When You're Strange, the film by award-winning director Tom DiCillo, is a fascinating look at the legendary band The Doors. Available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, I had the pleasure to view this in the latter, and it was a highly enjoyable experience. For one thing, this is a very well put together film, narrated by Johnny Depp, filled with plenty of vintage footage of the band as it takes you through their beginnings to the demise and ultimately sad death of singer Jim Morrison. In fact, When You're Strange ultimately turns into a tragic biography of the late Doors vocalist, as his descent into alcohol and drug abuse, as well as his bizarre behavior in concert and in the studio, is clearly documented here for all to view. Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore are just the supporting cast to the 'larger than life' character that was Jim Morrison. You'll be glued to his 'train wreck' of a life from the opening scenes, only able to turn yourself away once the closing credits start rolling 90 minutes later. Plenty of great live & studio footage of the band is included here, making for a must see film for fans. In the bonus features section, you get a rare interview with Jim's late father, as well as his sister. Kudos to Depp for his excellent narration as he takes you through the story of the band. Had Oliver Stone not already made The Doors bio-pic with Val Kilmer, you can easily envision Depp taking on the role of the late Jim Morrison.
As for the quality of the Blu-ray, it is absolutely fantastic. Included is a Morrison home movie that shows the bearded singer driving around the desert and various other locations, and the video clarity is so stunningly beautiful and colorful, it will have you secong guessing whether this was film from the late 1960's or something shot in 2008 with a Morrison look-alike. Even the concert footage has been cleaned up quite nicely, with the least amount of grain showing. If you have Blu-ray capability, this is the way to go on this one. Quite simply, it's a gorgeous presentation.
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