Director Day: An Odyssey Through Film: BBS Production Studio

BBS Production Studio

Host: Freddy

Freddy's Take

The BBS was an independent film production company headed by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider. They collaborated with the likes of Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, and Peter Bogdanovich to create some of the first and finest independent movies every made. I've written about the Monkee's feature "Head" on another blog and for a more extensive take on that, click here Freddy's Take On The Monkees "Head" . It's a psychedelic trip of a movie, meant to poke at our nations culture at the time and to deconstruct the image of the Monkees from TV buffoons to real life human beings. It's one of my favorite movies to watch "under the influence" and bears repeated viewings. "Easy Rider" is another one of those films that took me awhile to understand. It's definitely of its' time and captures the mixing of old societal expectations and the promise of a more open future. Unfortunately, there are always casualties when we expand our consciousness as a nation and this film highlights that in between some beautiful scenery and thought provoking and discussion worthy dialogue. Bogdanovich's "The Last Picture Show" is one of those movies I fell in love with at first site. It has a charm to it that only being shot in black and white can bring out when a director is going for a distinct feel, whether it's in regard to a time period or to focus on a dying piece of America. Ultimately, beyond the aesthetics, this movie speaks to me about personal relationships at a certain age and how those become complicated once we push through into adulthood. This has been one of my favorite Director Days to host. I enjoy the subject matter on different levels. From the historical standpoint of this production company, to the direction, to the non-conventional techniques, and right down to the beauty of the films themselves, this was a day that cried out to be shared. The BBS story is little known to people that don't really follow film very deeply, but it's an interesting subject with many layers of potential interest to be uncovered.

Easy Rider