"Someone's Got To Do It" ~ A Shaman, Not A Showman
As some of the previous reviewers have already stated, there isn't a lot of new material here particularily if you've already read the book `No One Here Gets Out Alive' written by Daniel Sugarman and Jerry Hopkins both of whom appear prominently in this 60 minute documentary/tribute to the Lizard King, Jim Morrison. Be that as it may I still found this DVD an enjoyable watch, especially the performances from the Ed Sullivan Show. I'm certain the hardcore Morrison fans will be disappointed but for those new to the Morrison legend, or the casual fan looking for a companion piece to the book by the same name this is a worthy enough item to add to your DVD collection.

My Rating: Nothing definitive here but certainly a good place to start: -3 ½ Stars-.

A 60 minute commerical for the book
I was looking forward to this DVD but after viewing it was let down. There is some really good early footage of the band but it keeps being interupted by the pointless commentary by Sugerman & Co. Great performances are cut down to mere minutes and the commentary itself isn't insightful. The only highlights are the virtually uncut performances of Moonlight Drive, Light My Fire and Touch Me. Yet the viewer cannot mannually skip to the performances, but rather must sit through the two minute commentary that preludes each one. Not a documentary nor a tribute nor concert performance DVD this just a commerical for Danny Sugerman's and Jerry Hopkin's poorly researched book by the same title.

The book is full of unfounded facts and exggarated tales of Morrisons exploits which many people close to Morrison have come out and condemned for being more fiction than fact. A good book to read is 'Break on Through' by James Riordan and Jerry Prochnicky. A really good well documented read.

GO BUY THE COLLECTION

Even though this DVD has some rare footage of The Doors members in a TV special interview in the 80s (I guess because of the terrible haircuts) buy it only if you are a hardcore fan collector like me. If not, pass on to the The Doors Collection DVD, which contains all of the clips included here uncut.

Ok...but.....
Despite being an avid Doors fan, I have to confess this DVD has it's interesting moments, but there's nothing here I feel compelled to watch over and over again.
Given the subject matter this is a bit of a disappointment. I'd put this in the category of a DVD to maybe see once, but certainly nothing here compelling enough to own for multiple viewings.

a bit trite and rehearsed, but interesting
the remaining members of the doors (i think this was filmed in the 80's) and dubious hanger on danny sugerman are as enthusiastic as ever talking about the mysterious former frontman of the most important band of the 60's. however, one gets the sense that they were coached in some of their dialogue (the expression "jim, who was always on the edge of reality" becomes annoying and even suspicious as each doors member utters it about three times every interview) and we learn absolutely nothing new, as usual, about morrison. his approach to life was frenetic, insane: we knew that already. he was a man with a commitment to authenticity in his art and life: we knew that already. he took a lot of acid and drank too much: we knew that already. miami was the culmination of many difficulties in morrison's personal life and his frustration with the sharp divorce between the effect he intended his music to have and the effect it actually had: we knew that already. he was extremely photogenic: we knew that already. in accordance with nietzsche's idea of the dionysian, he constantly changed his personal appearance and approach to his audience: we knew that already. he was moody, erratic and prone to aberrant behavior:we knew that already. he was very intellectual: WE KNEW THAT ALREADY. and yeah, "the end" was used at the beginning of apocalypse now. a lot of people have seen that movie. perhaps the redeeming quality of the documentary are the clips from the roundhouse show, which blend perfectly with the intense portrait of morrison as 'shaman, not showman' in manzarek's overdone terms. well, it's worth watching just because it's about him i guess.