Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full Of Great Material., April 29, 2001
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.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic performances...rare footage make this video a must., January 28, 1999
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.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
a slim serving of the Lizard King mystique, February 1, 2004
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.
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