The Doors: ‘Feast of Friends’ on Blu-ray & DVD November 11th!
Fans of THE DOORS will savor the news about the November 11 street date of a never-before-released documentary film produced by the band. Titled Feast of Friends, the intimate and rare look at the explosive rock band is, after 45 years, finally being released. Shelved due to lead singer Jim Morrison’s legal issues, the uncompleted film was only ever seen at a few film festivals and was never completed. Eagle Rock Entertainment and Doors Property, LLC have painstakingly remastered the audio and video and compiled bonus footage as well as an historic British documentary called The Doors Are Open.
THE DOORS
If not for a poor quality bootleg copy circulated among collectors and eventually via the Internet, the film’s existence would have scarcely been known beyond the circle of diehard Doors fans. By many accounts, the original source of that bootleg is thought to have been Morrison’s own copy, which he hand-carried when he moved to Paris in 1971 after recording what would be The Doors’ final album. Concealed in a paper bag and forgotten at a friend’s house, Morrison would never reclaim it, as he passed suddenly a few days later.
As well as the full version of Feast of Friends, this amazing release contains three important bonus features. The first is Feast of Friends: Encore. A newly produced feature using footage shot for Feast of Friends, Encore is a complimentary piece that provides a deeper look into the life of the band during this period as they tour, record, travel and even vacation together. The program avoids the typical selection of hits and makes use of The Doors’ rare recordings to accompany this unreleased footage. Encore showcases the band’s recording process as The Doors record one of their biggest hits, “Wild Child.” Viewers will follow the band as they break from touring to sightsee, play poker in their hotel room and witness an unedited interaction with Jim and the “Minister at Large” who attempts to determine “just what the hell it is (they’re) doing.” Fans will also see a newly unearthed solo backstage performance by a singing Robby Krieger, a poem by Jim Morrison (while, in the background, you can hear Ray Manzarek’s piano work on “Love Street”), a never-before-seen altercation with legendary photographer Richard Avedon, a tranquil scene of Jim and his friends at peace in the cool waters of the Kern River, and much more.
Also included is The End – a feature that was filmed in Toronto, Canada in August 1967. This performance of ‘The End’ was for The O’Keefe Centre Presents: The Rock Scene – Like It Is. It was originally broadcast on October 16, 1967 in Canada, and August 1, 1970 in the US as part of a musical program called The Now Explosion. In addition to the performance, it includes an introduction by Noel Harrison and later interviews by John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and longtime Doors collaborator Danny Sugerman. Many fans consider this recording to be one of the best Doors performances ever caught on film.
Feast of Friends paints a chaotic yet gentle picture of the humanistic side of The Doors seldom captured by anyone – at that time or since. At one moment Morrison is fighting off legions of ravenous fans while at the same time taunting them to keep pressing on. These films represent the most requested visuals from The Doors via fan polls worldwide, finally presented together in stunning style; Feast of Friends is an historical piece of 60’s filmmaking that is important to both The Doors’ fans and the wider world of cinema.
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Gerard Iribe
Gerard Iribe is a writer/reviewer for Why So Blu?. He has also reviewed for other sites like DVD Talk, Project-Blu, and CHUD, but Why So Blu? is where the heart is. You can follow his incoherency on Twitter: @giribe
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