History:

In late 1967, U.C.L.A. filmmaker and photographer Paul Ferrara began his official career with The Doors after a chance meeting with Pamela Courson, snapping photos of her as she modeled for a clothing shop in Los Angeles. During the shoot, it was explained to Paul that Jim Morrison, her boyfriend, was in an upcoming rock band and that a steady photographer was needed, someone unlike the various photographers the magazines were sending out. Paul explained to Pam that he had his own previous history with Jim Morrison, and the meeting was quickly arranged.

An agreement was made that Paul would snap photos of the band during their performance at the Fillmore in San Francisco, and the negatives were developed and dropped off at The Doors office. Soon after, Paul was given a full time job and the opportunity to design what would become The Doors official concert book and tour poster. He would also be given a share of the profits. As The Doors in-house photographer, he would also be put in charge of providing photographs to the magazines and publications that requested them for the use in the articles they were doing on The Doors.

In April of 1968, the concert book and 'Light My Fire' poster were complete. Paul approached keyboardist Ray Manzarek with the idea of filming some of the chaos that was happening at the concerts. With Ray's approval, he began his experiment with 16mm black and white film. The test would prove a success, and the production of film for what would later be known as 'Feast of Friends' had begun.

Shot mainly in color but also B&w, the 16mm footage is filmed with an Arriflex and occasionally an Eclair. Under the supervision of Jim and The Doors, Paul begins to piece together successions of footage on a 16mm Moviola in an experiment to see how things would look in sequential order. The film would be processed at CFI Laboratories in Los Angeles. The short screenings began at the rehearsal space under The Doors office on Santa Monica Boulevard, where they received positive responses from the viewers who had attended the showings. The test proved another success, and shortly after, Paul's longtime friend Babe Hill came to live in California, where he quickly learned to record audio using a Nagra. He was also taught how to switch out film in a changing bag, allowing Paul to continue filming with an already loaded camera. Babe's first recording session would take place in May, 1968 at the Northern California Folk Rock Festival. He can be spotted in various shots of backstage and performance footage.

As filming continues, more crew members begin to take part in the production. Actor Harrison Ford, a friend of Paul's, works as a grip for the crew. It can be said that Harrison also did some filming. By July 1968, the Hollywood Bowl performance is ready to be filmed and recorded with professional sound. Frank Lisciandro enters the production as film editor, and takes part as a Hollywood Bowl cameraman. Frank would also join Paul and Babe in March 1969 to film Jim's 10 page script 'The Hitchhiker', later titled 'HWY: An American Pastoral'. The last day of filming takes place on September 1st in Saratoga Springs, New York, shortly before The Doors head to London for the start of their European tour schedule. Throughout The Doors 1968 North American tour, an estimated 50,000 feet of performance and backstage footage are captured on film.

In March 1969 following the Miami incident, The Doors put an end to the project. What had already been pieced together was titled 'Feast of Friends' in a decision made by Jim Morrison following the announcement from Bill Siddons that the project is on hold. In the course of a few days, the entire production was halted. The crew would then go on to film 'HWY'. Although 'Feast of Friends' had been screened at various benefits and festivals both during and after Jim Morrison's lifetime, an original edit of the finished film has eluded an official release for over forty years. Bootleg copies known to collectors are sourced from these original screenings. Various alternate portions of filmwork can be seen throughout The Doors official promotional videos released throughout the 80's and 90's. Large portions of the filmwork are now featured in the 2010 documentary 'When You're Strange' by Tom DiCillo, and the near-complete filming of The Doors performance at the Hollywood Bowl is available to collectors and fans as a standalone video and soundtrack.

A very special thanks to 'Feast of Friends' director Paul Ferrara for contributing his time and efforts to this page!

Soundtrack:
Strange Days
Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor (Background)
Wild Child
Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor
Moonlight Drive
Five to One
Not To Touch The Earth
Poetry
Dahomey Dance (Ray Manzarek)
Arthritis Blues (Robby Krieger)
Ode to Friedrich Nietzsche (Jim Morrison)
The End (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
Neptune, The Mystic (Gustav Holst)

Credits:
Paul Ferrara - Director
Babe Hill - Sound Engineer
Frank Lisciandro - Editor
Harrison Ford - Assistant
David Thompson - Cameraman (Hollywood Bowl)
Steve Wax - Cameraman (Hollywood Bowl)

Film Locations:

Note: Performance footage may or may not exist from the venues listed below. The dates & locations of various original audio segments remain unidentified and include in-flight/travel recordings.

Santa Rosa - April 13th 1968 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds Grace Pavilion
Westbury - April 19th 1968 at the Westbury Music Fair
Toronto - April 20th 1968 at the CNE
San Jose - May 19th 1968 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
Fresno - June 7th 1968 at the Fresno District Fairgrounds
Bakersfield - June 8th 1968 at the Civic Center
Santa Barbara - June 28th 1968 at the La Playa Stadium
San Diego - June 29th 1968 at the Community Concourse Golden Hall
Hollywood - July 5th 1968 at the Hollywood Bowl
Dallas - July 9th 1968 at the Memorial Auditorium
Houston - July 10th 1968 at the Sam Houston Coliseum
Seattle - July 12th 1968 at the Center Arena
Honolulu - July 20th 1968 at the International Civic Arena
New York - August 2nd 1968 at the Singer Bowl
Cleveland - August 3rd 1968 at the Public Auditorium
Philadelphia - August 4th 1968 at the Arena
Columbia - August 30th 1968 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion
Asbury Park - August 31st 1968 at the Convention Hall
Saratoga Springs - September 1st 1968 at the Peforming Arts Center

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Screenings:

05/30/1969 - Cinematheque 16 - West Hollywood, CA (Private Screening)
05/31/1969 - Cinematheque 16 - West Hollywood, CA (Private Screening)
06/06/1969 - Cinematheque 16 - West Hollywood, CA (World Premiere)
06/07/1969 - Cinematheque 16 - West Hollywood, CA
06/08/1969 - Cinematheque 16 - West Hollywood, CA
06/08/1969 - Queen Elizabeth Theater - Vancouver, B.C.
06/19/1969 - P.N.E Garden Auditorium - Vancouver, B.C.
06/20/1969 - Memorial Arts Center - Atlanta, GA
07/04/1969 - Willingdon Juvenile Detention Home For Girls - Vancouver, B.C.
07/21/1969 - Aquarius Theatre - Hollywood, CA
08/18/1969 - Solomon Little Theatre - San Diego, CA
08/18/1969 - Edinburgh Film Festival - Edinburgh, SCT
09/06/1969 - Varsity Arena - Toronto, ON
09/29/1969 - Lincoln Center - New York, NY
10/31/1969 - Masonic Hall - San Francisco, CA
03/13/1970 - Aardvark Cinematheque - Chicago, IL

< Click Here To See a Print Ad from a Screening of 'Feast of Friends' in Chicago!

Info:

Black and white backstage footage of The Doors in Santa Rosa at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds Grace Pavilion on April 13th, 1968. This appears to have been the first of the performance footage shot for what would become the basis of filmwork for 'Feast of Friends'.

Info:

Shot in black and white, The Doors are captured on film while they perform on-stage at Sonoma County Fairgrounds Grace Pavilion in Santa Rosa, CA. Portions of this filmwork can be seen on the 'Live In Europe' official release, and Tom DiCillo's 'When You're Strange'.

Info:

There are two segments of both B&w and color footage documenting The Doors arrival for their early and late shows at the Westbury Music Fair in New York on April 19th, 1968. The black and white introductory portions of the film appear to have been shot while Jim Morrison arrives late for the first performance, and the color segments were most likely shot during the band's arrival for their second performance. Albert Goldman appears next to Jim in the back of the limousine. Other portions of backstage footage exist from what appears to be this venue, however confirmation is still needed. Although Babe Hill does not begin recording with the Nagra until May, footage of Jim Morrison's arrival at this venue features original audio.

Info:

Color concert footage shot during at least one of The Doors performances at the Westbury Music Fair. Features footage of the execution segment performed by Jim Morrison and Robby Krieger during 'The Unknown Soldier'. Also featured in this unique performance footage is an active Jim Morrison 'clowning' around the stage. No original performance audio is known to exist from these shows.

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This black and white footage of the band's arrival at the Toronto International Airport was shot on April 20th, 1968 and includes filmwork of The Doors as they step off the plane, greet fans, and make their way through the terminal. In-flight segments of footage of the band and crew are shot as they travel from New York. Other black and white film segments from this time period may have been shot backstage at the Toronto concert venue, however performance footage does not appear to exist. Alternate 16mm black and white newsreel footage of Jim Morrison shot backstage by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation includes native audio and confirms the date & location of various segments of 'Feast of Friends' footage.

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Color footage shot at Robby Krieger's home in California in April, 1968. Filmed segments include Jim Morrison relaxing in a hammock, and the band flying a kite. The exact date of the filming is unknown.

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16mm film shot by either Babe Hill or Harrison Ford at the sixth annual 'Renaissance Pleasure Faire' at the Paramount Ranch in Agoura, CA. Jim Morrison, Paul Ferrara, Babe Hill, and Harrison Ford attend this festival along with Robby and Lynn Krieger. Portions of this filmwork have been released officially and alternate segments can be seen in Paul Ferrara's compilation video 'Those Were The Days'.

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Color footage of The Doors arrival at the Northern California Folk Rock Festival on May 19th, 1968. Babe Hill begins his role as sound engineer, recording audio with a Nagra while Paul Ferrara operates the camera.

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Color performance footage shot at the Northern California Folk Rock Festival on May 19th, 1968. Paul Ferrara's compilation video 'Those Were The Days' features segments of what appear to be Babe Hill recording portions of The Doors performance. Recently uncovered 8mm amateur audience footage briefly capture Harrison Ford preparing a camera.

Info:

Color footage shot during The Doors performance at Fresno District Fairgrounds on June 7th, 1968. Brief segments from this performance have been officially released in The Doors 1997 'Best Of' video, however no further materials have been made available. It appears only a short amount of performance footage is captured during this show.

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Color footage with audio shot from a hotel room in Bakersfield. Scenes include members of The Doors playing cards, drinking a beer and having a laugh. There is a possibility that this unique footage was shot in Fresno, however it appears more likely that this was filmed after The Doors arrival in Bakersfield. Scenes from this footage have been edited and officially released, and alternate outtake footage is known to exist. Although John Densmore does not appear in this film, he is presence is captured on the Nagra.

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Backstage color footage with sound from the Bakersfield Civic Center on June 8th, 1968. For years this footage was said to have been shot at the Seattle Center Arena in July, however new research has proven that this film sequence was in fact shot backstage at this venue. Although the entire band is captured on film, the bulk of the footage features an interview with Jim Morrison by an unnamed local priest. Harrison Ford can be spotted briefly as he carries gear passed Jim Morrison.

Info:

Color performance footage shot at the Bakersfield Civic Center. Although Babe Hill is present backstage with the Nagra, no audio portions of this performance are known to exist. Seemingly extensive segments of footage have been officially released over the years, and largely feature Jim Morrison's on-stage antics.

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This footage was shot by Paul Ferrara the day after The Doors performance in Bakersfield. Jim Morrison is captured nude during this visit to the Kern River, and requests the filmwork be destroyed. The exact amount of footage shot on this day is unknown, however numerous clips have been officially released.

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Color concert footage shot at what is believed to be La Playa stadium on June 28th, 1968. Due to the dark nature of the film, there is a possibility that these very brief film segments were captured during another performance.

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Performance footage shot at the San Diego Community Concourse Golden Hall on June 29th, 1968. Jim Morrison is captured on film wearing the well known vest seen in 'Live At The Hollywood Bowl'. The amount of footage captured during this performance appears to be brief.

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The final segment of the finished 'Feast of Friends' film is performance footage of 'The End' captured live at the Hollywood Bowl on July 5th, 1968. A full version of the entire concert was officially released in 1987 as 'Live At The Hollywood Bowl'. The filmwork is a mix of 3 different 16mm Airiflex cameras, one high speed 16mm camera, and features professional 8-track audio of the concert recorded by Paul Rothchild and Bruce Botnick in the Wally Heider remote truck. As a full concert film release was never intended, portions of audio and film from this show are missing or disrupted. Click HERE for more information regarding the Hollywood Bowl footage.



Film Crew:
Paul Ferrara - Center Seating Area
Frank Lisciandro - Stage Foot Area
David Thompson - Stage Camera
Steve Wax - High Speed Camera

Info:

Very little performance footage is captured at the Dallas Memorial Auditorium on July 9th, 1968. Various clips from this filmwork can be seen throughout The Doors official releases.

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Color footage of The Doors backstage at the Sam Houston Coliseum on July 10th, 1968. Paul Ferrara captures the band on film as they make their way towards the stage, and continues to film throughout the performance.

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Color footage of The Doors concert at the Sam Houston Coliseum on July 10th, 1968. During this performance, Jim Morrison is said to have disappeared under the stage and this filmwork captures his re-emergence. Alternate 8mm audience footage captures Paul Ferrara filming Jim at the same moment during the show. Also features fans bombarding the stage, and Jim Morrison drinking a can of beer while The Doors continue to play. A portion of the official 'Roadhouse Blues' video was created using footage from this performance, and various alternate clips have been released in 'When You're Strange'.

Info:

Prior to The Doors performance at the Seattle Center Arena on July 12th, 1968, Paul Ferrara captures The Doors on film while boarding a monorail built for the 1962 World's Fair exhibit. Performance footage does not appear to exist from this venue.

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Color footage shot backstage following The Doors performance at the Honolulu International Center on July 20th, 1968. Click HERE to read first-hand, in-depth commentaries on this footage from KKUA radio personality and concert attendee, Neil Ross!

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During the week following their performance at the Honolulu International Center, The Doors remain in Hawaii for a holiday where Paul Ferrara films the band and crew at Lahaina Pier in Maui. This unique footage features Jim Morrison in shorts, riding a bicycle, and laughing with friends. These segments also include the band and friends aboard a yacht, and Jim is filmed resting in a sail.

Info:

Color footage of the band attempting 'Wild Child' at Elektra Sound Studios in July, 1968. The exact date of this studio session is unknown. Features Bruce Botnick and Paul Rothchild working with the band. Officially released segments of film feature native audio, and suggest filming may have taken place over numerous takes of the song. Exact details regarding original audio and video contents from this session are unknown.

Info:

Backstage color footage with sound shot at the Singer Bowl in New York on August 2nd, 1968. Features Jim Morrison wandering through the audience prior to the performance while Paul Ferrara and Babe Hill follow in close. Numerous chairs thrown by the audience during this performance, however the event is not captured on film. Following the performance, Jim Morrison talks with an injured concert attendee.

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The Doors are captured on film during their performance at the Singer Bowl on August 2nd, 1968. Features footage of the band as they make their way to the stage, and Jim Morrison performs wildly to an aggressive audience. While filming on-stage during this performance, Paul Ferrara hides behind John Densmore's drums to shield himself and his camera from audience projectiles.

Info:

Color footage shot at the Cleveland Public Auditorium on August 3rd, 1968. Includes the infamous footage of Jim Morrison taking a swing at the cameraman, Paul Ferrara (He does not hit him). Also features Jim Morrison lying on-stage while audience members attempt to get close. Babe Hill can be spotted during these segments while recording with the Nagra, however there is no confirmation that original audio portions from this show are still intact.

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Color footage of the The Doors as they arrive on-stage at the Philadelphia Arena on August 4th, 1968. Paul Ferrara follows the band through the audience and onto the stage. Although official releases of this segment have been edited and overdubbed with audio representing the start of a performance by The Doors, the filmwork is silent. Performance footage segments are brief.

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Color footage shot at Ray Manzarek's brother's wedding in August, 1968. Features Ray Manzarek and Dorothy Fujikawa in a brief clip. The exact amount of footage shot at this ceremony is unknown.

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Color performance footage shot at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland on August 30th, 1968. Portions of this footage are out of focus, and officially released clips are brief.

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Color footage shot prior to The Doors performance at the Asbury Park Convention Hall on August 31st, 1968. Jim Morrison can be seen wandering through various parts of the venue as Paul Ferrara follows with the camera. Various scenes from this venue appear to have been shot intentionally. Paul Ferrara's video 'Those Were The Days' features alternate footage of Jim Morrison and John Densmore on the boardwalk.

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Color performance footage shot at the Asbury Park Convention Hall during at least one of two shows. Features a scene in which a necklace thrown on-stage by an audience member lands around Jim Morrison's neck. Offically released performance clips from this venue are brief.

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Color footage with original audio shot backstage at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on September 1st, 1968. Features Jim Morrison on a piano reciting poetry later known as 'Ode To Friedrich Nietzsche'. Robby Krieger performs 'Arthritis Blues' and Ray Manzarek performs 'Dahomey Dance'. John Densmore, Dorothy Fujikawa, and Lynn Krieger are present. Unreleased portions of this backstage filmwork can be seen in 'When You're Strange', and Paul Ferrara's video 'Those Were The Days' features a previously unknown backstage poetry reading by Jim Morrison with original audio. This is the final date of filming for what would become 'Feast Of Friends'.

Info:

The final performance footage for 'Feast Of Friends' was shot at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on September 1st, 1968. In the days following this performance, Paul Ferrara returns to California and The Doors move on to London for their first European tour. Live filming of the band continues with Granada Television at the London Roundhouse for their broadcast special 'The Doors Are Open'.