“I think in art, but especially in films, people are trying to confirm their own existances”
Jim Morrison
In conclusion, Stone’s biopic of Jim Morrison and “The Doors is a fantastic depiction of the timeline that spans the career of The Doors and their frontman. Despite being partially criticized by members for its dramatization and scenes of inaccuracy, it grasps the absolute complete attention of the viewer using fantastic cinematography, musical scoring, plot, and ideology. The film is filled with fantastic music constantly relating to both the scenes on the screen and the band that we are watching. The cinematography is filled with excellent use of lighting, Mise en Scéne, shot angles, shot lengths, and diegetic & non-diegetic sound throughout the entire film. For me, the use of the nondiegetic and diegetic sound was extremely important as Stone used these concepts really well when it came to incorporating the Door’s performances into the film. The use of diegetic music through concerts and performances was essential to making a realistic movie about a band and the non-diegetic use in moments like the opening scene with “Riders on the Storm” helped to set the tone without a direct connection between the song and the scene. The Door’s career was outstanding and throughout the movie, we see their rise to the peak of stardom along with the struggles and pleasures that come with being a rock and roll star. There is a big influence of social structure and popularity within the character’s relationships as we see them battle through love, friendship, and hatred for their closest companions. Jim Morrison was deemed an American poet, and this movie helps to show us how special of a celebrity and a musician he really was. The focus Stone puts on his poetry and his lyrical ability throughout the music really highlights how special of a person he was and how important his words were to rock and roll. It is important to understand that this film is a biopic and not a documentary of any sort. None of the film or footage within this movie is of the real Doors band or any of their actual events but recreations by actors. Val Kilmer does an outstanding job of playing Jim Morrison and there are many points while watching where I question if it was Jim himself on the screen. This attention to detail Stone used when casting Val is essential to making this biopic fit a realistic photography style of the film. Making you feel what you are watching is as close to reality as possible is what makes one connect to the emotions and events in the film, making it an amazing watch. As a fan of The Doors, Stone’s biopic shows everything about what the music made by The Doors meant both to the band and their fans and how their lyrics reverberated the rock and roll scene to create something entirely new under the influence of Lizard King Jim Morrison. I recommend this film to anybody interested in not only rock and roll music or The Doors specifically, but anyone that has a fascination with musical biopics as this is one of the better pictures I have seen of the genre.
