When You're Strange

"A film about The Doors"

2010 1h 26m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 234

DocumentaryMusic

Synopsis

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The creative chemistry of four brilliant artists —drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Kreiger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and singer Jim Morrison— made The Doors one of America's most iconic and influential rock bands. Using footage shot between their formation in 1965 and Morrison's death in 1971, it follows the band from the corridors of UCLA's film school, where Manzarek and Morrison met, to the stages of sold-out arenas.

“A film about The Doors”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Johnny Depp
Narrator (voice)
Jim Morrison
Self (archive footage)
John Densmore
Self (archive footage)
Ray Manzarek
Self (archive footage)
Robby Krieger
Self (archive footage)
Pamela Courson
Self (archive footage)
Janis Joplin
Self (archive footage)
Andy Warhol
Self (archive footage)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tom DiCillo
Writers: Tom DiCillo
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Micky Blythe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Johnny Depp and Jim Morrison and John Densmore carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A film about The Doors".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1333667 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tom DiCillo directs. Micky Blythe cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 16 years ago.
3Editor Micky Blythe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Johnny Depp and Jim Morrison and John Densmore carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "A film about The Doors".
6IMDB entry: tt1333667 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Editing: Micky Blythe
Sound: Andy Koyama
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: When You're Strange (2010)

Also by

Tom DiCillo

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-03-17
★ 10/10
Great documentary on The Doors. RELEASED IN 2009 and written & directed by Tom DiCillo, "The Doors: When You're Strange" documents the rise and fall of The Doors from 1966-1971, narrated by Johnny Depp. From beginning to end, archival footage and photos of the band are featured focusing on the members: Ray Manzarek (keyboardist), Robby Krieger (guitarist), John Densmore (percussionist) and, especially (of course), Jim Morrison (singer/lyricist). I’ve only seen two documentaries on The Doors, the one featured on Oliver Stone’s “The Doors” (1991) DVD, which features modern interviews with the band members & linking people (like Morrison’s witchy former babe, who loathed the movie), and this one. Both documentaries are great, but “The Doors: When You’re Strange” doesn’t focus on modern interviews, although some of the luminaries are asked questions in the archival footage. The documentary is just transfixing from beginning to end and features 37 songs by the iconic band. Depp is, surprisingly, an excellent narrator and not goofy at all. Even if you’re familiar with the band you’ll probably gain some new tidbits. For instance, the band curiously never had a bass player, although Elvis’ bass player performed on their last album; as such, keyboardist Manzarek made up for it by essentially playing bass on one hand. Manzarek, by the way, passed away in May, 2013, at the age of 74. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 25 minutes. GRADE: A

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