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Anyone else notice the insane sound design in The Doors (1991)?

Okay, so I just re-watched Oliver Stone's "The Doors" again last night (yeah, yeah, I know, Stone can be a bit much), but seriously, did anyone else get completely blown away by the sound design in this movie? I'm a sucker for good audio, always tweaking my home theater setup, and this film is a trip for the ears. Especially during the concert scenes – the reverb, the echo on Morrison's vocals...it feels so much bigger than just the music. It's like, you’re in the Whisky a Go Go, feeling the vibrations in your chest. I've seen mixed reviews on Val Kilmer's performance (personally, I thought he nailed the lizard king persona), but the way they layered the real Doors' music with his vocal performance? Chef's kiss. There's one scene in particular, when Jim's doing peyote in the desert, and the sound just melts. All these swirling, hallucinatory effects...it's almost distracting, but in a good way? Like, they're really trying to put you in his headspace. I’m not sure if it’s entirely accurate historically (Stone definitely takes liberties), but as a purely sonic experience, it's pretty unforgettable. Definitely makes you want to upgrade your subwoofer. So my question is this: have you guys noticed the same thing? Am I overhyping the sound design, or is it genuinely a cut above? Any other movies with music biopics that nail the audio aspect this well? I feel like this one often gets overlooked because people are too busy arguing about historical accuracy instead of appreciating the pure sensory overload. Also, side note: that CGI fire during "The End?!" A little dated now, haha. But hey, it was the '90s.

dkim_films
6 months ago
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