The Doors (1991)

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 | Rock Band | 1960s | Television Broadcasting | Arrest

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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 | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Brazil:18 | 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:

Bonnie Bramlett (of 60's group Delaney and Bonnie) played the bartender.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the cemetery sequence in Paris, the Steadicam operator's feet can be seen reflected in the grave of Marcel Proust.

Quotes:

Dog: Excuse me, sir, Who's flying this plane right now?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kicking and Screaming (1995)

Soundtrack:

The Soft Parade

Mr. Mojo Risin And The Turbulent 60s

Although less popular now, Jim Morrison was an American pop culture icon during the late 1960s. He liked to refer to himself as "Mr. Mojo Risin", an anagram of his name. Oliver Stone's film "The Doors" is mostly about Morrison ... his rise to stardom in the 1960s, his personality, and his mysterious death in 1971.

Influenced in childhood by American Indians, Morrison grew up fascinated with Indian Shamanism, elements of which he would later infuse into his poetry and music while hanging out in the mid 60s in the hip areas of Los Angeles. Here he would meet musician Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan). Along with two other band members, the group would form "The Doors", a name Morrison borrowed from the title of Aldous Huxley's book on drug use and enlightenment, called "The Doors Of Perception". During this time Morrison comes across as sensitive, shy, poetic, and an idealistic dreamer. The film's first hour is quite good. We get some insights into Jim's early years, and we get to hear some of that great music, like "Riders On The Storm", and "Light My Fire".

The film's second half is less interesting. Morrison himself has changed, as a result of his celebrity status. His narcissism, his boozing and drug use, have turned his world into chaos, which is evident in a couple of staged concert events, one in New Haven, the other in Miami. The amount of time that Oliver Stone spends on these noisy, chaotic events is excessive. Some of that could have been edited out.

As with most Stone films, the cinematography in "The Doors" is excellent, and includes some early CGI. Val Kilmer is a great choice to play the part of Morrison. And Kathleen Quinlan is good as Patricia, the seductive witch. The film's images at the cemetery in Paris, together with Gothic background music, make for a haunting finale.

Stone's movie is not to be taken in a literal sense. Rather, it is suggestive of the complex mix of personal and cultural forces that interacted to create a pop culture legend. As a byproduct of this cinematic tribute, the viewer gets to see how the late 1960s really were, with the art deco, the hippie lingo, and all that hostility that existed in society. The film thus counters the political revisionism that later decades have assigned to that period. As such, "The Doors" complements and reinforces other films of that era which also "tell it like it really was": "Medium Cool", "Easy Rider", "Alice's Restaurant", and "Zabriskie Point", to name a few.

Despite a noisy, irksome second half, "The Doors" is an intriguing film about an intriguing historical figure. Mr. Mojo Risin's "style" may have died with the times. But Jim Morrison, himself, lives on ... as legend.