Movies: On the Road

Traveling is one of the kicks life can give you. It seems that the poet Jack Kerouac got a lot of kicks on his 7 years long journey through the USA which he accomplished in the 40s of the last century. His book "On the road" about his travel experiences became a bestseller and later a "leitmotif" for the hippie generation.

Kerouac´s basic ideas - having a very free life on a low budget - are displayed in the movie "On the road", directed by Walter Salles and godfathered by Francis Ford Coppola (imdb). I especially admired the work of cinematographer Eric Gautier. The Frenchman captured the sheer endless row of places visited by Kerouac and his friends on their long travel in awesome pictures. You could fall in love with America because of her beauty. I will have to sometimes discover these places myself.

Wikipedia claims that "On the road" is a Brazilian-French production (wikipedia). This explains that the movie doesn´t show the prudishness which is typical for modern Hollywood productions, not at all. The film very generously displays the sexual libertinage Kerouac and his friends enjoyed on their travels.

"On the road" also shows the innocence of the pre-HIV-era and offers a lot of nudity - male & female - and doesn´t shy away from graphic sex scenes. But this is absolutely necessary because traveling in the sense of Kerouac means also exploring the possibilities of oneself and other like minded people. At least the cast -  including Hollywood`s beauties Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst and Amy Adams  - didn´t seem to have any problem to participate in this freewheeling kaleidoscope.

The libertine approach of the movie could be challenging for a majority who believes the world functions like a Disney movie. But if your mind is open you could have a lot fun traveling the roads with the fine cast.