Classic Movie Pick: “The Doors” Captures the Soul of Rock n’ Roll

Keeping with this week’s theme on New Wisco Weekend, my classic movie pic takes us back to the days of classic rock and one of its most famous bands.

We head back to the 60s, by way of the 90s, for the film, “The Doors”. The film came out in 1991 and is packed with great songs that have stood the test of time, emphasizing the contributions “The Doors” made to the music world. Pound-for-pound, the film might not hold up against previous classic movie pics, but it has two factors going for it that other films don’t have. Val Kilmer portrays Jim Morrison flawlessly – yes, casting played a huge part in this film being labeled a classic. Director Oliver Stone also had a soundtrack that is unparalleled, thanks to the production having the rights to the band’s catalog.

Stone starts the story with a young Morrison witnessing a bad car accident in a New Mexico Desert, asserting that the experience stayed with Morrison and affected his art and writing throughout his life. The story forwards to Morrison as a young man who is consumed with writing poetry as he connects with former UCLA classmate and eventual Doors keyboard player Ray Mansarek. The two form the band and the rest is history as they say. 

The film covers all the big occurrences the band experienced over their all too brief history, including Morrison’s at times contentious relationship with longtime girlfriend Pamela Courson, his being charged of indecent exposure at a Miami concert and Morrison’s eventual death in a Paris hotel room from a suspected drug overdose. And if you’ve seen the film, you’ll remember this scene or, if you’re old enough, maybe you remember the actual incident from the Ed Sullivan show.

The story is chock full of the band’s dysfunctional drama which seems incredibly cool when set to their timeless music.

Jim Morrison was one of the most charismatic lead singers in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. The late Val Kilmer was one of the most respected actors of his time. He desperately wanted the role so he immersed himself in the character for a year, learning all of the words to every Door’s song to try to impress Stone. Kilmer even dressed like Morrison and hung out at his old haunts on Sunset Boulevard. It paid off and he won the part over other actors who were considered including Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise, Bill Paxton, John Travolta and Johnny Depp.

 If you want to see the audition tape Kilmer sent Oliver Stone that made him playing Morrison a slam dunk, check out the Val Kilmer’s documentary “Val”. Meg Ryan plays Morrison’s longtime girlfriend, Pamela Courson. Actors Kyle Maclachlan, Kevin Dillon, and Frank Whaley comprise the rest of the Doors. There is also an appearance by the actual Doors bass player, John Densmore, as a sound engineer.

Despite great performances and music, not everybody loved the film, including the surviving members of the Doors. They were united in their criticism of the film’s accuracy regarding the band and, at times, Jim Morrison saying they thought Stone’s version of their friend made Morrison look like a raving lunatic. Manzarek in particular had issues with Stone calling the film a terrible chronicling of the band’s history. After reading the script, Manzarek refused to be a part of the filming despite being asked several times by Oliver Stone.

While not fans of the film, they did respect and praise Kilmer’s performance. Guitarist John Densmore said he thought Kilmer should’ve been nominated for an Oscar because he was so spot on as “Morrison” that anytime he was around Kilmer on the set, it gave him the creeps.

A few more movie fun facts: Jim Morrison’s gravesite in Paris, according to IMDb, is the fourth-most popular attraction in the city after the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. And in case you were skeptical of just how seriously Kilmer took this project, when filming concluded, he needed psychiatric help to get Jim Morrison out of his head. And finally, The Doors did not take the advice of Ed Sullivan or his assistant and sang the song Light my Fire as it was written, and we’re never invited back to the show, but they didn’t seem to care.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is rock ‘n’ roll.

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join host Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. for Nite Lite on the Civic Media radio network.