The Magic Trip Analysis

The documentary film, The Magic Trip portrays the 1960’s , it shows a “black and white picket fence world just stuck in the 50’s” It also shows the road trip that ultimately launched the hippie era. The hippie subculture, which began as a youth movement in the United States during the early 1960s and then developed around the world exploded in the 1960s. It allowed for an artistic outlet for those who didn’t comply with the norms of society. “Hippies” with their crazy colored clothing and psychedelic patterns along with their carefree way of living have been said to have been influenced by European social movements in the 19th and early 20th century such as the Bohemians. The influence of eastern religion and spirituality was very different from that of the Christianity movement and morals of the United States in that it was much more free thinking. The 1960’s culture seemed to be very boring and unchanged following the 50’s until around 1967, when harmony with nature, communal living, artistic experimentation, a difference in the sound of music, and the widespread use of recreational drugs …show more content…
The Merry Pranksters were a counter culture group who formed around Ken Kesey and helped further his vision and make it publicized. This group was a huge part of the newly discovered psychedelic movement. Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters are remembered mostly for the sociological significance of the road trip depicted in this movie. Kesey believed that psychedelics were best used for transforming society as a whole. He believed that if enough of the population had the psychedelic experience then enormous social and political changes would occur throughout the entire United States. To create his vision he began to make LSD available to anyone interested. This documentary helped the 1960’s take off and become infamous within the field of