''The Doors Are Open'' is a 1968 black-and-white documentary about the American rock group

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

. It was produced by Jo Durden-Smith for

Granada TV ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

and directed by John Sheppard and first aired in the United Kingdom on 4 October 1968. The programme combines footage of the Doors playing live at London's Roundhouse venue, interviews with the band members and contemporary news snippets of world current affairs—protests at the

1968 Democratic Convention The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held August 26–29 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Earlier that year incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek reelection, thus makin ...

, French riots, statements from politicians and footage of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

etc.

Production

The Doors arrived in England on 3 September 1968 for the start of 17-date European tour (with concerts in London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stockholm). The day the group arrived they are filmed answering questions as they come through customs at

Heathrow airport Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...

and also about their music on the drive from the airport to their London hotel, the Royal Lancaster. On 4 September the band are interviewed at the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

(ICA) in central London. The ICA was hosting an exhibition by

Jasia Reichardt Jasia Reichardt (born Janina Chaykin; 13 November 1933) is a British art critic, curator, art gallery director, teacher and prolific writer, specialist in the emergence of computer art. In 1968 she was curator of the landmark ''Cybernetic Serendi ...

called ''Cybernetic Serendipity''. The group is also filmed being interviewed at

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

office in London and possibly at Jim Morrison's London flat he shared with girlfriend

Pamela Courson Pamela Susan Courson (December 22, 1946 – April 25, 1974) was the long-term companion of Jim Morrison, singer of the Doors. Courson stated she discovered Morrison's body in the bathtub of a Paris apartment in 1971. She died three years after h ...

. On 5 September the group lip-synced to their hit "

Hello, I Love You "Hello, I Love You" is a song recorded by American rock band the Doors for their 1968 album '' Waiting for the Sun''. Elektra Records released it as a single that same year, which topped the charts in the U.S. and Canada. Although the Doors are ...

" on

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

. The group were booked to play four shows over two days—Friday the 6th and Saturday the 7th—at the Roundhouse in London. Both concerts on the Friday were filmed by Granada's Outside Broadcasting Unit for the television documentary. A

soundcheck A soundcheck is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance to adjust the sound on the venue's sound reinforcement or public address system. The performer and the audio engineers run through a small po ...

(which Jim Morrison missed) was also recorded with a rendition of "Hello, I Love You" sung by

Ray Manzarek Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. ( Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of the rock band the Doors, co-founding the group in 1965 with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Te ...

and

Robby Krieger Robert Alan Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American guitarist and founding member of the rock band the Doors. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits " Light My Fire", " Love Me Two Times", " Touch Me", and " ...

performing an instrumental section from

Little Red Rooster "Little Red Rooster" (or "The Red Rooster" as it was first titled) is a blues standard credited to arranger and songwriter Willie Dixon. The song was first recorded in 1961 by American blues musician Howlin' Wolf in the Chicago blues style. Hi ...

. The two Friday shows are filmed by four cameras—stage left and right plus a two cameras moving across the front of the stage. However a video problem meant this filming was unusable and so the cameras returned for the shows on the Saturday. The recording of the second set did not begin until one o'clock in the morning following a mammoth two-and-a-half set by the

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1965. One of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the San Francisco Bay Area, ...

. The band played 17 songs, not all of which featured in the documentary. The Doors followed

on the Friday and then supported them the following day. The documentary utilises only footage from the second Saturday concert. The documentary aired on 4 October 1968. The final documentary was entitled ''The Doors Are Open'' but according to

Greg Shaw Greg Shaw (January 1949 – October 19, 2004) was an American writer, publisher, magazine editor, music historian and record executive. Biography Shaw was born in San Francisco, California. He began writing about rock and roll music as a yo ...

in his book ''On The Road'', it was originally to be called "When the Mode of the Music Changes, The Walls of the City Will Shake".

Tracks

# Introduction # "

When the Music's Over "When the Music's Over" is an epic song by the American rock band the Doors, which appears on their second album '' Strange Days'', released in 1967. It is among the band's longer pieces, lasting 11 minutes. Origin Like several other tracks f ...

" # "

Five to One "Five to One" is a song by American rock band the Doors, from their 1968 album ''Waiting for the Sun''. The song's lyrics were written by lead singer Jim Morrison but officially credited to the whole band. Composition Unlike some of the Doors t ...

" # "Spanish Caravan" # The Doors interview # "

" (Soundcheck with Ray Manzarek on vocals) # "

Back Door Man "Back Door Man" is a blues song written by American musician Willie Dixon and recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1960. The lyrics draw on a Southern U.S. cultural term for an extramarital affair. The song is one of several Dixon-Wolf songs that became ...

" # Jim Morrison interview # "Wake Up!" (Poem from "

Celebration of the Lizard "Celebration of the Lizard" is a performance piece by American rock band the Doors, featuring lyrics written by lead singer Jim Morrison and music by the Doors. Composed as a series of poems, the piece includes both spoken verse and sung lyrics, ...

") # " Light My Fire" # " The Unknown Soldier"

Release

Originally aired on Granada TV in October 1968, the documentary was finally released by PolyGram on VHS cassette in 1991. A DVD was released in 1998 and Blu-ray versions followed in 2011.

Group members

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive vo ...

– vocals *

– keyboards/bass *

John Densmore John Paul Densmore (born December 1, 1944) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the Rock music, rock band the Doors and as such is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appeared on every recording made by the band, ...

– drums/percussion *

– guitars

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doors Are Open 1968 films The Doors Rockumentaries 1968 documentary films British black-and-white films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films British musical documentary films English-language documentary films