Elvis

Elvis Presley was more than just a singer or entertainer, he was a cultural icon and a phenomenon with almost unparalleled success during his lifetime and a fan base that continues to grow decades after his death. One only needs to look at the numbers of Elvis impersonators and the fact that he can be recognised by an item of clothing, a hairstyle or simply by his first name; I don't think there is another contemporary singer (other than perhaps Michael Jackson) with that kind of mainstream appeal.

Just over 30 years ago and only a few months after his death, John Carpenter began work on a biopic of 'The King' from the script by Anthony Lawrence charting Elvis' rise to fame from a young boy being given a guitar as a Christmas present because his parents couldn't afford a bicycle through to winning the variety contest at high school and finally his successful comeback tour in Las Vegas in 1968.

This appearance at the International Hotel, a new venue built off the Strip in Las Vegas, bookends the film with the opening section showing Elvis arriving at the venue with much scepticism about how well he will perform following his 10 year self-imposed exile from the public eye and the dwindling popularity of rock 'n' roll. There had also been threats to his life and many around him were concerned for his life despite the number of FBI agents in the arena. Before going on stage, the film flashes back to when Elvis Presley was a young boy with very light brown hair, almost blonde, receiving a guitar as a present from his parents and, despite his misgivings as he wanted a bicycle, learning to play the instrument and keeping it with them all the time, even putting it in his high school locker, sitting under a tree and playing and singing out loud, not caring who was listening or what they thought.


Having graduated from high school, Elvis is encouraged by his father to do what he wants to do with his life rather than feel compelled to become an electrician and start earning money, Elvis records a song is a gift for his mother, It's Alright, at a small store where you can pay to record your own record and, before he knows it, the song is all over the radio with people all over Tennessee phoning in to request that it be played. As one of the owners observes, he is a white boy who seemed a bit like a Negro and Elvis successfully fused black music with white music to create a brand-new sound which, combined with his energetic on stage antics, soon led to him becoming a hot commodity although many worried about his hips and sexuality, with one newspaper nicknaming him 'Elvis the Pelvis'. This is illustrated very well in the re-enactment of his appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show where the camera operators were under strict instruction to keep it 'above the waist'.


I found Elvis to be a revealing biopic as I had no idea how important his 'Momma' was in his life, even dying his hair black (and persuading Priscilla to do likewise) to look more like her. I also always assumed that his middle name, Aaron, came from his deceased twin when, in fact, his stillborn sibling was called Jesse Garon and, even though he didn't know him, seemed to be extremely attached to his brother and there are many scenes with Elvis talking to his shadow, addressing it as Jesse Garon. As his mother, Shelley Winters is utterly convincing in the role and, keeping it in the family, Elvis' father is played by Kurt Russell's real-life father, Vernon.

Although this is a TV movie, it is all about Kurt Russell's incredible performance which was Emmy nominated as it perfectly captures Elvis' mannerisms, speech and stagecraft. Although Russell didn't sing the songs (these were done by Ronnie McDowell), his lip syncing is spot on and the way he moves his body looks just like the footage I've seen of Elvis live in concert. At the time, Kurt Russell was a relative unknown having only appeared in TV shows, TV films and bit parts in feature films but, on the back of this, he would again team up with John Carpenter two years later to make Escape from New York, a film that would define his career.


Although I am, by no stretch of the imagination, an Elvis Presley fan, I really haven't listened to much of his music, don't own any, and I've only heard and seen bits of his music and him performing occasionally on television. What I've heard was quite good and this film does it full justice, almost making me want to go out and buy a Greatest Hits album! The aspect of Elvis' life that is so well-known are his final years when he piled on the pounds, living on grilled peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches and eventually dying on the bathroom floor, grossly overweight and full of medication. This film shows Presley's glory years, illustrating why he was such a magnetic personality, extremely close to his mother and a superb singer and songwriter.

If there is an error in Elvis it is that it was made so close to his death that they couldn't really give a 'warts and all' portrayal of Elvis as Priscilla was fairly reluctant to talk to Carpenter and Anthony Lawrence and it would have been far too insensitive to show his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, in a negative light. Despite all this, it works as a tribute to the man and his music.

The Disc

Extra Features
It is a shame that there isn't a commentary by John Carpenter and Kurt Russell as the two friends always provide fantastic commentary tracks but the one you do have is by Ronnie McDowell and Edie Hand, Elvis Presley's cousin. The two of them obviously knew him extremely well and so are in a position to comment on the veracity of events depicted in the film. It is remarkable that the stereotype of Elvis shooting television sets wasn't too far from the truth and he apparently regularly blew a hole in the screen if he didn't like what was being shown! There are several occasions when the two of them start enjoying the film a little too much and forget to comment on what they're watching but, all in all, this is a revealing and interesting listen by two people who knew Elvis Presley well and are in a position to say how accurate Carpenter's film is.

There is a behind-the-scenes featurette which, like the film, seems to have been made for television and features interviews with Carpenter, Russell, Winters and other members of the cast and crew.

You also have a 10 minute clip from a special 'Elvis Day' American Bandstand from July 4, 1964, hosted by Dick Clark where teenage girls are interviewed and asked whether they prefer Elvis Presley or the Beatles and why. This is a hidden gem of an extra feature and is a revealing insight into Elvis' appeal at the time.

In addition to the scene selection option, there is also a song selection which allows you to jump to the song of your choice and, should you feel the urge, sing along! There is also a stills gallery.


The Picture
For a 30 year old TV movie, the picture has scrubbed up extremely well with strong, vibrant colours, excellent contrast levels and high amounts of detail. There is some evidence of print damage with some occasional grain, scratches and white spots but generally this is a very impressive picture.

The amount of time that went into recreating the period settings must have been extremely high as the film goes through a few decades and each one looks exactly as I expected it to from the cars to clothing and décor. I would have never expected Kurt Russell to look anything like Elvis Presley but, with the right hairstyle and similar outlandish clothing Russell's resemblance to 'The King' is remarkable and, according to the commentary, the costumes are exactly right.


The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track does seem a little unnecessary given that the film would have been recorded and broadcast in stereo and, for the most part, the rear surrounds are understandably dormant. What you need from film like this is for a soundtrack to present the dialogue and songs very well and that's exactly what the DTS-HD MA soundtrack does. It is extremely clear without the slightest evidence of hiss, crackle or any other blemishes that shouldn't be there.

Ronnie McDowell is regarded as one of the greatest Elvis impersonators and his covers of Elvis' songs are so close that it is difficult to tell the difference between McDowell's rendition and Presley's original versions. It seems that McDowell recorded the song's first and Russell lip-synched to them on set and he really does a tremendous job in making it appear as if he is singing and there were several occasions when I was utterly convinced that not only was Kurt Russell speaking, but also singing.


Final Thoughts
For the most part, Elvis seems like a feature film that had a theatrical run rather than something that was made on a moderate budget TV although there are a couple of scenes where you look at it and think "This looks like a TV movie". There must be something about Elvis Presley that makes actors give their career-best performances portraying him as, fantastic though he was in the Evil Dead films, Bruce Campbell's tour de force performance was in Bubba Ho-Tep and, much as I like Kurt Russell's performances as Snake Plissken and MaCready, I think that's his finest turn came in his first leading role before he was famous.

Elvis is a long film, clocking in at 168 minutes, but it doesn't feel like a movie of any great length and the time just flies by with terrific musical numbers, brilliant performances and assured direction by John Carpenter. For Elvis fans, this is a 'must buy' release and, if you are in any way curious and are a fan of either/or John Carpenter and Kurt Russell, this is a film well worth checking out.