In 1965, Henry Hathaway, the man who blacklisted Hopper from Hollywood, hired him for the production of "The Songs of Katie Elder." Hopper worked alongside John Wayne and Dean Martin. 1967 marked the beginning of a twenty-five year hiatus in Hopper's photography. During this period, Hopper adopted cinema as his primary channel of artistic expression. During production of “Katie Elder,” Hopper began creating “The Last Movie,” which he wrote in collaboration with Steward Stern, screenwriter of “Rebel without a Cause.” After struggling with financial problems, Hopper realized that production of "The Last Movie" could not take place. He had a small role in the psychedelic film "The Trip", starring Peter Fonda, written by Jack Nicholson and directed by Roger Corman. Hopper and Fonda were given the opportunity to direct a scene from the film. The film caught the attention of protesting viewers and brought together the team that would ultimately produce “Easy Rider.” In 1968, “Easy Rider” received its financing and filming began immediately. Through a cloud of marijuana smoke, Hopper assembled a team of misfits tasked with making a historical film about the hippie counterculture in America. Hopper left with Peter Fonda, screenwriter Terry Southern, cinematographer Barry Feinstein and a budget of US$350,000 to begin production on the film. The film was shot largely without a script. The lines were mainly improvised and the production began with only the outlines and names of the protagonists. A risky approach, certainly, but one that opens the way to free expression for Hopper and Fonda. During the first test shoots in New Orleans, Hopper fought with the production team for control of the film. At some point it becomes a physical confrontation with a photographer... middle of paper... thousand words. Reports indicate that Dennis Hopper was a drunken, drug-addled bully throughout production. Hopper allegedly shouted "It's my fucking movie and no one is going to take my fucking movie" repeatedly for two and a half hours. Drugs were rampant on the set of the film and overall had a huge impact on the birth of the film. “Easy Rider” was the first commercial success of hippies in America and marked the birth of the commercial hippie. The film was an official United States entry into the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Best New Director award. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards, for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. The financial success of Easy Rider opened the doors for the young filmmaker. Universal Pictures hired Hopper, and in 1970 he revisited "The Last Movie" and began filming in Chinchero, Peru..