Four Classics from BBS with Dan Simpson
Dig into the defining films of BBS Productions with series host Dan Simpson. BBS is the short-lived but legendary production company that cultivated new talent and new ideas in the “New Hollywood” of the early 1970’s.
About the Host
Dan Simpson is a PhD student in Screen Cultures and Curatorial Studies at Queen’s University where he also works as an instructor for courses on film history, film theory, and the video essay. He also performs media criticism through a series of video essays available on Youtube under the name Eyebrow Cinema.
Watch Dan’s video about the legacy of BBS.
Head (1968)
A kaleidoscopic journey through the media of 60s pop-culture: pop-rockers The Monkees transition from twee TV sitcoms to acid-tinged surrealism in a film which oscillates between playful parody and seething resentment.
Easy Rider (1969)
Biker outlaws Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) ride from L.A. to New Orleans hoping to make a fortune selling cocaine. Their journey is marked by introspection, ruminations on America, recreational drug use, an electric soundtrack, and tragedy.
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
The film that solidified Jack Nicholson’s star persona. An oil-rig worker is beckoned home by his father’s illness and must reckon with his own upbringing.
The Last Picture Show (1971)
The breakthrough effort from New Hollywood auteur Peter Bogdanovich: teen friends Sonny, Duane and Jacy stumble into adulthood in the dying town of Anarene, Texas in 1951.
