Heartbreak Hotel

This movie is much better than people seem to think. It's not just fun family entertainment, it really shows Elvis trying to come to terms with what went right and wrong with his life. It goes from a spooky, spiritual opening, where Elvis acknowledges his own mortality in song ("So hush little baby, don't you cry/You know your daddy's bound to die")to a rousing "If I Can Dream" finale. The idea is that Elvis gets everything right here that he got so tragically wrong in real time. He is the perfect father, husband, and artist, and he stands up for what we believe in, instead of just wasting himself. Touching and inspiring film.

What keeps the movie from going soft is the fact that the young rock and roller played by Charlie Schlatter (whatever happened to him?) is initially quite contemptuous of Elvis and his Las Vegas style lounge act. The kid chews Elvis out in a very memorable scene that really represents the feelings of millions of young 70's teens about the way Elvis went soft. The fact that Elvis listens and learns is extremely inspiring, but again, the film stays honest. At the end he tells the family, "I've found something here, and I'm afraid if I leave it will slip away again."

Sadly, it did.