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The Doors - Special Edition [1991]


RRP: £19.99
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

The Doors is Oliver Stone's epic, typically portentous homage to the band that soundtracked his youth. As is generally the case with Stone's films, its scope is impressively wide. He places The Doors at the eye of a 1960s cultural and political maelstrom through which passes Andy Warhol, Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy among others. But the details and dialogue often jar badly: the scenes in which various gilded youths imbibe the young Jim Morrison's early efforts at lyrics as if they were anything beyond dreadful sophomoric doggerel are a particular strain on the credulity. The film's central conceit--that Morrison's body was somehow inhabited at an early age by the spirit of a Navajo medicine man--makes the deranged conspiracies of JFK seem plausible by comparison.

The Doors is redeemed by Stone's ability with ambitious set-pieces (the concert scenes are terrific) and a tremendous performance from Val Kilmer, who plays Jim Morrison as a pompous, self-regarding oaf who treats bandmates, friends and women appallingly. While this may well have been the case it is debatable whether Stone intended to show his hero in such an unflattering light: the closing scenes in Pere Lachaise cemetery, which linger over the graves of Wilde, Molière and Flaubert before arriving at Morrison's witlessly vandalised plot, certainly suggest a belief on Stone's part that the author of the ridiculous "American Prayer" has earned a place in the literary pantheon. This film fails to make a convincing case for that but, like Morrison's own work, is a compelling, cautionary illustration of what a supremely ordinary singer and songwriter is allowed to get away with if he looks good in leather trousers.

On the DVD: The Doors Special Edition has the benefit of a bewildering array of special features, though many are less impressive than their billing: the "Behind the Scenes" documentary is eight minutes of apparently random footage of the film being made, and the making-of documentary isn't much more illuminating. The interviews with the cast are also on the desultory side. There is a conventional scene selector and another that allows the viewer to choose from the songs that appear in the soundtrack. There are also several sound options and subtitles. Most useful of all is the illuminating and engaging running commentary by Oliver Stone. --Andrew Mueller


It is first an indendent work of art
Review date: 2007-09-10 Rating: 8 out of 10

Stone deals in heroic archetypes and composite characters. He could be thinking of Janis and Hendrics as well. People that played for keeps, although no one's role model! His work is distinctively Oliveresque drama and in your face, and his sets are chaotic to everyone but the genius (conscious and subconscious) inside him. There's a lot to read in-between the lines, a lot of thought-history of the latter 20th when the mind was "breaking through to the other side". ANY other side! I once saw The Doors and was underwhelmed as Jim gave his drunken stylized insults just like in the movie. We all chanted "Led Zepellin!Led Zepellin!", the next act. No mayhem. The depressed band got the hook and the festival lit back up. These were magical times. Jim called us "children in a sandbox". He was right, but what a box.

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Reviews


Between them are doors
Review date: 2006-11-26 Rating: 6 out of 10

Calling this movie "The Doors" is misleading. It would be more accurate to call it "Jim Morrison and Those Other Guys In the Band," since that is how it's presented.

It's always tempting to latch onto a rock legend in these rock biopics, and Oliver Stone clings like a limpet to the ghost of Jim Morrison. Acid-soaked scenery and mysticism are in every scene, but Stone seems content to wallow in the rock'n'roll debauchery rather than get into Morrison's head.

It opens with a voiceover of Jim Morrison's poetry, as we slowly fade into a stalled recording session. Then it flips back to 1949, as Morrison's family drives through the desert. The boy catches a glimpse of several Indians by the road -- and one of them dies as the family leaves.

Then it flips ahead to Morrison's (Val Kilmer) years at college -- he crashes a party for a pretty girl, makes arty films, acid-trips, and devotes himself to poetry. Then his pal Ray Manzarek (Kyle McLachlan) creates a rock band, with Morrison's poetry and voice as the centerpiece. Soon The Doors become a fixture in L.A. -- and then a famed band.

But as the Doors become more famous, Morrison increasingly loses himself in the messianic-Dionysian-rocker role that has been set out for him. He weds a witch-journalist (Katherine Quinlan) but loves his fey girlfriend Pamela (Meg Ryan). And when he outrages the authorities with the threat of public exposure, the spiral starts that will only lead to death.

Stone certainly knew how to evoke the golden ages of rock'n'roll. Lots of sex, kinetic concerts, and bizarre behavior where Morrison jumps up on platforms and screams, "I am the Lizard King! I can do anything!" The whole movie just kind of sweeps you off your feet.

And Stone is quite brilliant with the direction. The movie is filmed like an acid trip -- shifting multicoloured skies, Indian ghosts, shadows on the sand, and eerie lighting. And it touches on other aspects of the late sixties -- the Factory, Nico, and the belief that something violent and beautiful was about to erupt.

Unfortunately, Stone seems so enamored of the atmosphere that he never quite gets around to making a biopic. The other Doors are relegated to a frame for Morrison's bizarre behavior, and after the first half hour, they basically fade away. And he gets too enamored of his own style with the Indian ghost, and the arty "dead man" final scenes.

Val Kilmer does a shockingly good job with the languid, unpredictable energy of Morrison. He sings well too. Sadly, his performance is stuck in a one-note character -- Stone opts to potray him just as a random, sleazy, wild jerk, and we don't get a single insight into his thoughts. Sure, Morrison could be horrible. But this is Jim Morrison as rock cliche, not as a human being.

And sadly, none of the other actors get much chance to expand on their roles -- the other Doors actors, including MacLachlan, basically play slightly annoyed accessories, and Meg Ryan plays a sweet girl without many other dimensions. Although Crispin Glover has a tiny, memorable role as Andy Warhol.

"The Doors" opens into a beautiful psychedelic movie, but Stone fails to give it a soul. It's a fun biopic full of the sixties atmosphere, but it never quite manages to be much more.

who was in charge of the WIGS???!!!!
Review date: 2006-09-08 Rating: 6 out of 10

what should, and until you start to notice the shocking things, WOULD be a great film, is rendered somewhat daft by the absolutely atrocious wigs employed....

a very sensitive and almost loving treatment by stone of one of the greatest poets of our time, with highly credible performances from val kilmer and meg ryan (really!)carried along by stone's particular directional style and an unbeatable soundtrack. perhaps the casting of billy idol was misguided though...

true fans and film lovers will have issues with this film - anyone who just wants to be entertained in hollywood style and perhaps learn a little should enjoy it. young tennagers coming to jim morisson for the first time will LOVE it.
just watch out for the wigs, man....

The Lizard King lives on
Review date: 2006-08-07 Rating: 10 out of 10

I am not sure who the amazon.co.uk writer is who gave us the benefit of his seriously misguided wisdom in reviewing this superb retelling of the life and times of the late, great Jim Morrison.
For actually describing the Lizard King as an ordinairy singer and songwriter, who only became a success due to his tight leathers and sex appeal, the reviewer should be sentenced to slowly drown in a vat of his own waste matter. I could drag someone off the street at chucking out time who would write a more sensible and balanced piece - hang your head in shame whoever you are !
JM is a truly iconic figure who even today fascinates new generations and Oliver Stone's film is helping to keep the memory of one of the last centuries great poets and personalities alive - maybe JM didnt have the greatest voice ever heard, but it was certainly one of the most distinctive and his music transcends time - there are very few artists in history that have made such an impact as he did (and still does three and a half decades after his passing).
If you haven't seen this film then i beg you to do so - even better go out and buy The Doors back catalogue, you won't regret it.

Awesome!
Review date: 2006-07-24 Rating: 10 out of 10

This film is one of the best films i've ever seen, Oliver stone captures the true rock and roll spirit of Jim Morrison and The Doors brilliantly. The characters are superbly cast with Val Kilmer giving the performance of a lifetime as Jim. There,s rarely a dull moment as you get to see the collosal rise to fame The Doors had and the profane effect it had on Jim Morrison's life. If you are a fan of the band or love rock biopics then you have to see this film, you'll definately want to watch it again it's an absolute must see.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Val Kilmer
Meg Ryan
Kathleen Quinlan
Michael Madsen
Michael Wincott

Creators:
Val Kilmer (Primary Contributor)
Meg Ryan (Primary Contributor)
Oliver Stone (Writer)
A. Kitman Ho (Producer)
Bill Graham (Producer)
Brian Grazer (Producer)
Catherine Meyers (Producer)
Clayton Townsend (Producer)
Randall Jahnson (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Momentum Pictures
Manufacturer: Momentum Pictures
EAN: 5060021171290
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2003-02-17
Number of discs: 1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 140 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1991-03-01
Language: English (Original Language)

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