FILM REVIEW: 'WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE'

For Lovers of The Doors, A Documentary That Describes Why They Feel That Way

By: Staci Layne Wilson

April 3, 2010

Rock superstar Jim Morrison of The Doors burned out, but he never faded away.

Since The Doors’ lead singer’s death in 1971, there has been a bombardment books, magazines, and memoirs about him. “Lost recordings” and “new Doors” music has come out over the ensuing decades in the form of vinyl LPs, CDs, videos, laser-discs and DVDs. James Douglas Morrison the poet released an album of verse posthumously. There’s been a feature Hollywood film. There have been countless concert movies. There was a short-lived reformation of The Doors band with Ian Astbury doing vocals. There have been tell-all books written by keyboardist Ray Manzarek and by drummer John Densmore.

What’s left of the Morrison mystique that we don’t already, even as casual fans, know? Why make yet more fodder for public consumption — and does anyone care enough to actually consume it?

It would seem so. Writer/director Tom DiCillo was recruited by producer Peter Jankowski, a lifelong devotee of The Doors to helm, and another aficionado of their music, actor Johnny Depp, was in turn recruited by DiCillo to narrate a new documentary. With the blessing of the remaining band members, and with the help of original Doors music producer Bruce Botnick and cinematographer Paul Ferrara, When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors is poised to open.

I bought my first Doors record when I was 12 and went through “a phase” wherein I had the famous ‘An American Poet’ Jim Morrison shirtless poster taped to my bedroom closet and read The Lords and The New Creatures ten times. As an adult, I feel like I know everything there is to know about The Doors already. But my ears did perk up a bit when I heard there was a new movie — and when I saw it, my eyes were like saucers at the sight of Morrison in all his splendor in never-before-seen 35mm outtakes from the 1969 experimental short film HWY: An American Pastoral. It doesn’t matter that he’s been dead 39 years: he’s hot.

The film begins toward the end, then rewinds to the beginning and tells the tale of the Southern California jazz-rock sensation from start to finish in a linear fashion. Everything told and shown exists within the 54-month period of The Doors’ existence — hence, there’s no looking back in retrospect, no talking-head interviews, no Morrison funeral. His death (and his refusal to “die”) is cheekily acknowledged with some artistic license in the form of Morrison himself in his one and only film role as The Hitch-Hiker. The restored footage (outtake) from HWY is absolutely stunning and is a stirring reminder of why Morrison was, and is, such an icon.

DiCillo makes an effort to portray the band as a group of four equally important members, but the eyes and ears naturally gravitate toward Morrison at every turn. The story of his rise to fame, his fall into drunken excess, and his ultimate demise is dutifully told (if somewhat Cliff’s Notesy) by narrator Depp in measured, lulling tones. (Most of the time, I enjoyed hearing Depp’s dulcet voice, but occasionally his reading was a bit lackluster.) Manzarek, Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger all get their due as musicians, but unlike Morrison, their personal lives aren’t at all explored.

The 5.1 Dolby music mix is stiletto-sharp, and the imagery (mostly by Ferrara, and everything from backstage fly-on-the-wall stuff to onstage thunder-and-lightning, to self-aware superstar preening) is amazing. Doors hits “Light My Fire,” “L.A. Woman,” “The End” and, of course, “People Are Strange,” are prominently featured throughout with dozens of other songs woven into bits of poetry and prose. (Yes, there is a CD soundtrack coming out as well, including previously unreleased Morrison passages read by Depp.)

There are some issues with storytelling and pacing, but documentaries are even more subjective than narrative cinema. It’s easier to forgive such things when three acts aren’t in play and when subject matter and personal preference are taken into consideration. It’s as simple as this: if you like The Doors, you’ll probably like When You’re Strange.