Written by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub
“When You’re Strange” is a documentary about The Doors that just premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It was made by director Tom DiCillo and its big selling point is that it features tons of unseen footage of the band and Jim Morrison. For fans of the group, this pretty much makes it a must film movie.
In the coming days I’ll be posting exclusive interviews with director Tom DiCillo and Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger (members of The Doors), but until then, I’ve just been given the trailer so check it out. Further down is the synopsis from the Sundance website.
When You're Strange is far from a nostalgic journey and much more than a biopic. Using only original footage shot between 1966 and 1971, DiCillo's film attempts to disentangle truth from myth, depict the artist and the alcoholic/addict that was Morrison, and showcase the other members of the band: Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore, who together channeled the group's magic. It manages to preserve the mystique but never ceases to unearth new revelations and augment our understanding of who the Doors were and what they became. As well as an astute chronicle of the times, this is adeeply personal film for DiCillo. In the final analysis, When You're Strange is a rare tribute to music, individuality, and a generation and resonates with an authenticity that speaks to anyone who wants to understand that era and what it means today.
