When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors

 

 

Create your own review

I'm not exactly a Doors "aficionado", but I did enjoy this documentary very much. Other reviewers on the American Amazon have commented that a lot of the footage is old hat, but I can't comment. I was particularly blown away by the footage from "HWY", which features Jim driving on a desert highway, stopping for gas, etc. (looks like it was filmed last week). I would say the central focus of the film is Jim Morrison, rather than all four members (I guess this is kind of unavoidable when you consider his wild, dominating, poetry-spewing, bohemian, obnoxious, devil-may-care persona; amazingly, despite his total lack of musical training (one could legitimately argue he wasn't a very good singer either), he was the creative force behind the group and after his demise their output was negligible (just my humble opinion of course). It has also been suggested that this documentary presents a narrow, biased view of Jim as an uncontrollable raving junkie and drunk (part of the self-serving, official Doors "mythology"). Again, I can't really comment; however, I will say that before watching this, I read "No One Here Gets out Alive" and this movie really brought to life a lot of the events and personalities featured in the book. I was also glad they included (as bonus features) two short interviews, with Morrison's late father and his sister. This film is engaging from start to finish, there is all kinds of interesting footage of the doors and their members (both in and out of concert); the film also explores the social, musical and political fabric of the Doors era. It may be, for all I know, a biased portrait, but it is an audio-visual tour de force nonetheless.

If you're not a Doors afficionado who has scouted every last piece of accessible video footage of the band, this is a great documentary that strings their story together with newly released film footage, narration by Johnny Depp and direction from indie film auteur Tom DiCillo.

Having acquired access to a treasure trove of previously unreleased 1966-71 video from Paul Ferrara, an LA film-school colleague of Morrison's, DiCillo has crafted a beautifully edited and sparsely narrated tome that for the most part lets the images and the music speak for themselves.

The opening footage is from a DiCillo directed vignette featuring a Morrison look-a-like walking alongside a desert highway and hitching a ride. Scenes from this short film are used throughout as interludes whilst the plot points of The Doors story unfold. With a brisk running time of 82 minutes, this documentary has no lulls, and depicts the tragedies and triumphs of The Doors 54 months of superstardom. A heavy hand is dealt to Morrison; instead of being lauded for his poetry, showmanship and unbridled charisma, we hear of how his bandmates spent the better part of their tour of duty lambasting him for his drinking, drugging and womanizing.

The archival footage is amazing. For example the 8mm reel of the band members spending time together on a boat as the sun is going down gives a real grounded perspective of four guys who went from nothing to world reknown celebrities in less than a year. Another reel of Morrison walking through a crowd on the way to the stage to begin the show has him talking casually with fans, with no air of disdain but a real appreciation for their attendance. There are many intimate photos and short clips that serve as humanizing touchstones for a figure who has risen to a level of unfathomable idolatry since his passing. The concert in Miami where he was arrested for indecent exposure is also thoroughly video documented; even though no actual images of the "reveal" were ever presented in court, Morrison was convicted and sentenced to three months hard labour for... well... watch and find out.

The special features, while sparse, are quite significant. Morrison's father, a retired US Navy Four Star Admiral, for the first time gives an on-camera interview in which he discusses Jim's early years, and his take on the life of his son. Jim's sister is also interviewed, providing an insight as to how the early life of Mr. Mojo Rising led to the creation of a pulp culture icon.

This is a good documentary about The Doors. A lot of lesser known facts about song credits, album production, performance jitters and musical ability are unveiled about all of the band members and their supporting team. It's perspective is obvioulsy fan-based, but it is certainly not a big Jim Morrison love-fest, there are other celluloid projects serving that purpose (not to mention any names). "When You're Strange" shows the rise and fade of a band that, despite its meteoric thrust into the limelight, had a front man who was both their biggest asset...and liability.

I have been a fan of The Doors for as long as I can remember. I've starved in order to get a rare item from them. I've listened to them for hours trying to get inside Jim's head. I've always been partial to songs that had Jim's lyrics in them, because I found them to be much more poetical than those written by Robbie. While most people were going nuts over Light My Fire, I listened to "The End" over and over again, trying to see where Jim's mind was at the time, and why.

I tell you this because, if you feel identified with what I stated above, you will HATE this "documentary". I remember when Oliver Stone's movie came out, the living members said that it was a pretty picture painted of Jim, and that it was very inaccurate (specially in magazines... such as Guitar Legends, and others). Well, I guess they felt they needed to set the record straight.

In this "documentary", we see Jim portrayed as a person with mild talent that was given much more attention than he deserved because of his looks and his on-stage performance, rather than his poetic capabilities or his singing abilities, which, throughout the movie, are being put down.

The only thing that I liked about this "documentary" is that you see that no matter what Jim did, or how supposedly irresponsible and volatile he was, the other members never kicked him out. Why, you might ask yourself, at the end of the film, did they not just kick him out, if he was so unreliable and untalented?

The simple answer: Jim FED them. It was Jim's talent that kept The Doors alive, his charisma, his poetry. And it is still feeding them. How many of the people who bought this film, would have bought it if this wasn't about The Doors, but about Ray, Robbie or John?

Save yourself the heartache of seeing Jim portrayed as a Clown, and remember him for who he really was.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 4 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Ladies and Gentlemen-- the Doors.
A must-have documentary for Doors fans, including never-before seen footage (including Jim's appearance in a student film HWY) presented in a well thought-out chronological way... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Clinton K. Bernes

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 4 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!