WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE: A FILM ABOUT THE DOORS

(Tom DiCillo; USA; 2009)


This is a primer on The Doors at it's most basic, and is only enlivened by being immersed in a cascade of archived footage of The Doors and Jim Morrison, in concert, in rehearsal, and all things band-related in-between. At first I though that DiCillo's gambit of presenting this like a story, with only old footage and narration by Johnny Depp, was a positive ploy, avoiding furrowing the path of standard rockumentary fare by doing without the current-day talking-head interviews with a host of movers and shakers in the scene then and now. But in fact, this is where the film falls a little flat. The conflicting voices that pepper biopics such as The Filth And The Fury or End of the Century; The Story of the Ramones gave these films tension and charm. The narration by Depp only provides a long saga that presents just one side and one view of the band and especially Jim Morrison. One ultimately wonders why the film needed to be made – purely to cash in on the hoards of Doors fans who will flock to see this film? Despite this cynicism, the film is somewhat satisfying purely via the opportunity to see a wealth of Doors concert footage in one sitting.