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The
Doors
(1991)
 
Despite its title, this film is not really about the
influential 1960s rock group The Doors, because it
more or less ignores keyboard player Ray Manzarek
(played by Kyle McLachlan), guitarist Robby Krieger
(Kevin Dillon) and percussionist John Densmore (Frank
Whaley) in favour of the group's charismatic lead
singer Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer).
In mid-1960s California, film student and aspiring poet Jim
Morrison forms The Doors with fellow student Manzarek,
along with Krieger and Densmore. With their dark,
literate songs, mainly based on Morrison's poetry,
they soon become successful playing in the clubs along the
Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. After the release of
their debut album, the band soon rocket to
super-stardom with the smash-hit single "Light My
Fire". However, Morrison's excessive lust for
alcohol, drugs and sex, soon cause severe problems for
him and the band.
The story told in the film will probably be familiar
to fans of The Doors, and it will probably be
confusing to many non-fans. As the film races through
the salient points in Morrison's career and personal
life, people appear with little or no explanation as
to who they are and events happen with little or no
explanation or background. The film really feels
rushed during the final half, where it seems almost as
if the film-makers were trying to chuck in as much as
possible in the time available. Certainly the film
wouldn't have been hurt by making it half an hour
longer.
Many people who knew Morrison have heavily
criticised the film for it's overwhelmingly negative
portrayal of him and it's concentration on his
excesses at the expense of almost anything else, with
many saying that most of the film's more extreme moments were
largely exaggerated. Of course, director Oliver Stone
is not known for his subtlety. However the film is
seldom boring, and features a superb soundtrack,
including two dozen Doors songs which mix original
recordings with Kilmer's own perfectly realised
impersonation. One of the film's main pluses is
Kilmer's superb vocal and physical portrayal of
Morrison.
As a director, Stone uses almost any kind
of cinematic trick he can think of, including some
frankly bizarre sequences related to Morrison's
interest in Native American shamanism (which was
parodied in 1993's Wayne's World 2). The most
effective elements in the film are it's depictions of
1960s counter-culture, from the hippies in California,
to the parties in Andy Warhol's Factory.
If you are
prepared to stomach it's inaccuracies and excesses,
it's worth seeing, especially for Doors fans, or those
interested in the sixties.
-Robert
Foster
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All contents ©
2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
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Director:
Oliver
Stone
Writer: Randall
Jahnson, Oliver Stone
Starring: Val
Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle McLachlan, Kevin Dillon, Frank Whaley
Distributor: TriStar
Pictures
Runtime: 140
min
Rating: R
Release Date: March
1, 1991
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