Hopefully, many 'Basement' dwellers know all about "American Masters." If you don't, hop on board and start watching the PBS series and put it in your Netflix que.
The groundbreaking show produces biographies on American artists, actors and writers that have left a profound impact on the nation's popular culture. It is produced by WNET in New York City and debuted in 1983.
Such writers from Truman Capote to Papa Hemingway to Rod Serling to Willa Cather have been spotlighted.
And tonight (sorry for the short notice), "When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors" premieres. The flick opened last month in selected theaters in New York and Los Angeles and I've been waiting to see it ever since.
The creative chemistry of drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and singer Jim Morrison made The Doors one of America’s most iconic and influential, theatrical and mysterious and sometime frightening rock bands.
Written and directed by American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer Tom DiCillo, and Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek has stated, "This will be the true story of the Doors," and that the film will be "the anti-Oliver Stone," obviously referring to the 1991 Doors film which drew quite a bit of criticism from many fans for certain departures from the truth in Stone's screenplay.
Narrated by Johnny Depp, it tells their story using only original footage – much of it previously unseen – shot between their formation in 1965 and Morrison’s death in 1971. “From the outset I decided to use only original footage of this astonishing band,” said Tom DiCillo, director and writer of When You’re Strange in a press release.
"When You're Strange" was first screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2009. If you can't find the "American Masters" film on your local PBS station, look for it on DVD on June 29
Oh crap, I missed it - DVD here I come.
ReplyDeleteI love the Doors' lyrics, especially. PBS does some nice features on artists. I need to watch more often.
ReplyDeletefuck....missed it in the theaters AND on tv. that's what i get for going to the bar to watch the Penguins lose to Montreal. will check when it's playing again....Roadhouse Blues is the song that I wish was playing every time I entered a bar.
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