The Doors (1991)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers (WGA):

Randall Jahnson (written by) and
Oliver Stone (written by)

Release Date:

1 March 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

The Ultimate Story of Sex, Drugs & Rock 'N' Roll

Plot:

The story of the famous and influential 1960's rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison.

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Paris | Rock Band | 1960s | Bar

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Val Kilmer	...	Jim Morrison
Meg Ryan	...	Pamela Courson
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Ray Manzarek
Frank Whaley	...	Robby Krieger
Kevin Dillon	...	John Densmore
Michael Wincott	...	Paul Rothchild
Michael Madsen	...	Tom Baker
Josh Evans	...	Bill Siddons
Dennis Burkley	...	Dog
Billy Idol	...	Cat
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Patricia Kennealy
John Densmore	...	Engineer - Last Session
Gretchen Becker	...	Mom
Jerry Sturm	...	Dad
Sean Stone	...	Young Jim

MPAA:

Rated R for heavy drug content, and for strong sexuality and language.

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (analog 70 mm prints) | CDS (digital 35 mm and 70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (analog 35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Iceland:14 | Portugal:M/18 | Australia:MA (DVD re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18A (video rating) | Canada:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | South Korea:(Banned) (original rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bill Graham Films

Trivia:

During the filming, Doors music was constantly being played on the set.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: At the Miami concert Jim Morrison is seen first with a boom stand for his microphone then they cut to an audience shot. When the camera goes back to Morrison there is no microphone stand. Another audience shot and then when the camera returns, there is the microphone stand again.

Quotes:

Jim Morrison: This is the strangest life I've ever known.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Biography: Val Kilmer" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Carmina Burana

A refreshing cinematic breakthrough in an era in which cinema seems all but forgotten!

This film is truly a gem. The Doors is easily the best film of the rock n' roll genre and at least one of the most important films of its era. Though I am not an Oliver Stone fan I must give credit where it is due. Stone really does a terrific job with this film, and shows what he is capable of when he actually knows about the subject he is attempting to comment on. A few of the scenes in the film are almost exact recreations of actual events. However, the magnificent thing about this film is that it manages to recreate a certain amount of reality while simultaneously realizing that for a film to possess its own vitality it must transcend the preexisting reality, move beyond the surface, beyond everything that is obvious, and express and explore something deeper. Val Kilmer delivers a powerful performance in which he almost seems to be channeling the energy of Jim Morrison, and though I've seen many of Meg Ryan's films this is the only one I can recollect where she does such a good job that she makes you really forget about her and focus on the character. The cinematography of the film by Robert Richardson (Platoon, Wall Street, Born on The Fourth of July, Natural Born Killers, Casino, Bringing out the Dead, and many more) is bold and unique making the film one of the most distinct visual films I've ever seen. This film is truly one of a kind, and breaks through into new cinematic territory, giving priority to the visual aspects of the film in an era where there are so few films that even give much consideration to the single most important aspect of the motion picture. The genius of this film is that it is visual-audio as opposed to audio-visual and is more concerned with expressing something than simply impressing the audience. The Doors is a refreshing cinematic breakthrough in an era in which cinema seems all but forgotten.