REVIEW: ‘When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors’

The Doors were often called, by critics and fans alike, pretentious, or they were praised as the greatest rock band that ever, well, rocked. They are/were… neither/both…

The Doors are/were a unique group perfectly suited for the difficult, but amazing, period of history (1965-1971) in which they participated. They aspired to do something special, not realizing at the time how insightful they actually are/were.

When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors, tries to accomplish something different in presenting their history, and in most cases succeeds. The film, directed and written by Tom DiCillo (Johnny Suede, Delirious), and narrated by Johnny Depp will be featured on most PBS stations as part of that network’s acclaimed American Masters series on May 12.

While the band was actually made up of four independently brilliant musicians, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, percussionist John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger and of course singer Jim Morrison, it’s hard not to see this as another documentary on Jim Morrison and The Doors — with the emphasis as usual on Morrison.

The documentary, however, uniquely benefits from DiCillo’s incorporation of a treasure trove of archival photos and original footage shot during The Doors’ formation in 1965 to Morrison’s death in 1971. Highlighting When You’re Strange are outtakes from HWY, a film that Morrison and his UCLA film buddies shot in early 1969. The director also used another film produced by The Doors, Feast of Friends, an on-the-road journal filled with concerts, recording sessions and rehearsal footage. Both films have never been officially released, although bits and pieces of bootleg versions can be found for sale or posted on the Internet. HWY was apparently only shown once at a film festival. Feast of Friends won an award at the Atlanta Film Festival in 1969 and was also shown at a midnight screening at the San Francisco Film Festival later that same year where the audience greeted it with boos. Feast or famine (pun intended).

Johnny Depp’s low-key narration doesn’t distract from the material, which is very appreciated.

When You’re Strange does try to take an alternative approach to The Doors, given the unique opportunities and material available. Strangely, the two biggest overall criticisms I’ve seen are that there are no “talking heads” giving opinions, plus several critics cite as extraneous the included moments of 1960’s history: Viet Nam, Kent State, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. If that’s to imply they’re not relevant to a documentary about The Doors, then I wonder what these people have been listening to and with what comprehension.

As Jeff Jampol, Manager of The Doors, clarifies, “We also made a conscious decision together with Tom not to use any talking-head interviews, no new footage in this movie, the entire thing, front to back. Because, I mean, we’re close to it, but you get pulled into this era; and all of a sudden, you’re there, and the magic comes alive. Nobody wanted to interrupt that with some talking heads speaking about The Doors in the past tense.”

Producer Dick Wolf also explains some of their final decisions to include key historic political and cultural footage. “It’s also why all of us are so excited about it being on PBS and part of the American Masters series, because what it has done de facto is it makes it the document of record of not only The Doors, but one of the major documents of record of the late ’60s, because it is very rare to see contemporaneous footage from that era that makes any sense. You know, if you remember the ’60s, you weren’t there, which is unfortunately true for many of us, but this film does remind you.”

When You’re Strange should please all but the most die-hard Doors’ fans, and will probably turn a few new people on to the music and the magic of The Doors.

I was a music journalist in Los Angeles during this era and saw The Doors perform from the early days at the Whisky, to the Forum and Aquarius concerts, to their last local performance at the Long Beach Arena. So I thoroughly enjoyed reliving those memories, even though the film makers did get a few facts wrong and played around with some historic continuity, but most viewers probably won’t notice, or care. What did catch me by surprise, a bit more than halfway through the film, is a shot of poet Michael McClure giving a one-finger salute. Behind him is Morrison, carrying a six-pack of beer, and behind him is me. That photo was snapped in July 1969 backstage during a concert at The Cow Palace, taken by The Flower Princess, a local Northern California writer. Some Doors’ web sites have mislabeled the girl as Pamela Courson, his on-again, off-again girlfriend, but that’s unequivocally me, in one of the few pictures I have of Jim and myself. But that’s another story…or two.

American Masters: When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors on most PBS stations May 12. Check your local listings for time.