The Last Movie is a deliberately self-reflective film, co-written by New Hollywood legend Dennis Hopper and Rebel Without a Cause screenwriter Stewart Stern. The film follows a Hollywood film crew whilst they are shooting a western in a remote Peruvian village. When production wraps, Hopper – playing the tormented stuntman Kansas – stays behind. He tries to find redemption in isolated Peru and in the arms of a former sex worker. Meanwhile, the local indigenous people have taken over the abandoned set. They begin to stage a ritual re-enactment of the film production – with Kansas as their sacrificial lamb.
A notorious production
The film is regarded as one of the most legendary productions of the New Hollywood era. Following the massive commercial success of Easy Rider — made for just $40,000 and grossing $60 million! — Hopper was given carte blanche by Universal for his next directorial project. The director, writer and lead actor took the money and ran with it – literally. He shot The Last Movie in Peru, as far away from the Hollywood machine as possible.
In his wake travelled an impressive cast, including Kris Kristofferson, Julie Adams, Stella Garcia, Peter Fonda, Dean Stockwell, Toni Basil, Russ Tamblyn, Michelle Phillips and director Samuel Fuller. Fuelled by cocaine, LSD and sheer bravado, the result is a sometimes frustrating but always compelling deconstruction of filmmaking. The film tackles Western colonialism and is full of hallucinatory imagery.
Although the film won a special prize at the Venice Film Festival, The Last Movie effectively brought Hopper’s career to an end for years; the Hollywood establishment was only too happy to write him off as an eccentric madman. Nevertheless, the film remains thrillingly innovative and remarkably contemporary – heavily influenced by the work of Bruce Conner, the French Nouvelle Vague, and the pop art and abstract artists whom Hopper so admired.
About Alex Zhang Hungtai
Alex Zhang Hungtai is a multidisciplinary artist who focuses on improvisation and the connection with the subconscious. Since bringing his Dirty Beaches project to a close, Zhang has devoted himself to exploring improvised music, free jazz and his role as a composer. His more recent compositions are primarily centred on the saxophone and drums, with forays into electronic music.
In addition to his solo work, he has previously collaborated with artists such as Tashi Dorji, Che Chen, Chris Williams, Sam Shalabi, David Maranha, Gabriel Ferrandini and Viernulvier resident artist Joshua Serafin. Zhang is currently active as a composer of film soundtracks and acts in independent films.
