Oliver Stone
The Doors

Late 1980s. Oliver Stone, fresh off the success of films like Platoon, Talk Radio, and Born on the Fourth of July, decides to dive headfirst into a fascinating project: making a film about Jim Morrison, the Lizard King. It's not an easy task, as there are conflicting stories about his death, the discovery of his body, some of his relationships, and the fact that he was bisexual...

In August 1991, The Doors was finally released. More than fifteen years after its release, I found myself watching this film: it didn't fully satisfy me. The film completely neglects perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the protagonist: the Jim the poet, the Jim the sensitive man, the Jim the shy man with girls, but also Jim the boy. Instead, Morrison is portrayed as a womanizer, a drunkard, a jerk, a madman. It's true that Jim Morrison was also a drinker, but not just that, so the film fails to be objective. And it's a pity because all the pieces to make a masterpiece were there: Val Kilmer in a state of grace, Meg Ryan far from romantic roles, and then Michael Madsen and Billy Idol.
Another aspect I didn't agree with in the film was the "Patricia Kennealy issue" (the journalist with whom Jim has a relationship in the film). Many believe that this pseudo-journalist (who still goes around calling herself Patricia Kennealy-Morrison) is a skilled liar rather than Jim Morrison's lover. Patricia confirmed that she was Jim's lover and claimed to possess some letters she says she received from Jim (but no one has ever seen them). She also said she married Jim in a candle-lit wedding ceremony officiated by a Wicca priestess (in the film, the priestess is played by the real Patricia Keannely). However, these aspects have never been confirmed by anyone but her. Personally, I wouldn't have included the scenes involving Keannely in the film because they are most likely nonsense.

In short, there are many discordant elements and many inaccuracies in this film. Fortunately, some things are worth saving; aside from the actors' performances, I would also save some images (the long trips in the desert, the visions of Indians and shamans, and then the songs and the atmosphere of those intense years, wonderfully captured by Oliver Stone).
Overall, The Doors is a fluctuating film. On one hand, it rushes through (or in some cases doesn't even mention) some fundamental situations in Jim Morrison's life: his adolescence, his poetry, his relationship with the poets he loved, and his death. But on the other hand, it perfectly captures the essence of the Sixties: love, death, drugs, sex, rock.

For those not satisfied with this film, I recommend everyone read Jim Morrison by Stephen Davis, a comprehensive and objective portrait of the Lizard King's 27 years of life.