Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood

Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood, also known as Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision, is a documentary film produced by BBC Omnibus in 1978 on the subject of Hunter S. Thompson, directed by Nigel Finch.

The film pairs Thompson with illustrator Ralph Steadman, as they travel to Hollywood via Death Valley and Barstow from Las Vegas.^[1] It also includes scenes of Thompson's home, Owl Farm in Aspen, Colorado, and contains interviews with Thompson and Steadman, as well as some short excerpts from Thompson's writings and displays some of Steadman's artwork.

Factual inaccuracies

The film's narrator states that Thompson was a former member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club. Thompson was never a patched member of—nor was he prospected for membership in—the Hells Angels. At best, Thompson was an authorized observer and allowed intimate access to the Hells Angels' lifestyle and activities while writing Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs. The narrator also states that Thompson ran for sheriff in his hometown of Aspen, Colorado. Thompson's hometown was Louisville, Kentucky—not Aspen. According to Thompson's son Juan, the Thompson family had been in Kentucky for generations.^[2]

Availability

The film is featured in The Criterion Collection edition of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.