It opened the Venice Film Festival in 1966, to tepid response. In a 2009 interview, Corman told Mick Garris that the US State Department tried to prevent the film from being shown in Venice on the grounds that it "did not show America the way it is". But the film was shown there anyway. Legacy While promoting another of his 1960s counterculture movies, The Trip (1967), and autographing a movie still from The Wild Angels depicting Bruce Dern and him sharing one motorcycle, Fonda conceived the film Easy Rider. Edited samples of dialogue from the film, from the scene where Fonda's character Blues explains his attitude toward life to the preacher at Loser's funeral, were used at the start of Mudhoney's 1989 track "In 'n' Out of Grace" (from Superfuzz Bigmuff), Primal Scream's 1990 single "Loaded" (from Screamadelica) and Eris Drew's 2021 track "Ride Free". Audio of Fonda's speech was also sampled repeatedly in the Edgar Wright film The World's End (2013), as well as repeated by Simon Pegg's character Gary King at the end of the movie. An excerpt of the audio was also featured in the launch trailer for the video game Need for Speed (2015). Home media The Wild Angels was released to DVD by MGM Home Video on April 1, 2003 as a Region 1 widescreen DVD as a double feature with Hell's Belles, on September 11, 2007 as part of The Roger Corman Collection (movie number seven of a set of eight), and to Blu-ray by Olive Films (under license from MGM) on February 17, 2015. See also List of American films of 1966 List of biker films Exploitation film Outlaw biker film References Further reading Fonda, Peter, Don't Tell Dad, Hyperion Books (April 1998). Playboy, "Playboy Interview: Peter Fonda", HMH Publishing Co., Inc., pp. 85–108, 278–79 (September 1970). Look, "Nancy-Another Swinging Sinatra", Cowles Communications, Inc., pp. 59–63 (July 12, 1966). External links Roger Corman on The Wild Angels at Trailers from Hell 1966 films American International Pictures films 1960s English-language films Outlaw biker films Films directed by Roger Corman Films shot in California Films produced by Roger Corman Films with screenplays by Charles B. Griffith American action thriller films 1960s action thriller films American exploitation films 1960s American films