Discover the Dennis Hopper film that turned into… | Little White Lies

Discover the Dennis Hopper film that turned into an on-set orgy

27 Jan 2016

Three women reclining together, smiling and embracing.
Three women reclining together, smiling and embracing.
A previously lost film provides a fascinating insight into the actor’s unorthodox creative process.

With the change still jangling in his pocket from the success of Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper decided to make his dream picture – The Last Movie. A notorious folly and often considered the moment where the dream of counterculture creativity went bad, it sees Hopper as an errant film stuntman who stays in Peru following a film shoot and makes movies” with the locals. It’s like a druggy Werner Herzog film, in thrall as much to the spectacle of cinema as the landscape around it.

In the run-up to its filming, LM Kit Carson and Lawrence Schiller decided to capture the creative process” of the endeavour, with a Jesus-like Hopper opting to surround himself with bullets and Bunny Girls. While he obviously takes great joy from broadcasting his complex worldview and personal philosophy to the camera, Hopper is shown as building a cult around himself as a way to allow ideas to flow freely. Seeing this happen is at once scary, seedy and profound.

Image of a man with a long beard wearing a red and striped jacket, white shirt, and blue jeans, standing in a snowy field holding a firearm.

Dennis Hopper, on his way to relieve stress with a firearm.

Two men with beards standing in a field, one wearing a red jacket and holding a rifle, the other wearing a blue jacket and holding a rifle.

More de-stressing, this time with pal.

A man wearing a red coat, a cowboy hat, and jewellery stands in a room with other people dressed in similar attire.

Back on the ranch, gathering up his harem. To help with the making of the film, of course.

A man with long, wavy hair and a beard, wearing a denim jacket, sits in a room. A woman is visible in the background.

The calm before the storm.

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Hopper, again going above and beyond to get his creative juices flowing.

A man playing pool at a bar, his hand on the cue stick leaning over a green billiards table.

This may be a relaxation method, or another way to build creative focus.

The American Dreamer is released theatrically 5 February and will be available to watch online at mubi​.com from 12 February.

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