establishing his association with counterculture motorcycle films. This movie paved the way for his later iconic film, "Easy Rider."

While the plot is fictional, it was heavily inspired by real events surrounding the Hell's Angels motorcycle club, though it takes massive dramatic liberties. The screenplay was written by Charles B. Griffith and Peter Bogdanovich, who later became a highly respected director. It was shot on location in Southern California to capture the authentic biker culture of the 1960s.

The film follows Peter Fonda's character, Heavenly Blues, as he leads his biker gang to search for a stolen motorcycle and break a friend out of jail. The story delves into the nihilistic, rebellious lifestyle of the gang, culminating in a highly controversial, chaotic church funeral scene. The film's dark tone helped set the standard for the outlaw biker genre.

While it did not win major Academy Awards, "The Wild Angels" was selected for the Venice Film Festival in 1966, where it was met with both outrage and critical fascination. It was highly successful commercially, proving that low-budget independent biker films could be highly profitable. Its massive success directly sparked the 1960s biker film craze.