Product Description
Just two years after Elvis Presley passed away, Kurt Russell brought him back to life in the original biopic about the King of Rock n Roll. Released through ABC in 1979, Elvis marked the first time director John Carpente… More >>
Elvis
February 26, 2010
1:08 pm
John Carpenter’s uniquely-cast ELVIS has Kurt Russell portraying the singer and his dad, Bing as Vernon Presley, Elvis’s father.
Risking the wrath of fans here… this picture doesn’t really qualfy as a biopic– maybe SEMI-biopic is most accurate. “Elvis” is a determined whitewash of the Presley legend that’s certainly understandable, as it was created within a year of the King’s untimely demise.
Consider what ISN’T included in the story:
Revealing details about Tom Parker, an illegal alien and Presley’s overpaid agent (50% of the take!).
Not a single reference to the factors that contributed to Elvis’s death: 1.) bizarre eating habits; 2.) years of drug abuse, especially Demerol. Nor do we see the late 70s decline in health and ballooning weight, as the story ends with Elvis’s triumphant 1969 return to Las Vegas.
Also not seen are any number of Hollywood affairs conducted with Ann-Margret and others. Priscilla’s dalliance with karate instructor Mike Stone, a contributing factor in the Presleys’ divorce is also ignored.
His strange relationship with hairdresser Larry Geller, a man Elvis confided in and was influenced by philosophically, isn’t even hinted at. An odd decision, as books on religion and mysticism obtained from Geller became part of Elvis’s library of 200 that went everywhere he did.
The Memphis crony hangers-on who shielded Presley, told him what he wanted to hear and enabled his excesses, are handled lightly.
As revisionist propaganda, “Elvis” is unparalled. Perhaps someday the half-story steadfastly promoted here will become accepted truth. Or perhaps not, for despite all its attempts at sanitizing, the reality that Elvis Presley was an enormously talented and successful, yet lonely and troubled man ultimately still comes through to viewers.
Recommended:
The 2005 TV mini-series, ELVIS (with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Randy Quaid as Col. Parker) covers some of what’s missing here.
Another made-for TVer, ELVIS AND ME (1988) is adapted from Priscilla Presley’s book. (VHS only)
Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.
(6.9) Elvis (TV-1970) – Kurt Russell/Shelley Winters/Bing Russell/Robert Gray/Season Hubley/Pat Hingle/Ed Begley Jr./Will Jordan/Joe Mantegna
Rating: 3 / 5
February 26, 2010
3:46 pm
The Basics:
“Elvis” was made only two years after the death of Elvis Presley, and if you need me to explain who HE is, then this might not be the page you’re looking for. The film was made in approximately 40 days by then-young director John Carpenter, who was hot off of “Halloween”, which had come out a year previously and smashed all box-office records for an independently released film. This project would be his first of five collaborations (so far) with lead actor Kurt Russell, with whom Carpenter would make ’80s movie classics like “Escape From New York”, “The Thing” and “Big Trouble in Little China”.
Kurt Russell gives a fantastic performance as Elvis Presley here. I can’t make the leap that some reviewers do and say he looks “just like” Elvis, but his mannerisms, voice and body language are right on target. The singing voice (country singer Ronnie McDowell) they used to re-record Elvis’ songs? Eh, not so much. A friend who had seen the film before me swore up and down that the guy sounded just like Elvis. Well, I don’t know what movie she was watching, but it sure wasn’t this one. Maybe it’s me, but he sounds just like every other impersonator from the last 30+ years. In fact, he sounds more like Johnny Rivers. However, you pretty much only hear that voice on the big performance scenes, and Russell manages to carry those off with pure physicality. He also manages to convey the joy, the charm, the mercurial temper and, ultimately, the loneliness that afflicted Elvis toward the end of his life.
The rest of the cast is a mixed bag. Shelly Winters, well, you ought to know what to expect there, and she does not disappoint. As Gladys Presley, Elvis’ protective mother, Winters injects so much ham into the movie that I’m surprised Jewish folks don’t boycott it. Her scenery-chewing makes Al Pacino look like a plank of wood. It’s a great performance if you’re looking for camp miniseries melodrama; not so much if you’re just looking for a well-acted biopic/character study. Season Hubley fares better as Priscilla Presley. Pat Hingle (Commissioner Gordon from Tim Burton’s Batman) does the best out of the supporting cast, imbuing Colonel Parker with an oily menace in a portrayal that wouldn’t be surpassed until Randy Quaid’s ambivalently sinister turn in the 2005 Elvis miniseries.
I should also say that because this movie was made in 1979, a lot of facts that have become common knowledge about Elvis Presley’s life weren’t yet known. You’ll find no mention of Elvis’ pill-popping here (which I actually found kind of refreshing), no mention of Colonel Parker being an illegal Dutch immigrant (and possible murderer), none of that stuff. If you’re looking for the more prurient subject matter, you won’t find it here. This movie is really a celebration of Elvis’ myth, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If you want to know more about the man within, you should probably seek out the 2005 miniseries.
The DVD:
Shout! Factory has really impressed me lately with their DVD releases. I’m so glad that a company has come along that’s willing to pick up the slack from slow-moving big studios, who will only put out a DVD set if they think it will sell a certain number of units. ’80s staples like “My Two Dads” and cult shows like “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose” and “Freaks and Geeks” have found a home with Shout! Factory. Unfortunately, they seem to have dropped the ball with this release. I haven’t seen this DVD yet, so I’m making no assumptions about picture or sound quality (gotta be better than my VHS copy, right?). No, I’m judging it based on the lack of a commentary from John Carpenter & Kurt Russell. That is downright shameful.
Fans of John Carpenter movies know that the man records fantastic DVD commentaries on his own, but when paired with Kurt Russell, the commentaries become as worthy as the films themselves. It’s like a film school, a comedy club and a family barbecue all rolled into one. They talk about whatever comes to their minds; sometimes it’s the film business, sometimes not, but the topics of conversation are always interesting. Combine that with a film about Elvis Presley (who is my favorite musician, if you couldn’t tell by now), a man with whom Kurt Russell has actual professional and personal history, and this would be a slam-dunk for me, one of those must-have purchases. Instead, we get commentary from the aforementioned horrible cover singer Ronnie McDowell and yet another dime-a-dozen Elvis bio writer. Give me a break! What this amounts to is a huge missed opportunity by Shout! Factory, and a huge letdown for that subset of Carpenter & Russell/Elvis fans who have been looking forward to this. Believe me, there are a few of us out there.
4.5 stars for the movie, 3.5 for the DVD. Overall, I give it four stars.
Rating: 4 / 5
February 26, 2010
6:30 pm
ALOHA!! GROWING UP A HUGE KURT RUSSELL FAN!!!!!!!!!! HOLLYWOOD NEEDS TO GIVE MORE ROLES TO YOU MR. RUSSELL!!!!!!!!!! THE BEST ELVIS EVER!!!!!!!!!! WE MISS YOU ELVIS!!!!!!!!!!!!AWESOME MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BUY THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!! AND TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY SPREAD THE WORD!!!!!!!!!!!PASS IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!MR. RUSSELL SHOULD OF RECEIVED AN OSCAR FOR THIS MOVIE ROLE SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!! AND MR. RUSSELL YOUR FANS WOULD LOVE IF YOU STARTED YOU OWN WEBSITE SOMEDAY!!!!!!!!!!! MAHALO!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: 5 / 5
February 26, 2010
9:24 pm
i cant wait to get this dvd i had it vhs and i can have mine on dvd this movie was a good elvis movie this movie was a good one the actors where great cant wait to get mine
charlene
Rating: 5 / 5
February 26, 2010
9:39 pm
DONT PASS THIS ONE UP! KURT RUSSELL IS FANTASIC! IT MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT MONEY THAT HELD THIS MOVIE UP! FIVE STARS!
Rating: 5 / 5