What did you think of the movie The Doors (1991)? (cinema, films, drama)

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by ironpony

Well I guess I didn't really know what the message of the movie was suppose to be afterwards. The only message I got was that drugs are bad, but I already knew that felt that Stone didn't really have a new take on that theme.

Apparently Manzarek, the keyboardist, felt that Stone missed the basic message of The Doors.

"The film comes from the entirely wrong philosophical base. The Doors were about idealism and the '60s quest for freedom and brotherhood. But the film isn't based on love. It's based in madness and chaos. Oliver has made Jim into an agent of destruction."

He also didn't like the way Morrison was portrayed in the film.

"The film portrays Jim as a violent, drunken fool," says Manzarek. "That wasn't Jim. When I walked out of the movie, I thought, 'Geez, who was that jerk?' "

Ray Manzarek Slams 'The Doors' - latimes

[reed067]

Got it on DVD! Val Kilmer was excellent as Morrison. Huge Doors fan here.

[katygirl68]

Originally Posted by ironpony

Well I guess I didn't really know what the message of the movie was suppose to be afterwards. The only message I got was that drugs are bad, but I already knew that felt that Stone didn't really have a new take on that theme.

And yes perhaps it was a bit ignorant of me to say Jim Morrison wasn't smart because he took drugs, but he acts like such a spiritual, philosophical person, and is yet addicted to all these materialistic things, so I feel that he contradicts himself, but never explores that contradiction much. I guess that's more what I was thinking.

People are complicated, especially artistic people.

[katygirl68]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

Apparently Manzarek, the keyboardist, felt that Stone missed the basic message of The Doors.

"The film comes from the entirely wrong philosophical base. The Doors were about idealism and the '60s quest for freedom and brotherhood. But the film isn't based on love. It's based in madness and chaos. Oliver has made Jim into an agent of destruction."

He also didn't like the way Morrison was portrayed in the film.

"The film portrays Jim as a violent, drunken fool," says Manzarek. "That wasn't Jim. When I walked out of the movie, I thought, 'Geez, who was that jerk?' "

Ray Manzarek Slams 'The Doors' - latimes

That probably says more about where Oliver Stone was coming from than where Jim Morrison was coming from. One went to film school and the other went to Vietnam.

[Hefe]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

He also didn't like the way Morrison was portrayed in the film.

"The film portrays Jim as a violent, drunken fool," says Manzarek. "That wasn't Jim. When I walked out of the movie, I thought, 'Geez, who was that jerk?' "

Ray Manzarek Slams 'The Doors' - latimes

I am a Doors fan & I actually have a Jim Morrison "brush with greatness" story.

So one day in 1969 myself & a friend are sitting at a formica table in this cute little new sandwich shop called "Blimpies" on Newberry Street on a rowdy, lost weekend visit to Boston. My friend suddenly says "Hey, look..." & nods towards the front where the backlight of the sun is silhouetting a couple & then I make an ID. It's the Lizard King himself in his full neck-to-toe black leather regalia. (I heard an interview decades later of Ray saying that Morrison would keep this outfit on night & day for weeks at a time, getting pretty ripe sometimes.)

Morrison was accompanied by a nice looking though somewhat plain & pudgy long-haired girl who smiled but never spoke. He made his way over to a table by the wall near us with hippie girl in tow & slid the chair out & sat down. He leaned the chair back against the wall by pushing with his booted toes & The Lizard King surveyed his new Kingdom for a minute. Then he turned to the sole waitress working the room and said loudly "Hey Big Bertha, get the f@# over here!"

Bertha, another hippie girl - they were all hippie girls in Boston then - ignored him but the manager came over & stood over Jim & asked him to leave "now". Jim insisted on his Blimpie. The manager pointed towards the door: "Now!" apparently unaware of the legend. At some point a Boston policeman somehow appeared in the eatery, I have no idea how he was summoned or got there so fast but he encouraged the leathery superstar to get up. And so, Mr. Mojo Risin' slowly shuffled to the door mumbling about his unmet appetite, or perhaps something about the 60's quest for freedom & brotherhood as Ray contends, I couldn't really hear & was a bit hungover, & he disappeared into the sunlight of Newberry Street with his hungry hippie consort close behind.

(And that wasn't even the main talking point of the weekend - we ended up meeting & staying with a witch who had a job as a "living mannequin" model at a Newberry Street boutique... )

[jonsereed]

There are tons of anecdotes like the one Hefe posted, Morrison was a drunk 1st class a-hole upstart likely most of the time it seems.

And The Doors were a gritty LA band, the antithesis of SF hippies. Morrison was more about chaos and anarchy and he wrote most of the songs, he even mocked the flower children in songs like ''Wild Child''.

The movie was no more than OK , the opening was terrific__ is everybody in? the ceremony is about to begin __and Val Kilmer was good even if he doesn't look the part much.

I like Doors music, especially their rockers like Roadhouse Blues, LA Woman and Break On Thru....the lyrics from the latter hinted as to how Morrison was unlikely to reach 80.

You know the day destroys the night
Night divides the day
Tried to run
Tried to hide
Break on through to the other side

We chased our pleasures here
Dug our treasures there
But can you still recall
The time we cried
Break on through to the other side

Everybody loves my baby
Everybody loves my baby
She get(s high)
She get(s high)
She get(s high)
She get(s high)

I found an island in your arms
Country in your eyes
Arms that chained us
Eyes that lied
Break on through to the other side


Made the scene
Week to week
Day to day
Hour to hour
The gate is straight
Deep and wide
Break on through to the other side

[ironpony]

I guess... It's almost as if Oliver Stone said to himself "Ugh, I hate Jim Morrison so much. I'm going to make a movie to show how awesome it is that he died, and make the audience actually hate him and feel relieved that he's gone".

[mandavaran]

I was a youngster when the Doors were big but my older brother used to play their music. I have mixed feelings about the group. Morrison had the charisma and was the lead singer, so of course, he is the one who got all the fame and publicity.

What is often overlooked though is that Robby Krieger was the one who wrote their biggest commercial hits, including "Light My Fire", "Touch Me" and "Love Her Madly". I loved their commercial hits but had no use for Morrison's artsy/poetic album songs.

I saw a bit of the movie but lost interest after about a half-hour. I read the book "No One Here Gets Out Alive" and enjoyed it. The Doors, despite their dark image, were actually pushed as a teenybopper group by 16 magazine at the time and Morrison was friends with 16 publisher Gloria Stavers.

Good group with some good songs but overrated in my opinion.

[frankez99]

I prefer the "Roadhouse Blues" and "Hyacinth House" bearded Jim over the earlier stuff. I dig the ballads as well; i.e. "Indian Summer", "Summer's Almost Gone", "Wishful Sinful", etc. That being said, they put out enough classics to fill countless greatest hits albums. Not a huge fan, but they were one of the greatest American rock bands ever and their album sales speak for themselves.


Oh, and the Oliver Stone movie sucked; really portrayed Morrison as a buffoon.

[EverEden]

I liked it, and I've always liked Val Kilmer as an actor. He was very handsome!