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The Doors
Special Edition |
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| Staring: Val Kilmer, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley, Kevin Dillon,
Meg Ryan, Kathleen Quinlan, Michael Madsen, Michael Wincott Directed by: Oliver Stone |
Theatrical release: 1991
Blu-ray release: 2008
Released by: Lions Gate Home Entertainment Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS-ES 7.1
Widescreen |
The Doors, Oliver Stone’s
interpretation of the life of American rock star Jim Morrison from the formation of his
famous group in 1965 to his death in 1971, is the second Stone film that I have reviewed
on Blu-ray, and what a treat it is. Whether director Stone has influence over the
production and packaging of his films for home viewing or whether the studios just feel a
Stone film deserves special attention I cannot say, but this 2008 Special Edition
is replete with lengthy, informative special features as well as gorgeous video and sound.
| An American Poet in Paris At times both amusing and irritating to watch, Jim Morrison: An
American Poet in Paris is a documentary by French director Jacques Viallon covering
Morrison’s time in Paris, where he died of uncertain causes in July 1971, three
months after arriving in France. It’s included in this Blu-ray release.
The French, it appears, have adopted Morrison as one of
their own after it became known that he considered French writers Baudelaire and Rimbaud
to be important influences on his poetry and lyrics. Morrison is buried in Paris at the
Pere Lachaise Cemetery -- along with Honoré de Balzac, Georges Bizet, Marcel Proust,
Edith Piaf and other French notables. The interviewees, all in awe of Morrison and the
ground upon which he walked, believed that he was finished with music and wished to exist
solely as a poet (which apparently is an even more prestigious title in France). Of
course, he had to move to France of achieve this end. Conveniently forgotten is that
Morrison was fleeing an eight-month jail sentence in Florida for profanity and exposing
his privates during a concert. France had no extradition treaty with the US at that time.
Viewers will likely find the opinions of the intellectuals
expounding on Jim Morrison to be either profound or complete rubbish. I'm in sympathy with
the latter.
. . . Mischa Hayek
mischah@hometheatersound.com |
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Most enjoyable is the director’s commentary. Stone
holds very little back in his discussion of the film -- a bonus for students. He discusses
camerawork, filming techniques, special effects and the goals he was trying to achieve, as
well as his thoughts on what he would do differently if he made the film again.
For those not growing up in the ‘60s, the featurette The
Doors In L.A. provides a welcome history lesson on the West Coast music scene in the
mid-1960s and features interviews with director Stone, Doors drummer John Densmore and
Doors guitarist Robby Kreiger. Another lengthy bonus feature is the documentary The
Road of Excess, which provides more background on the making of The Doors and
the challenges Stone faced putting the project together. In addition to interviews with
Stone and Robby Kreiger, actors Val Kilmer, Frank Whaley and Kathleen Quinlan weigh in on
their experiences making the film. A third feature, Jim Morrison: An American Poet in
Paris, details Morrison's final days from a French point of view.
The image and sound quality of this Blu-ray release are
very impressive and better than those of Natural Born Killers, which was made three
years later and was also recently released on Blu-ray. The picture is rich and well
detailed, and, judging by the complete lack of scratches and other flaws, it was sourced
from a pristine print. It's hard to find better. The sound is also expertly handled. It's
rare to get a movie soundtrack that could be mistaken for a good CD -- soundtracks are
often threadbare by comparison. The Doors comes close, with a rich, highly detailed
sound that conveys a marvelous sense of space.
Detractors of Stone’s film criticize him for showing
only Morrison’s dark side and not capturing his kindness and charm. Ex-Doors Ray
Manzarek and Robby Kreiger, who have written books on their experiences in the band,
complain that Oliver Stone’s Jim Morrison is not the man they knew. That said, The
Doors is an outstanding film, fascinating to watch, and has an Oscar-worthy
performance by Val Kilmer. And now it's available as this definitive Blu-ray edition. |
