Ray Manzarek on New Doc, Old Influences and Oliver Stone's Folly

[Dusty Ayres]

For a rock band whose filmed legacy includes at least a dozen concert and video compilations — not to mention a full-scale Hollywood biopic — it’s not just a little bizarre that The Doors were never the subject of a feature documentary until now. Enter When You’re Strange, director Tom DiCillo’s fairly straightforward doc (narrated by Johnny Depp) interweaving archival performance and interview footage with extended, never-before-seen footage of late vocalist Jim Morrison’s own experimental film, HWY: An American Pastoral. Some of it looks like it was shot yesterday, reinforcing Morrison’s enduring mythology as a half-martyr, half-ghost whose mission is carried forward here by surviving members Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore. In a candid, freewheeling discussion recently with Movieline, Manzarek explained the film’s mission, the Doors’ cinematic influences, Oliver Stone’s blundering and how making a movie is like “World War III.”

Ray Manzarek on New Doc, Old Influences and Oliver Stone's Folly

Edit: Here's the trailer:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kba0zaE-rUc&feature=player_embedded[/yt]

 

[Harvey]

The Doors are my favorite band, so I'll definitely be seeing this when I get the chance. I also like Stone's film about the band, although I understand why Manzarek doesn't care for it.

Some of that newly released footage of Morrison in that trailer really does look great. And Depp seems like the ideal person to narrate. I just hope it isn't too conventional--it seems like such a film wouldn't be fitting for the group.