A Must-See for Doors Fans

I first became aware of When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors (2010) from an article in Rolling Stone at some point last year when it was first released, and I was instantly intrigued by the idea of a documentary about the seminal rock group. For most, Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991) was a complete disappointment. Instead of sticking to the truth, Stone chose to alter certain events in the band’s history, particularly regarding Jim Morrison’s behavior, to achieve a more dramatic, entertaining effect (and Stone seems to have a knack for doing this in his other fact-based films as well). Unsurprisingly, he was heavily criticized for this. And the remaining members of the band, particularly Ray Manzarek, were unhappy with the results. In Stone’s defense, it would be a difficult task to pull off a successful Doors biopic without stretching the truth to an extent. And I don’t want to dismiss his film completely; The Doors garners solid entertainment and is worth watching if just for Val Kilmer’s brilliant portrayal of Morrison.

Thus, we now have When You’re Strange, which almost seems to deliberately expose some of the exaggerations in The Doors and show what actually happened. Narrated by a very enthusiastic Johnny Depp, When You’re Strange, like The Doors, focuses on the charismatic Morrison. Kicking off with an impeccably crafted backward sequence of film clips and photographs that shows the band’s discography in order from their last album to their first, When You’re Strange follows the basic story of the band’s journey, which hardcore fans are already familiar with. But the story is not what makes it interesting; what does make it interesting is the abundance of never-before-seen footage of not only live performances, but of the band hanging out backstage, in the studio, on the touring plane, and more. The standout would have to be a 1969 short film that Morrison himself directed and acted in, which is shown in segments throughout the film. Added to all this, the fact that there are no interviews whatsoever makes it even more enthralling. The only guiding force of the story is Depp’s narration and director Tom DiCillo’s clever use of footage and photographs to correspond with what Depp is talking about. (Also, the DVD’s special features include an exclusive, heartbreaking interview with Morrison’s father and sister in one of the only occasions his family members have publicly spoken about him.)


And of course, Morrison never ceases to be a source of absolute delight. “I’ve noticed that when people are joking, they’re usually dead serious, and when they’re dead serious, it’s usually pretty funny,” we hear him mutter in one sequence (which immediately became a favorite quote of mine). This is also probably the only place where you can hear the actual audio recordings of Morrison during both the infamous performance at L.A.’s Whiskey A-Go-Go in 1966, and also during the Miami concert in 1969 when he was convicted of indecent exposure. In contrast with The Doors, When You’re Strange makes an honest attempt to explore Morrison’s psyche. Not only did Stone alter Morrison’s persona to his liking, he also tried (unsuccessfully) to understand the way Morrison’s mind worked on a grandiose, profound scale. While DiCillo simply utilizes the facts at hand, actual footage and Depp’s narration to bring to light some ideas about Morrison’s psychological state, Stone tries to express this through a series of pseudo-intellectual acid trip sequences and Native American imagery, which proved to be mostly confusing to audiences. It’s also difficult to feel sympathy for Val Kilmer’s Morrison, though it is a tremendous performance. At the end of The Doors, we can’t help but view him as a vicious, pathetic sociopath who is perpetually under the influence of some type of chemical. However, When You’re Strange paints a more sympathetic portrait of Morrison: that of a highly intelligent but deeply troubled poet.

When You’re Strange is an uncompromising testament to the legend of the Doors and their music, and a fascinating collection of footage and photographs. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that people who aren’t Doors fans probably wouldn’t enjoy this film as much as those who are. But if you aren’t a Doors fan, you should be. So if you aren’t, that’s your problem.

Rating: 3 out of 4