Customer Reviews

Dance on Fire [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is undeniably one of the best collections of Doors film material. "Dance On Fire" contains some unique concert shots, immortal images of Jim Morrison and the legendary band, The Doors. There are also some interesting music videos. The best one is the video for "Break On Through," it's stylish, exhilarating and just as good as any music video today. The music video for "Unknown Soldier" was also very interesting and surreal, like something Salvador Dali would have put together. The video for "People Are Strange" is weird and nice but doesn't surpass the other two I just mentioned. However, though the music video Ray Manzareck directs for "L.A. Woman" is well-made, I didn't think it was THAT good or captured the essence of the song. It looks nice, but in fact, the images look too modern sometimes for the aged recording (sorry, but for me that song isn't as timeless as "Break On Through," "Light My Fire" or "The End"). The live performance of "The End" is really good and we get a kick out of seeing Jim Morrison do this wonderful, primitive-like dance he had. It's also fun to see a rare film clip of the band recording "Wild Child" in the studio. A performance of "The Crystal Ship" looks nice and dreamy. And there's also the fantastic performance of "Light My Fire" on the Ed Sullivan Show. "Dance On Fire" is a good collection of great Doors material and images. A must for any Doors fan or anyone interested in the style and lore of their music.

The video "Dance on Fire", featuring the Doors, contains rare footage with unforgettable performances in a style that only the Doors are able to create. Certain segments such as the original Elektra promo of "Break on Through", and the musical video of "The Unknown Soldier", that was banned shortly after its release, are captured here. However, this collection could not be complete without the mind-blowing performance of "The End", filmed at the Doors concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 1968. This video reflects the Doors in their prime and how they made themselves musical legends. It is an item needed by any fan.

The Doors was all about Jim Morrison; it was his throaty voice, a strange grace which was rather like a newborn colt, and his charismatic talent that carried the group to fame, despite the able and sometimes brilliant musicianship of Ray Manzarek (keyboards), Robby Krieger (guitar). and John Densmore (drums).
There is a lot of "filler" and not enough of Morrison in this collection of song clips, which are interspersed with voice-overs of Morrison reading his poetry, and images of "related" subjects, like Native American dancers shown while "Wild Child" is playing, and even though the producers have put his face on the cover, they did not give him credit anywhere on the video box (at least the version I own) by name, which is a huge oversight.

The songs:
"Break on Through", from an Elektra Records promo clip.
"People are Strange", includes footage taken on the streets of New York City.
"Light My Fire", from the Ed Sullivan Show telecast. The sound is not good on this one, and the atmosphere somewhat strained, as if they were given limits to what they could do.
"Wild Child" has a few clips from a recording session.
"L.A. Woman" is pretentiously labeled as "a new film directed by Ray Manzarek". It is actually random shots of the Los Angeles area and a few clips from the past with the song as "soundtrack".
"The Unknown Soldier" was supposedly banned for a time. It shows Morrison being bound and "shot" on Santa Monica beach, and some gooky stuff emerging from his mouth. Raspberry jam perhaps ? Chocolate pudding ? It's awfully thick and rather gross. Also includes a few gory war scenes.
"Roadhouse Blues". Clips from the '68 tour.
"Texas Radio and the Big Beat/Love Me Two Times". Includes clips from a live performance for Danish television. This is one of the better selections.
"Touch Me" is from a Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour telecast, where they have given Morrison a brushed hairdo and tanned pancake on his face, leaving his neck white. The Doors have a back-up band for this, giving it added interest.
"Horse Latitudes/Moonlight Drive", from a Jonathan Winters Show telecast, with a bit more of the makeup thing.
"The End". This is a song that is shown in full and is focused on Morrison, and therefore probably the most substantive part of this video, and was filmed at a '68 Hollywood Bowl concert. In this piece, as well as the other clips, he seems to be in a total chemical haze, a poster child for substance abuse...rather like a young and very beautiful Ozzy, and it is rather sad to watch.
"Crystal Ship" is from American Bandstand, and from the early days; more puppy dog than Lizard King.
Tomasso Albinoni's "Adagio in G minor" theme is used as the music for some clips of the group sailing.
"Riders on the Storm" is played during the end titles.

This is good for a trip down memory lane for those of us who were young in the late '60s, but are glad we grew up. It does not have much Lizard King content, and musically it is choppy and the sound often fuzzy. I'd recommend a CD instead. Total running time one hour and 5 minutes.

If you love The Doors like I do than this video is an absolute must for your collection. This one includes most if not all of their television appearances including the live performances of "Light My Fire" and "People Are Strange" from the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. One of my favorite performances is when Jim and the band perform "Love Me Two Times" in black and white from a TV program in Denmark. I really like this performance of the song because in this one Jim mixes the poem of "Texas Radio and The Big Beat" in the middle of the song and it sounds really cool. Another song that I love is "Touch Me" from the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. In this performance the band perform the song with a full orchestra, it sounds very nice. Overall this is a great video and you will enjoy it very much especially if you're a Doors fan and even if you aren't one after seeing this great video you will become one.

I'm an 18 year old straight up rock fan.I love this music and it was nice for me to see one of my all-time favorite rock bands perform some of my favorite songs live and the music videos were cool too. I especially liked it because I'll never get the chance to see them in concert any other way. Break on through rocked! It doesn't hurt that Jim was so goodlooking either! Not only that but this group has raw talent and depth that today's teen pop groups can't touch! I'm glad there are videos like this one to bring The Doors to a younger generation. Me and my friends appreciate it!

I really enjoyed watching this video. The music clips were taken just when the Doors were starting out, which to me was when they were at their best. I especially liked "The Unknown Soldier" video and their televised performance of "Touch Me" from the Smothers Brothers Show. This is really great stuff for all Doors fans and I highly recommend it!

The Doors really come alive in this 65 min video. It contains rare promo clips (such as Break On Through and The Unknown Soldier), performances, black and white footage of The Doors and even a short film/video of LA Woman directed by Ray Manzarek. If you have not purchased any Doors videos this would be a good starter!

Jim Morrison proves that he is a tru Irish American in this collection of music and student films. The doors are one of the greatest Rock bands to have ever been. This video shows just how timeless there music is.