HWY: An American Pastoral

HWY: An American Pastoral
Directed by
Screenplay byJim Morrison
Story byJim Morrison
Produced by
  • Jim Morrison
  • Frank Lisciandro
  • Paul Ferrara
  • Babe Hill
StarringJim Morrison
CinematographyPaul Ferrara
Edited byFrank Lisciandro
Music by
Distributed byHiWay Productions (Private sphere)
Release date
  • March 1970 (1970-03)
Running time
52 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

HWY: An American Pastoral is a featurette by Jim Morrison, Frank Lisciandro, Paul Ferrara, and Babe Hill. Starring Morrison as a mysterious hitchhiker, it is a 52-minute experimental film in Direct Cinema style.[1] It was shot during the spring and summer of 1969 in the Mojave Desert and in Los Angeles.

In the informal 1971 interview Morrison gave to Ben Fong-Torres, Morrison states the film "was more of an exercise for me and a warm-up for something bigger."[2][3]

In 2009, restored and re-mastered excerpts from HWY were featured in Tom DiCillo's documentary When You're Strange. However, the complete film was not included in the Special Features on the When You're Strange DVD, and there have been no further announcements regarding a DVD release for the film. Bootleg copies of the film (with a visible timecode at the bottom of the screen) can be found on the internet.[4]

  1. ^ Weidman 2011, p. 482.
  2. ^ "HWY: An American Pastoral". The Doors Guide. Retrieved February 10, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ Ben-Fong Torres & Jim Morrison 1971 Interview. YouTube. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  4. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (December 18, 2008). "Doors Documentary Revisits 'Strange' Days". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2021.