"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
In this 106th installment, we will be introducing " Dennis Hopper's watch ."

*Source: https://www.tcm.com/

Dennis Hopper co-starred with James Dean in " Rebel Without a Cause " (1955) and " Giant " (1956) in the 1950s. He also wrote and directed the American New Cinema masterpiece " Easy Rider " (1969), and made his mark in film history.

However, in the 1970s, Dennis Hopper began to have problems with drinking and drugs, and he also had conflicts with film companies, so he was unable to get any roles and was left out in the cold. He was given a helping hand by new generation directors such as David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino. He made a brilliant comeback with his intense performances in " Blue Velvet " (1986) and " True Romance " (1993), and continued to appear in many masterpieces until his death from cancer in 2010.

In this issue of "Actor's Watch," we will be focusing on Dennis Hopper 's wristwatch.

【table of contents】

Backtrack

BACKTRACK (1990)

*Source: https://www.pinterest.jp/

One night, contemporary artist Anne ( Jodie Foster ) accidentally witnesses a mafia murder. Since then, she has been targeted by the mafia, but she refuses police protection and moves from place to place, refusing to allow her creative activities to be restricted.

Meanwhile, Milo ( Dennis Hopper ), a hitman hired by the mafia to silence Anne, begins to track her down in order to assassinate her. However, as he tracks her down, Milo gets hold of her photos and clothes and begins to fall in love with her. Eventually, Milo finds out where Anne is and captures her, but instead of killing her, the two of them choose to escape from the organization.

*Source: https://dcpfilm.wordpress.com/

Dennis Hopper made his comeback as a popular actor by playing Frank, a man who inhales laughing gas and abuses his mistress, in David Lynch's masterpiece Blue Velvet (1986). In Backtrack (1990), which he directed and starred in, he again played an outlaw with an abnormal obsession with the woman he loves, unleashing his fetishistic tendencies on Anne, a female artist played by Jodie Foster.

In this film, Dennis Hopper wears a dress watch that appears to be a Cartier Panthere LM (Ref. 106000M ) . Milo is an inconsistent hitman who falls in love with the woman he is about to kill, and loves music but plays discordant notes on an alto saxophone that he cannot play. The fact that he wears an elegant dress watch even though his dirty job involves firing a gun seems to express his inconsistent character.

speed

SPEED (1994)

*Source: https://www.digiturkburada.com/

A bomb is planted on a bus carrying passengers to downtown. The bomber Howard ( Dennis Hopper ) demands that the police be sent to the scene, and that the police be sent a ransom of $3.7 million , with the assistance of Los Angeles Police Department SWAT member Jack ( Keanu Reeves ). The bomb is set to explode if the bus slows below 80km/h, so the bus cannot even slow down, let alone stop. In order to rescue the hostages, Jack jumps onto the moving bus, but an accident occurs during the process, injuring the driver.

Annie ( Sandra Bullock ), a woman who happens to be on the bus, becomes the driver instead, and the bus continues to travel at 80km/h through the city streets, which are full of obstacles and construction sites. Meanwhile, Jack tries to defuse the bomb planted under the bus while it is moving, but...

*Source: https://www.rolexmagazine.com/

In the blockbuster action movie " Speed " (1994), Dennis Hopper plays Howard, a smart and sharp bomber described by the Los Angeles Police Department as "crazy but not stupid." In this film, known as the breakout role for Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper wears a Rolex GMT-Master (Ref. 1675) . Judging from the image, it appears to be a watch with the pointed crown guard (PCG) feature.

The criminal, Howard, is a former police officer who lost his thumb in a bomb disposal accident and was forced to retire. He was given only a cheap gold watch as a retirement gift, so he became a bomber out of resentment. When giving someone a watch as a gift, we recommend giving them something of value.

Off-shot

*Source: https://www.catawiki.com/

Next, we'll introduce a piece that was not worn in the film, but in an off-shot shot.

In this photo, which appears to have been taken around 2006 during an interview, Dennis Hopper is wearing a Gerald Genta Retro by Retro (Ref. BIR.L.10) .

*Source: https://www.flickr.com/

This unusual watch with a jumping hour, retrograde minute hand and calendar was created by Gerald Genta , the genius designer who also created the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak . It is one of the representative models of the brand he founded, Gerald Genta, which bears his name, and later, after Gerald Genta became a subsidiary of Bvlgari, the design was inherited as the Bvlgari Octo Retrograde .

Dennis Hopper, who hated ordinary film expressions and acting, and Gerald Genta, who did not approve of ordinary watch designs, seem to have something in common between these two creators.

summary

What did you think.

Dennis Hopper was well versed in art and also a prolific photographer. His life, which included being addicted to alcohol and drugs and having conflicts with film companies, was perhaps the product of his sensitivity and intense commitment as an actor and artist.

Dennis Hopper had a unique way of wearing watches, from a hitman wearing a Cartier dress watch to a private life wearing a Gerald Genta , the choice of a core watch lover. His strong presence, which shows a strong individuality in both his acting and his watches, can be said to be unique even in the star-studded Hollywood movie world.

*Source: https://www.timeout.com/

Dennis Hopper's acting incorporates even the inconsistencies and discomfort into the character's personality, creating a villain with an unprecedented sense of " paranoid madness ". Since his death, it seems that no actor has succeeded him. Perhaps in today's Hollywood, where compliance and political correctness are so prevalent, an actor with "madness" like him will never appear again. I have no choice but to watch "Blue Velvet" over and over again to ease my loneliness.

see you!

Actor's watch