When You're Strange (2010)

Very Cool!!!

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

RELEASED IN 2009 and written & directed by Tom DiCillo, "The Doors: When You're Strange" documents the rise and fall of The Doors from 1966-1971, narrated by Johnny Depp. From beginning to end, archival footage and photos of the band are featured focusing on the members: Ray Manzarek (keyboardist), Robby Krieger (guitarist), John Densmore (percussionist) and, especially (of course), Jim Morrison (singer/lyricist). I've only seen two documentaries on The Doors, the one featured on Oliver Stone's "The Doors" (1991) DVD, which features modern interviews with the band members & linking people (like Morrison's former babe, who loathed the movie), and this one. Both documentaries are great, but "The Doors: When You're Strange" doesn't focus on modern interviews, although some of the luminaries are asked questions in the archival footage.The documentary is just transfixing from beginning to end and features 37 songs by the iconic band. Depp is, surprisingly, an excellent narrator and not goofy at all. Even if you're familiar with the band you'll probably gain some new tidbits. For instance, the band curiously never had a bass player, although Elvis' bass player performed on their last album; as such, keyboardist Manzarek made up for it by essentially playing bass on one hand. Manzarek, by the way, passed away in May, 2013, at the age of 74. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 25 minutes. GRADE: A

Jim Morrison's magic is said to have been a question of what he would turn to. Heaven or hell? His magic was anyway more about making an extremely interesting fusion of poetry and music. Neither of them would have managed without the other.This documentary shows many interesting clips, also from studios and backstage. The problem is that the analysis anyway is a little shallow. Both when it comes to The Doors as a phenomena and the times they were living in.And most of all perhaps when it comes to the double or triple meanings of that poetry. Which really was something which was floating between heaven and hell.

"When You're Strange" is a music Documentary, which takes you through the short career of a world famous 1960's band, The Doors. For this alone, the documentary is worth watching. That said, this is so interesting to watch, because it is a story with so many levels, mainly because it took place in a time, when things were changing.It was the 1960s. A still growing group of people invented in the 50s, namely the young, could and would not be ignored any longer. As Morrison put it: 'we want the world, and we want it now' To them things were not black and white anymore. Men and women were not men and women, but human beings. The solution was definitely not war, but the absolute opposite. On the other hand the parents, and older generations, were stubbornly holding on to the old order and its values, and a larger and larger gap was growing between these two fronts.The spotlight in this film is heavily focused on the Doors most famous member, Jim Morrison, and for a good reason. Jim Morrison became a clear symbol of the new, and the young, mainly because he wanted more out of life than the norms allowed, and simply went for it. On top of this, Jim had an interesting background, which is a prime example of the generation gap. Jim Morrisons father George Morrison was an admiral in the navy, and was involved in the Vietnam war. He was against Jim's involvement in rock music, wanted his hair cut, and to get an education. Jim ignored his parents to such an extend that he claimed his family dead, when asked by journalists.If you know the story of The Doors and Jim Morrison already, this will be a stringent summary of the events with a well written and good narration by Johnny Depp. There is nothing new in the story itself and thankfully no conspiracy theories about Morrisons death. Where this documentary really shines and adds yet another level, is through the footage and the way this is put together. Some of this footage has never been shown before, and parts of it is still so crisp and clear that it's eerie. It is bound to send you on an emotional ride, if you were a fan when it mattered the most - when you were young. So in conclusion this falls two stars shy of ten because of the only fall through i noticed. When a letter from Morrisons father is brought up, it mentions only one paragraph of this well meaning letter, and uses it out of context to create drama. This is a 2 star fail in an otherwise clear cut and to the bone fact telling documentary.

It's a documentary. But, the subject being the performing career of the doors, this documentary really becomes a biopic of James Morrison. I enjoyed the film as the former but less as the latter. DiCillo makes cursory investigative inroads into why Morrison might have been the 'shaman' his bandmates allegedly took him for. Yet the connect between the culture-quake through which Morrison lived and to which he contributed is not sufficiently well investigated.The editing isn't too bad, making use of all manner of media and rough cut footage to try and give an impression of time and dynamic, rather than just illustrating the story. Irritatingly, DiCillo uses the conceit of a Morrison lookalike, tearing up the desert in a Mustang, free from his celebrity, deathless like Elvis (his hero, also unexplored). It,s unnecessary and is symptomatic of the indulgence which has clouded DiCillo's judgement. 4/10