Le Retour du King : Chute et apogée d'Elvis Presley

In an era of perfectly curated social media personas and algorithm-driven stardom, "Return of the King" doesn't just reframe Elvis - it holds up a mirror to our own time. Through a masterful reexamination of iconic moments, particularly the raw electricity of the '68 Comeback Special, this documentary doesn't unearth lost footage so much as strip away decades of accumulated mythology to reveal a shocking truth: we've been looking at Elvis through the wrong end of the telescope all along.

The film's genius lies in its reconstruction of familiar scenes, most notably from 1968, where we finally understand what we're actually witnessing: not just performances, but prison breaks. When Elvis tears through "If I Can Dream," the camera lingers on moments we've seen before but never truly understood - this isn't just a comeback, it's a man literally breaking free from his chains, if only for a moment. The sweat isn't from the hot lights; it's from the effort of pulling back the curtain on reality itself.

Colonel Tom Parker emerges not just as a manager but as an architect of limitation, a master builder of golden cages. Yet what makes this portrayal so haunting isn't its villain, but its relevance - how many Colonel Parkers exist today, their methods refined by technology, their control made absolute by algorithms and analytics?

The documentary's most powerful revelation comes in its deconstruction of Elvis's infamous nervousness before performances. These weren't the jitters of an insecure star - they were the tremors of a human vessel preparing to channel something larger than himself. Watch his hands shake before the '68 special, then witness those same hands minutes later commanding the stage with supernatural confidence. This isn't stage fright being conquered; it's transformation being documented.

Modern audiences accustomed to seeing their stars as brands will find something both foreign and deeply familiar here. The film speaks our language - it understands our obsession with performance, our worship of excellence, our endless pursuit of the next level. But beneath this familiar framework, it plants a devastating question: what if what we call 'peak performance' is actually just the ceiling we've built over our own heads?

The technical achievement in sound restoration serves a higher purpose here - it's not just about clarity, it's about truth. When Elvis breaks through in certain moments, particularly during the '68 special, the audio quality captures something that feels less like music and more like testimony. These aren't just good performances; they're proof of what happens when authentic talent momentarily escapes its constraints.

To the casual viewer, this might just seem like another well-made music documentary. To those paying attention, it's a blueprint of both imprisonment and escape, rendered in rhinestones and rebellion. The true genius of this film is how it speaks simultaneously to both audiences - offering surface-level excellence while encoding deeper truths for those ready to receive them.

Watch this film. Then watch it again. First time for the spectacle, second time for the spaces between the spectacle. Pay attention to the moments when Elvis isn't performing - or rather, when he stops performing one role and accidentally reveals another. There's a reason these particular performances have resonated through decades, why they feel more real than reality itself. They're not just moments of great entertainment; they're moments when the truth broke through, when authentic expression escaped the machinery built to contain it.

This isn't just a documentary about Elvis - it's about every pure impulse that's ever been packaged, every wild talent that's been tamed, every truth that's been transformed into product. But more importantly, it's about how that truth always finds a way to shine through, if only for a moment, if only for those with eyes to see.

In an age where authenticity itself has become a marketing strategy, "Return of the King" reminds us what the real thing looks like. And once you see it, you can never unsee it again.

I never understood Elvis growing up in 1970s Ohio. My parents were fans and we had his LPs in our wood console stereo cabinet, but to me, he was a Vegas lounge act from an era when where careers went there to die. After we watched Netflix's fascinating documentary on Elvis' 1968 NBC comeback special, "Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley", I finally got it. This compact and insightful film gives a well-rounded view of the man, the myth, the legend, (re)igniting an admiration for his artistry.

We then followed up with Sofia Coppola's film, "Priscilla", providing another layer of perspective on the Elvis story. The biopic gives the perspective of Priscilla Presley (though vociferously denied by Lisa Marie), offering a full view of the sad, complicated tale of a flawed genius gone too soon and the woman he loved. I found Priscilla more engaging than expected, and Coppola's direction and impeccable use of popular music, as seen to great effect in "Marie Antoinette", added depth and emotional resonance to the story.

To close out our Elvis era, we re-watched Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis", featuring Austin Butler's magnetic portrayal, which was even better the second time round, and "Viva Las Vegas" with Elvis and Ann-Margret, in a light, frothy romp around Sin City. To wrap up my deep dive into all things Presley, I just started Lisa Marie and Riley Keough's biography "From Here to the Great Unknown".

Gives new life to an incredible story. But does not do justice to his fascination with religion. Elvis used to carry a Bible with him everwhere, and he would ask friends to open to a page at random, pick a verse, and he would complete the verse from memory. In my IMDb comment on the original ELVIS THE COMBACK SPECIAL (1968) -- on my IMDb list of best all-time films -- I suggested that, decades from now, historians looking back at our present time period will note that, of the many dozens of Conspiracy Theories floating around, the Bob Joyce controversy was the only one that could actually produce a smile. The world is a brighter place with him still in it. Do your own research. Start with "Clark Kent Syndrome." ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

This is an EXCELLENT Documentary about The Greatest Showman/Entertainer Of All Time. The Documentary tells the Elvis story from the very beginning, and throughout his amazing career as a singer/entertainer, including his many ups, and some downs. His story is told through the people who knew him well. The documentary shows many wonderful photographs of him throughout his colourful career. Showing many clips of him singing lot's of his great songs, many clips of his shows/concerts, his interviews, and personal family/friends footage, though a lot of it on view to the general public, which would follow him around throughout his life, as though he was 'public domain'. I know the many legions of Elvis Fans around the world, including the many hundreds or thousands of Elvis impersonators, who will have seen the many documentaries made of Elvis, to know how this latest documentary compares to the previous one's, and how good they think it is. For me, who has 'Johnny Cash' as my number one singer, and seen a number of Elvis documentaries over the years, find this one my favourite. Really nice to see, and hear Bruce Springsteen talking highly of Elvis. Like me, I do hope you all enjoy this highly rated Elvis documentary. (ps)

Whether you are a big fan or someone just starting to learn about Elvis Presley's story, anyone who watches this super production will see facts, reflections and discoveries that are increasingly surprising when we think about the artist's masterpieces, his humanization, personal trajectory, his feelings and their impact on the American entertainment industry (which spread throughout the world).

More than that. Anyone who watches this documentary will see how the man's life was partly shaped and even impacted (both positively and negatively) by the captains of industry, and how the paths of Elvis and even society could have been different and more lasting if it weren't for the evil greed of others.

When I first read the title, I was displeased with the fact that it insinuated that there was in fact a "fall" of Elvis Presley, since to this day his works and actions are admired and arouse strong emotions and projects all over the world. But if you read it carefully, you'll notice that the "rise" comes after the "fall", showing how he recovered from difficult times and continues to rise in music, movies, art, fashion, business and society.

A beautiful, true documentary, with fans, historians, colleagues and relatives who really lived with him and know what happened at the time, as well as artists and professionals today who know how he must have felt, with the empathy that only those who live in the same environment know how this business works.

Even as a "documentary" with sincere and exciting facts, the production brings action, suspense, lots of energy and intimate views on different moments in the life of the King of Rock, from before he won this title, to the phase of one of his greatest artistic achievements, known as the '68 Comeback Special show (the first musical acoustic recorded and televised) that changed many trajectories, both in Elvis's life and in the lives of several other artists and the public.

Those who know the story may feel like something is missing at the end, since even after the shocking ending of the 1968 show (which is the focus of the documentary), Elvis actually continued his career with another 9 years full of innovations and stardom in his Las Vegas phase, show circuits all over the US, new successful films, the first show broadcast via satellite to the entire world and other artistic and personal changes of great value.

Since the king's life was relatively short, but full of such great achievements compared to the short time he was physically with the public, there really wouldn't be enough space in this particular production to show all the rest of it. There are already other works that talk about these other complex and spectacular moments.

But whether or not this rest of his life is present in this documentary, what anyone can feel after watching the work, as after listening to any album or watching any other show by the great Elvis Presley, is that good feeling of "I want more".