Goofs
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Anachronisms (9) |
Audio/visual unsynchronised (3) |
Continuity (1) |
Crew or equipment visible (3) |
Factual errors (6) |
Incorrectly regarded as goofs (1) |
Revealing mistakes (3)
Anachronisms
When Morrison is on a window ledge in 1971, a billboard advertising Another 48 Hrs. can be seen.
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The edition of "The Portable Nietzsche" (Viking/Penguin) that Jim Morrison is shown reading out of in the film school project scene is an edition that was first published in 1982, long after Jim Morrison's death.
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The home movie camera being used by the Doors is a super-8 sound model manufactured in the late-'70s, ten years after the scene took place.
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Jim is in the bar drinking Miller Genuine Draft, which was not available until the late 80s.
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The Doors manager tells Jim that he is not going to go through this again with him and lose him at the bottom of a bottle of Southern Comfort like Janis. This is referring to Janis Joplin. The scene takes place in the studio right before a 1969 concert. The next scene after that takes place in spring of 1970. The thing is Janis Joplin did not die until October 4th, 1970.
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Backstage during the "Ed Sullivan Show" appearance, the band can be seen watching the infamous 12 Street Riots in Detroit unfold on TV. However, the band appeared on the show on September 17, 1967 as where the riots took place from July 23-28.
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When the band first rehearses in Venice in 1965, the microphones used are a model (Shure SM58) that was introduced in 1966.
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Shortly after the band is first seen rehearsing Break On Through, the guitarist starts to play the beginning of the song Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. The song wasn't released until 1975.
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Morrison is wearing a pair of Ray-Bans that were not introduced until the eighties.
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Audio/visual unsynchronised
When the band is playing "The End" at the Whiskey a Go Go, the drums are not in time.
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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.
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"The End" is shown being performed using two small organs but the recording used in the film used a Hammond B-3 organ.
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Continuity
In the scene where Jim is in Patricia Kennealy's apartment & he is chasing her, he is wearing a covering from the waist down. When they both fall on the bed and make love, it is instantly gone.
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Crew or equipment visible
As Morrison follows Pam along the boardwalk, a large group of crew members and a boom pole are visible reflected off a shop window.
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During the San Francisco concert sequence, the shadow of the cameraman is clearly visible on Jim's shirt.
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During the cemetery sequence in Paris, the Steadicam operator's feet can be seen reflected in the grave of Marcel Proust.
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Factual errors
As with most biopics, some of the events did not occur exactly as they are portrayed in the film, or may have happened at a different time. Some did not take place at all and are included purely for dramatic purposes.
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The Doors New Haven concert was held at the New Haven Arena. In the movie they showed a balcony. The New Haven Arena did not have a balcony. Also the New Haven Arena was a broken down hockey rink that was half empty that night not a sold out beautiful theater like was shown in the film.
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In the film a female photographer sexily encourages Morrison to take his shirt off, which results in the iconic "Young Lion" photo first seen in the Village Voice, and later used as the cover photo for the Doors 1985 "Best Of" album. The photographer who took this famous shot was actually a man, Joel Brodsky.
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Before the scene where Morrison is arrested on stage, the woman he is with says that he attended the University of Florida. In actuality, Jim Morrison attended Florida State University.
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The concert in New Haven in which the police dragged Morrison offstage was in December 1967, not 1968 as stated in the film.
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The London Fog scene takes place in 1966. When the manager asks Jim's age, Jim claims to be 21. But if this scene takes place in 1966, depending the month it is, Jim would be either 22 or 23. If it's before December 8th, he'd be 22. If it was after December 8th than he'd be 23.
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Incorrectly regarded as goofs
Morrison says "Well we're a sullen group, Ed" without moving his lips. This was done deliberately to allow the audience into Jim Morrison's thoughts for just a moment. He could not say "Well, we're a sullen group, Ed!" directly to Ed Sullivan without being thrown out immediately. Instead, we are allowed to hear him think it, which leads us to the mischief Morrison got up to live on air. Another example of deliberate audio/visual mismatch is when Jim is approached by a groupie at Andy Warhol's party. Replying to "Hey Jim, remember San Francisco?", Jim says "Uh no, not really", without moving his lips. We are allowed to hear him think in his drug addled state.
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Revealing mistakes
During the Magazine photo shoot, Jim begins to wander around the studio with the photographer following him, still taking pictures. As she is taking pictures, a flash continues to go off, yet there is no flash on the camera - they are still on the stands on the set.
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In the UCLA film school scene one of the students stand up to leave and the film shines on his back, but there is no alteration to the film being shown on the screen
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While singing Five to One, Val Kilmer's beard begins peeling off the right side of his face. It's clearly visible on the closeup shot.
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