When You're Strange
Encyclopedia
When You're Strange is a 2009 documentary about the life of The Doors
. It is written and directed by Tom DiCillo
and for the first time makes material from Jim Morrison
's 1969 film fragment HWY: An American Pastoral
publicly available.
Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek
has stated that "This will be the true story of the Doors," and that the film will be "the anti-Oliver Stone
," referring to the 1991 film
about the group that Stone directed, and which drew quite a bit of criticism from many Doors fans and Morrison intimates for certain departures from the truth in Stone's screenplay.
The documentary first screened at the Sundance Film Festival
on January 17, 2009. It received somewhat favorable reviews from that showing, however the narration (by director DiCillo) was singled out by most viewers as very seriously flawed for its monotonic delivery. Due to the rash of complaints about the narration, Johnny Depp
was hired to redub it. A few months later, DiCillo pronounced the film "just about locked", and announced that there would be a showing of the new "redux" version. It debuted at the Los Angeles Film Festival
on Sunday, June 21, 2009. The completed film was also shown at the London Film Festival
on October 16-18, 2009. The film was released in theaters on April 9, 2010, with a soundtrack release
on April 6, 2010. It was released in Canada on April 15, 2010. PBS
showed this film as part of its series American Masters
on May 12, 2010. The film was released on DVD on June 29, 2010.http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/the-doors-when-youre-strange-soundtrack In France the film, distributed by MK2, was released under its original title and received an excellent reception.
Robby Krieger believes that the film puts together a more accurate portrayal of Morrison than the 1991 biopic stating; ‘I think when you see the Oliver Stone movie – I'm amazed how good Val Kilmer did – but, you know, the problem with that movie is that the script was kind of stupid. It doesn't really capture how Jim was at all. This gives you a much better insight into how his mind worked, I think.’
Overall Krieger felt ‘really happy’ about how the film has turned out, crediting in particular the editing work.
The surviving members of the band decided not to get too involved in the project to try to get the right neutral balance that an outsider would try to achieve."
The film has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Series following its airing on American Masters on PBS. In December of 2010 the film was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Video and subsequently won the award in February 2011.
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
. It is written and directed by Tom DiCillo
Tom DiCillo
Thomas A. "Tom" DiCillo is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer.-Early life:He was born in Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina. His father was Italian and his mother was from New England...
and for the first time makes material from Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
's 1969 film fragment HWY: An American Pastoral
HWY: An American Pastoral
HWY: An American Pastoral is a film by Jim Morrison and Paul Ferrara and stars Morrison as a hitchhiker. It is a 50-minute experimental film in Direct Cinema style...
publicly available.
Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek
Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
has stated that "This will be the true story of the Doors," and that the film will be "the anti-Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
," referring to the 1991 film
The Doors (film)
The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...
about the group that Stone directed, and which drew quite a bit of criticism from many Doors fans and Morrison intimates for certain departures from the truth in Stone's screenplay.
The documentary first screened at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
on January 17, 2009. It received somewhat favorable reviews from that showing, however the narration (by director DiCillo) was singled out by most viewers as very seriously flawed for its monotonic delivery. Due to the rash of complaints about the narration, Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
was hired to redub it. A few months later, DiCillo pronounced the film "just about locked", and announced that there would be a showing of the new "redux" version. It debuted at the Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
on Sunday, June 21, 2009. The completed film was also shown at the London Film Festival
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
on October 16-18, 2009. The film was released in theaters on April 9, 2010, with a soundtrack release
When You're Strange: Music from the Motion Picture
When You're Strange: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 2010 documentary film, narrated by Johnny Depp, about The Doors and their music...
on April 6, 2010. It was released in Canada on April 15, 2010. PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
showed this film as part of its series American Masters
American Masters
American Masters is a PBS television show which produces biographies on the artists, actors and writers of the United States who have left a profound impact on the nation's popular culture. It is produced by WNET in New York City...
on May 12, 2010. The film was released on DVD on June 29, 2010.http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/the-doors-when-youre-strange-soundtrack In France the film, distributed by MK2, was released under its original title and received an excellent reception.
Robby Krieger believes that the film puts together a more accurate portrayal of Morrison than the 1991 biopic stating; ‘I think when you see the Oliver Stone movie – I'm amazed how good Val Kilmer did – but, you know, the problem with that movie is that the script was kind of stupid. It doesn't really capture how Jim was at all. This gives you a much better insight into how his mind worked, I think.’
Overall Krieger felt ‘really happy’ about how the film has turned out, crediting in particular the editing work.
The surviving members of the band decided not to get too involved in the project to try to get the right neutral balance that an outsider would try to achieve."
The film has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Series following its airing on American Masters on PBS. In December of 2010 the film was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Video and subsequently won the award in February 2011.
Cast
- Jim MorrisonJim MorrisonJames Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
as himself (archive footage) Vocalist for The Doors - Ray ManzarekRay ManzarekRaymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
as himself (archive footage) Keyboardist for The Doors - John DensmoreJohn DensmoreJohn Paul Densmore is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors.-Early life and The Doors:Born in Los Angeles, Densmore attended Santa Monica City College and Cal...
as himself (archive footage) Percussionist for The Doors - Robby KriegerRobby KriegerRobert Alan "Robby" Krieger is an American rock guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire," "Love Me Two Times," "Touch Me," and "Love Her Madly."...
as himself (archive footage) Guitarist for The Doors - Johnny DeppJohnny DeppJohn Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
(narration) - Paul A. RothchildPaul A. RothchildPaul A. Rothchild was a prominent American record producer of the late 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rothchild grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and graduated from Teaneck High School in 1953....
as himself (archive footage) Producer (The DoorsThe Doors (album)The Doors is the debut album by the American rock band The Doors, recorded in August 1966 and released in January 1967. It was originally released in significantly different stereo and mono mixes...
- Morrison HotelMorrison HotelMorrison Hotel is The Doors' fifth album. It was released in 1970. After their experimental work The Soft Parade was not as well received as anticipated, the group went back to basics and back to their roots...
) - Bruce BotnickBruce BotnickBruce Botnick is an American audio engineer and record producer, best known for his work with The Doors, and with Love. He engineered Love's first two albums, and co-produced their third album, Forever Changes, with the band's singer-songwriter, Arthur Lee.In November 1970, he took over production...
as himself (archive footage) Sound Engineer and Producer for (L.A. WomanL.A. WomanThe band embarked on a tour to promote the album, although it would only comprise two dates. The first was held in Dallas, Texas on December 11 and reportedly went well. The second performance took place at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 12, 1970, where Morrison apparently had...
)
External links
- UpVenue review http://www.upvenue.com/article/1229-the-doors-when-you-re-strange-review.html