‘Doors’ blown wide open

“When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors” is the most in-depth exploration of The Doors, their music and the pandemonium that followed them ever created. Filled with a wealth of archival footage, the film is often illuminating.

The documentary starts with a bearded man hitchhiking in a desert wasteland. After getting a lift, the driver suddenly disappears, and the bearded man is at the wheel. At first, these scenes look like a surrealistic reenactment, but closer inspection reveals the bearded figure to actually be Jim Morrison, and the scenes from an unfinished film made late in his life.

“When You’re Strange” features a wealth of footage, from live performances to the recording studio. Much of the film focuses on Morrison’s disabling addictions, a point some fans have faulted it for, but Morrison’s demons are the only explanation for the band’s quick rise and fall.

Perhaps the best thing about a Doors documentary is the necessary Doors soundtrack. The music is always important, but now the visuals are just as vital.