This Is Elvis

On Elvis' birthday this past year, I watched his movies and documentaries on television all day long. By the end of the day, I was a hooked fan and understood why this man is worshipped around the globe. Since then I have seen many of his movies, concerts and read books.

This movie is separate from all of that, as it reveals the man inside the myth. Anyone with even a casual interest in Elvis would find this interesting, but to a fanatic like myself this is immeasurably important. I enjoyed seeing him in the later years practising karate, to the song "Kung Fu Fighting".

Released in 1981, "This is Elvis" is a documentary covering the rise and fall of Presley made only 3 years after his death and released in 1981. Extensive archival footage is mixed with recreations using actors standing in for Elvis, as well as some recreations shot to look like archival footage.

While some people complain about the recreations and say they "don't work," I didn't have a problem with them, at least not the ones where actors play Elvis as a youth. After all, without these sequences we wouldn't get to picture Elvis playing in front of a high school class or playing with black friends on the industrial side of Memphis, etc.

The original theatrical version runs 101 minutes while the later TV version added 43 minutes. The former is less "family friendly," depicting the way it really was without censure. For instance, Elvis is shown saying a couple off-color things about his sexual escapades with women on the road. A short time later the narration depicts him lamenting his divorce from Priscilla in 1973, four years before his death in 1977. The made-up monologue makes it sound like Elvis wasn't sure what caused them to grow apart and eventually split. Gee, he might want to quit having adulterous liaisons on the road. That might help. Anyway, the 144-minute TV version cuts these types of things and homogenizes the film for family viewing. It even omits the blubbering "Lonesome Tonight" song from his final concert, which is a must-see. The shorter version is just more gritty and authentic, the way a rock n' roll documentary should be.

One great scene is the interview with Elvis' former body guards who wrote a book dissin' him. They were like family for years and understandably felt betrayed. One testifies in the interview that he confronted Presley about his ongoing drug dependency and Elvis finally admitted that he "needed them." A minute later you see the ex-body guard wiping the tears from his eyes.

As he aged Elvis was on a spiritual quest and was quoted saying to his hairdresser: "I mean there has to be a purpose ... there's got to be a reason ... why I was chosen to be Elvis Presley. ... I swear to God, no one knows how lonely I get. And how empty I really feel." He thus was preoccupied by such matters for much of the rest of his life, taking trunk-loads of books with him on the road.

In his last performance in the documentary it shows Elvis playing for the first time after gaining weight and, for some reason, I was expecting a really fat Elvis, but that wasn't the case at all. Yes his face is bloated and sweaty, but he's clearly only about 25 pounds overweight. Maybe he was heavier before the show and got in shape a bit before the event, I don't know, but he was by no means grotesquely overweight, not at all. Last night I went to a concert and saw some middle-aged men; now they were grossly overweight.

Despite Elvis' bad movies, drug addiction and adulteries, he was an amiable, fascinating and talented individual and "This is Elvis" fully demonstrates why he was and is "The King of Rock & Roll."

GRADE: A-

"This is Elvis" is one of the oddest "documentaries" I've ever seen. Using extensive archival footage, mixed with recreations shot to look like archival footage, the film looks at the rise of fall of Elvis.

The problem is that the recreation footage comes off as bad TV movie of the week, standing in stark contrast to the original, compelling material presented in the piece.

The success of "This is Elvis" was the impetus behind the current style of historical documentaries that attempt to recreate drama where no original footage exists to illustrate it. In that sense, "This is Elvis" looks a bit embarrassing at times, since it doesn't have the slickness of more contemporary "docu-drama-documentaries" in the genre.

What I'm waiting for is an Elvis documentary done with the taste and skillfullness of the "Beatles: Anthology" mini-series aired on ABC.

This Is Elvis (1981)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Malcolm Leo and Andrew Solt co-directed this very interesting and entertaining mix of a documentary and played out drama. What we basically have is a look at the life of Elvis Presley with the film starting and ending on his death. Throughout the documentary we get countless clips from television shows, movies and concerts while at the same time seeing various stages of his life where he's being played by actors.

THIS IS ELVIS was released a few years after the death of Elvis and I'm sure at the time it was a refreshing reminder of the talent that was cut short. When viewing the film today one must really be impressed with the footage that the directors threw in here as well as how they ended up showing the life and death of this icon. The documentary works wonderfully well because you really do get to see the rise of Elvis through his clips, the controversy he faced and how he eventually became the King of Rock and Roll.

For me the greatest thing about this was the collection of musical performances. We see his earliest performances on television as well as some clips from his comeback special and of course footage from one of the last concerts he did. All of this footage is evidence that no matter what era Elvis was in, his look might be different but that brilliant voice is still right there and as powerful as ever.

The "acting" scenes are also quite good and especially one at the start of the picture when the Colonel is made aware that Elvis has died. I was actually pretty shocked at how well these scenes played out as they're both entertaining and work well as drama. THIS IS ELVIS is a film that fans often call one of the best documentaries on the man.

Although some reviewers criticize the actor renditions of Elvis's early life, how else could the creators, Malcolm Leo and Andrew Solt, present the full story of Elvis Presley? The scene of Elvis performing to his high school music class in Memphis was a high moment for me, especially when he believed that he was so poorly regarded by his classmates and teachers. How was he able to overcome a sea of negativity and doubt in order to accomplish that task so successfully? His ability to stand before his class and then capture them with his musical talent and personal charisma was a significant turning point, not only in the film but in his life. The rest was history. Can anyone speculate what would have happened if he chose the bicycle over the guitar as his parents' birthday gift? We can all be inspired by the story of Elvis Presley.

In my humble view, this film accurately portrayed the heavy toll that enormous fame can take on a gentle human being. While other famous people have been able to overcome the constant pressures and hardships of a constant, unforgiving public eye, they may not have possessed the humanity and decency of an Elvis Presley. As exemplified by his extraordinary generosity with the Cadillac gifts, he wanted more than anything else to please others, including his adoring audiences, and when the world demanded so much from him, how could he constantly live up to their expectations?

Ed Sullivan was not condescending when he showered Elvis with praise at the end of the earth-shattering 1956 appearance on his enormously popular television show. Sullivan had been extremely reluctant to sign Elvis because he allowed others to develop his opinion of Elvis before he realized who Elvis was on his own. It was to Sullivan's credit that he finally gave the green light to Elvis, but he was also bowing to public pressure as he sought the most sensational musical performers at the time. First and foremost, Ed Sullivan was a very shrewd businessman.

As in the case of the Beatles, I never understood what all of the screaming and shrieking was about, but I always loved the music of Elvis Presley. For me, Elvis will always be the king of rock n roll. In spite of all of his flaws as a human being, he will live as one of the greatest musical performers of my time. Not only did this film provide a very deep insight into the life and challenges of one of the greatest stars in modern music, but it also highlighted some of my favorite Elvis tunes, including "Always on My Mind", "Suspicious Minds", and "Don't Be Cruel". Even when Elvis messed up the lines of "Are You Lonesome Tonight", he could sing a song like no other. As "An American Trilogy" plays in the background, the white Cadillac funeral procession through the streets of a bereaved Memphis, the city he loved so dearly, will always leave an indelible impression on my mind. Rest in peace, Elvis. We will never forget you.