Oliver Stone might have considered his film a tribute to the enduring power of the Doors' music, but he seems to have also intended it as a cautionary tale on the perils of both... more
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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 maelstr...
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 maelstr...
Advantages: great music and some great portrayals Disadvantages: dosnt get at the heart of the subject
Even though the title of the film would suggest that this film is the story of the band as a whole that is pretty much a fallacy. Like most things with this band the front man, Jim Morrison, over shadows all else and here we are treated to a wonderful view of the times and the scene, but it is totally focused on the one person. That's not to say that it's not a very engaging story, for fans and non-fans alike, but the hidden depths of the make up ... ...its not the aim of the film to understand the complexities of the band members relationships or the hidden messages and meanings behind the words and music, it is merely a biographical story of one mans fifteen minutes of fame and the path he took that lead to his famously untimely death. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote that the problem with American lives is that they have no second act. The problem with Jim Morrison's life was that it had no first and ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Stunning to look at. The acting is superb. Probably the best soundtrack in the world. Disadvantages: Some fact seems to have been placed to the side to make way for drama and controversy.
Many things have been given the Oliver Stone treatment. From Vietnam in 'Platoon' to presidential assassination in 'JFK'. So what happens when one of the greatest rock bands of all time are immortalised on celluloid by one of the greatest directors of all time?
I am one of the few amongst my generation. I loved The Doors before I had seen the movie. I had read the two books that it is based upon and I had naturally sample all the music that they ... ...I was not alive during the summer of love. I have not experienced the ‘revolution’ or the free love society (God I wish I had). The Doors and Jim Morrison were world leaders in these causes however. How well did this movie portray this?
The first thing that strikes you about this movie is how much Val Kilmer looks like Jim Morrison. I do not know how much make up was used (very little by all accounts) but if the Jim Morrison of the late ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Kilmer, a wonderful story Disadvantages: None
...for making films which expose the sleazy underbelly of history and debunk the myths that surround the received wisdom. He's also a right pain in the a*** for the US establishment and has done such stuff as JFK and Malcolm X. The Doors was one of his earlier films and paints a striking picture of rock music in the late Sixties. It focuses on The Doors and their brilliant, but controversial lead singer, Jim Morrison, played by Val Kilmer, whose face ... ...beautiful. The subject matter was pretty much made for Stone's romantic, outlaw take on 60's Americana and he certainly does it full justice. The Doors were a massive rock and roll band for a while, making such wonderful hit records as Break On Through, Light My Fire, Riders On The Storm, People Are Strange and Hello I Love You. They were made up of Morrison, the pin up of the band's sizable female following and an aspiring poet and mystic, gothic ...
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Advantages: great music Disadvantages: 'touchy' subject matter
...should watch this film. The film epitomises the old 'sex, drugs and rock'n'roll' adage, and then some! Excellent performances put across the story of The Doors with humour, wit, and some sensitivity. Littered with enough Doors tracks to keep even the most die-hard fan happy, and enough plot to keep anyone else watching enthralled to the end, this film has some classic lines of dialogue that are worth remembering for future conversations. This film ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Long, interesting, with a good spiritual thrust. Disadvantages: A bit too much.
Like the film 'Titanic', everyone who knows anything about the Doors will know what happens at the end of this film. However, Oliver Stone's biopic 'The Doors' tries to look for a reason why - while charting the rise and fall of one of the world's greatest bands. The film centralises, of course, with the band's permanently stoked-up singer, the infamous Jim Morrison, who is played by Val Kilmer - notorious himself for mood swings. Kilmer looks surprising ... ...real-life counterpart. Kyle Maclachan plays the straight-laced organist Ray Manzeric with a gusto matched only by Kilmer himself. As far as the facts go, this film skimps on the odd detail or two. Jim Morrison didn't quit film school - he got his qualification. The girl he was caught kissing in the shower room behind a gig was not the journalist woman. However, these indiscretions are often simply ways of getting a lifetime and a half of trouble ...
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Actor(s): Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley, Michael Madsen, Billy Idol, Kathleen Quinlan, Kevin Dillon, Mimi Rogers, Michael Wincott, Michael Wincott
Director(s): Oliver Stone
Genre: Drama
Classification: 18 years and over
Production Year: 1990
Video Category: Feature Film
Plot: A drama based on the life of rock star Jim Morrison whose life came tragically to an end in a haze of drugs.
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): MOMENTUM PICTURES; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Release date: 17/02/2003
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: MP 029 D
Editor: David Brenner
Barcode: 5060021171290
Languages
Main Language: English
Professional reviews
Review: "...The whole movie is white hot, lapped in honeyed golds, evilly blue and black or drenched in those swoony, fiery reds. THE DOORS blasts your ears and scorches your eyes..." (Los Angeles Times, p.F1, 01/03/1991)
"...Clamorous, reverential, much-larger-than-life....Kilmer captures all of Morrisons's reckless, insinuating appeal..." (New York Times, p.C1, 01/03/1991)
"...THE DOORS is a thrilling spectacle - the KING KONG of rock movies..." (Rolling Stone, p.83-4, 21/03/1991)
DVD Description
Oliver Stone might have considered his film a tribute to the enduring power of the Doors' music, but he seems to have also intended it as a cautionary tale on the perils of both celebrity and substance abuse. Starring Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison, the film focuses on the Lizard King from his days as a UCLA film student in the early 1960s to his death in a Paris hotel in 1971. In the early days of the group's formation, Morrison is at his most benign; he's just a guy hanging out at the beach writing poetry. But as the Doors' fame begins to spread--with Morrison as the focus of attention--his drug consumption and erratic behavior increase exponentially. The rest of the band--Ray Manzarek (Kyle McLachalan), John Densmore (Kevin Dillon), and Robby Krieger (Frank Whaley)--begins to grow tired of his late arrivals, the increasing number of cancellations, and the drunken recording sessions requiring infinite retakes. But no one can help Morrison as he spirals downward into an inferno of drugs, alcohol, public obscenity, and depression. Kilmer gives an excellent performance, including a frighteningly accurate imitation of Morrison's singing. Stone's intimate familiarity with SoCal in the 1960s also provides the film with a high degree of surface verisimilitude.
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Technical information
Special Features: Audio Commentary - 1. Oliver Stone - Director, Trailers, Interviews - Cast and Crew, Featurettes - 1. Behind The Scenes, 2. Making of THE DOORS, Music Video - 1. BREAK ON THROUGH, Easter Eggs
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