In a streak of celebrity deaths, Dennis Hopper's death from terminal cancer, may have been less of a shock but is, for my money anyway, the most affecting. Gary Coleman may have his legacy and recent cancer victim Ronnie James Dio certainly will be missed but Hopper is a man who I always looked up to as a true original and an inspiration.
...so it comes with some pain that the last thing I saw him in was Hell Ride - I knew there'd be a price to pay, and it is this disrespect to his memory! So let's remember his finest hours as I'm sure we'll be marathoning a few Hopper joints - so to speak - over the next few days.
How many of my favourite films is he a part of? Well, let's start with the daddy - Easy Rider. I can't sing this film's praises enough, especially when people don't understand it's power and significance. As I've often said, Easy Rider is a counter-cultural cornerstone of cinema. What makes it more remarkable is its lineage, before Rider, biker movies were mindless tales of violence and machines and here we have a film that's cool as hell in terms of music and machines but has a depth to it. It harsh grittiness, in a philosophical sense as opposed to a physical one of films like The Glory Stompers that Hopper was a part of is its power, and it's scathing depiction of America is an enduring one - and it's portrayal of the drug culture certainly came along way from Fonda's earlier outing in Corman's The Trip. A simple yet intricately crafted film. And as my dad always says "Dennis Hopper directed it and he plays the stupid character" - how's that for acting chops?
Hopper's best performance? For my money it's Blue Velvet. Hopper's portrayal of Frank Booth anchors the darkness and sinister tone of the film and as we know he was probably the only man brave enough to play the character, he relished it. Just chilling but darkly enjoyable - probably because you know it's a master at work. I'm not sure what else to say, I guess it's that sort of film.
At this point I start to realise the impact of his work, and it's starting to kick a little that he's gone. Whether it's the fact that he's there at so many key moments of cinema - Rebel Without a Cause, Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now - or his hellraising contribution to the world of film and the school of rum-acting, Hopper made such an impact and seems to be a part of all the great things film has to offer for me, from a great character to a revolution. Rest in Peace.
