When You're Strange
| When You're Strange | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Tom DiCillo |
| Written by | Tom DiCillo |
| Produced by |
|
| Narrated by | Johnny Depp |
| Cinematography | Paul Ferrara |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | The Doors |
| Distributed by | Rhino Entertainment |
Release dates |
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Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.2–$2.8 million[1][2] |
When You're Strange is a 2009 music documentary film about the American rock band the Doors. It was written and directed by Tom DiCillo and narrated by Johnny Depp. The film covers the band's formation in 1965, its development over the next two years, the release of its debut album and subsequent albums, and vocalist Jim Morrison's extensive use of alcohol and drugs, which led to his death in Paris in July 1971. The film features archival footage of rehearsals, TV broadcasts and concert performances, private cine-film and the background to Morrison's arrest at a 1969 Miami concert and later trial.[3] It also includes the first public release of material from Morrison's 1969 short film HWY: An American Pastoral.[4]
The Doors' keyboardist
Production
When the film entered production, the surviving members of the band decided not to be too involved in the project to try to obtain the right neutral balance that an outsider would try to achieve.[6]
Release
The documentary was first screened at the
The completed film was also screened at the
Soundtrack
A film soundtrack entitled When You're Strange: Music from the Motion Picture featuring 14 Doors' songs and Morrison's poetry read by Johnny Depp was released to coincide with the film's release.[12]
Reception
On
Doors guitarist Robby Krieger felt "really happy" about how the film turned out, crediting in particular the editing work. Krieger believed that the film put together a more accurate portrayal of Morrison than The Doors did: "I think when you see the Oliver Stone movie – I'm amazed how good Val Kilmer did – but, you know, the problem with that movie is that the script was kind of stupid. It doesn't really capture how Jim was at all. This gives you a much better insight into how his mind worked, I think."[6] Drummer John Densmore also reported that he liked the film very much.[16]
Accolades
The film was nominated for an
In December 2010, the film was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Video and subsequently won the award in February 2011.[18]
References
- ^ When You're Strange at Box Office Mojo
- ^ "When You're Strange: A Film About the Doors (2010)". The Numbers. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- Daily Telegraph. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ Billboard.com.
- ^ Prato, Greg (May 27, 2008). "Manzarek Eyes Doors Documentary, Other Projects". Billboard.com.
- ^ a b Patch, Nick (June 30, 2010). "Krieger Interview". The Canadian Press.
- ^ "When You're Strange | Sundance Film Festival 2009". Sundance.org. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ Welcome to When You're Strange | When You're Strange
- ^ "When You're Strange, a film about The Doors: About the Film". PBS. April 9, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
- ^ "Eagle Rock Entertainment to Release DVD and Blu-ray of "When You're Strange"". Soundstagenetwork.com. May 11, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ "The Doors | When You're Strange (Soundtrack)". Rhino. July 22, 2002. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ Paul Whitelaw (2010). "The Doors When You're Strange: Songs From the Motion Picture Review". BBC. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- Rotten Tomatoes.com. Fandango. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ "When You're Strange, l'hymne à la gloire des Doors" (in French).
- ^ Mr. Mojo Risin': The Story of L.A. Woman Q&A and Performance. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Welcome to When You're Strange | When You're Strange
- ^ "86. GRAMMY NOMINATION |". Tomdicillo.com. December 2, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
