by Dan Tabor
Vinegar Syndrome, well known for their efforts in releasing some of the best in exploitation and adult cinema, has recently branched out with their new specialty label Etiquette Pictures. The imprint aimed at the preservation and distribution of unique and significant experimental films and documentaries has just released the film that hits every mark in that description: the long out of print faux documentary The American Dreamer starring Dennis Hopper.
I remember my first run in with this film was thanks to the film’s bizarre soundtrack with the stark image of Hopper with his hippy beard and flannel contrasted with him carrying an automatic weapon in the desert on the cover of the LP. That image stuck with me, since it seemed to perfectly embody the actor who while coming to prominence in the era of free love also had a very dangerous element about him that fascinated me. I had always wanted to see the film, but found later it wasn’t the easiest to track down; but that’s changed thanks to Etiquette Pictures with the film getting a Blu-ray/DVD combo release.
The American Dreamer takes place during the postproduction on The Last Movie, Hopper’s ill-fated directorial follow-up to Easy Rider about a stunt coordinator shooting a western in Peru. After an actor is killed on the production he quits the film business and decides to stay in Peru with a local woman seemingly finding paradise, that is until he is caught up in bizarre event. People in the village are “filming” their own movie with fake cameras and equipment but with real violence, in a very poignant statement on media and violence.
The American Dreamer has Hopper essentially playing an ego tripping version of himself as he finishes what he hopes will be his ultimate cinematic masterpiece. Intercut with on camera interviews with Hopper arrogantly pontificating about philosophy and participating in orgies, we get glimpses of him finishing the edit of the film while also locking down promotion and the release date. It’s a strange dichotomy as Hopper is making a film for a half a million dollars meeting with heads of studios, but still appears to have this bohemian lifestyle in this compound where he is editing the film.
The film definitely has the flow of a film made for the counterculture audience; the narrative is fractured and filled with deeper questions asked yet never answered and the soundtrack is comprised of these strange folksy ballads discussing what happens in the film. The film was originally shot for college audiences, which knowing that makes complete sense. At the time there was a large market for indie film distros to either screen films after their theatrical run or create original content that would be screened on 16mm in college auditoriums. The American Dreamer was released for the premiere of The Last Movie to help promote the film.
What this package does best and where Etiquette gets it perfect is contextualizing this bizarre artifact. Thanks to the doc on the making of the film where they discuss the production and how most of the film was staged, and to the liner notes that detail the film’s release, you get a very cohesive image of the film, which only adds to the experience. I honestly think sometimes just a film isn’t enough; sometimes you need that backstory of the how and why, especially with something like this to truly appreciate its brilliance. Also given The Last Movie failed to capture the same success of Easy Rider, resulting in Hopper not directing another film for 10 years, only makes the film even more fascinating.
This package only enriches the mythology behind Hopper and the lore behind The Last Movie, a film that even to this day remains an infamous flop given the success of Easy Rider becoming a touchstone for a generation. Thankfully it’s since been re-evaluated and now screens in retrospectives on the actor with The American Dreamer giving a twisted peek behind the scenes. The doc is as fascinating as it is insane, and for fans of the early American independents this is a great time capsule of that era. Etiquette is off to a strong start by not only releasing this film and preserving it, but restoring it from the last available 16mm prints so future generations can enjoy this very brief look at the madness and method of one of the greatest actors of the last century.