Miscellaneous - When You're Strange

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 1 / 12 / 2009

intro

Anthony Strutt finds much to recommend in new Doors film, 'When You're Strange', which consists of largely unreleased and previously unseen footage of Jim Morrison

'When You're Strange: A film about the Doors' was premiered at this year's London Film Festival. There were two showings at the Vue Cinema in Leicester Square of which I attended the first. Both were sold out as as it was shown in a cinema screen that was to small for its demand. 'When You're Strange' is an 86 minute film made by Rhino Entertainment and which was directed by Tom DiCillo. It traces the history of the band. While there is some material that we have seen before, 90% of its footage has been previously unreleased. It includes archive footage shot by one of Jim Morrison's UCLA fellow film students, Paul Ferrara and there is also a huge chunk of 'HWY', a film directed by and starring Jim which has never been released, although bootlegs do exist. Fortunately for us it is not a film with the remaining Doors going on about the good old days. It just tells their story and very well. Since being shown first of all at the Sundance Film Festival, a voiceover has been added by Johnny Depp. It is an important new film which should be seen by Doors fans everywhere should they get the opportunity.