What made Elvis Presley stand out among the early white rock'n'rollers was his highly emotional drive. The Beatles were cute, the Rolling Stones were dangerous, but King was freewheeling, put his soul into his music, delivered passionate performances, and turned his romantic yearnings into epic drama. He wanted you to know he meant every word - he wanted us to see him sweat.
Since he died 45 Older Presley is thriving in 2022 thanks toElvis. This production is Austin Butler's star-studded Buzz His Rahman hit biopic. Now available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Videoand other his VOD providers (but at least HBO Maxnot yet). Typical hype from the director of the Moulin Rouge.spent two and a half hours documenting the King's entire life and parachuting into some of the highlights of his career. Thankfully, there are entire films devoted to these times, offering specificities that Elvis overlooks. Even Presley's legendary Las Vegas run in the early 1970s has only scratched the surface. That's why the engaging concert film Elvis: That's the Way It Is is worth watching.
In Rahman's films, where Presley, who scored victorious in his NBC his comeback special in 1968, has returned to the stage over the years in pursuit of movie stardom is Las Vegas. A perfect recreation of his hotel gig in 1970, Elvishints at Presley's renewed determination to become a musical dynamo. But that's what it is, streaming on HBO Max and available for rent/buy on most services, tells a more nuanced and ultimately more moving story. It's the King desperate to reclaim his crown and prove to his fans that Hollywood hasn't changed him.
That's the Way It Is - Time Oscar winner who wasn't very familiar with Elvis before taking the assignment. “The films I do are about Presley as an entertainer … in a sense, a film by one expert, about another expert in another field,” Sanders later said. . , in his private life, I really do not. My only interest is Elvis as a performer. As such,that's how it isdoesn't pretend to know the 'real' Elvis, instead he and his band rehearse in Los Angeles and make it to Vegas. It focuses on preparing artists to dive into. indicate. Yet, whereElvis struggled to decipher its subject's inner world,that's how it immortalizes key moments, free-spirited and lighthearted. presents us with his 35-year-old youth. Don't laugh off the anxiety he feels as showtime approaches.
The behind-the-scenes sequence is lovingly playful, with Presley joking as he runs through rough renditions of "That's All Right" and "Little Sister." At one point, his microphone falls off the stand and the King rolls it around with a grin. Anyone thrilled with last year's The Beatles: Get Back undisclosed access provided by the Fab Four,That's the Way It Is offer A similar voyeuristic pleasure that provides an early stretch of. Not only is he charming, but he's also just one of those guys, Presley is a lot of fun to be around.
Over the years, various versions ofhave existed.HBO Max is currently airing a "Special Edition" on . At 95 minutes long, he is 13 minutes shorter than the original cut. Removed were nonsensical testimonials from Elvis fans and a backstage scene in Vegas, with an emphasis on the song. Look for that edition because it gives you the full Presley, especially when he takes the stage at the International. Brilliant, he hit after hit, becoming a living jukebox of sure-fire shots of impassioned pop, rock and gospel. "In the ghetto." "Blue suede shoes." "Everything rocked." 63}
The same is true of the singing man. The frenzied movements Presley brings to the performance, playing a bit of air guitar, swinging his arms around like he's about to take off, a whirl of people who appreciate reconnecting with the living, breathing crowd. is. And his fans appreciate it as well. Notably,in "Love Me Tender,"he walks into the crowd and kisses every interested woman's lips. (Spoiler alert: many of them .relive the sexual arousal that haunted them in their youth.
Presley's stage show has unmistakable Vegas puns, and King Tricking silly jokes in between songs, and sometimes goofing off with the lyrics.He enjoyed his comeback, but that didn't mean he was back all the way.Yet, that fervent seriousness is still there. There was an irresistible need to be a magnificent showman...and the man could surprise you, even though he seemed to be on the phone from time to time.
One of the signature scenes in Rahman's film is's rendition of Butler's "Suspicious Minds," modeled after Presley.Butler excels at evoking Presley's unstoppable charisma, but on "Suspicious Minds," King delves into something deeper and rawer than simple sex appeal. Elevating songs to dizzying heights, plunging everything into silence, and taking the band to euphoric new heights, Presley stuns an artist at his fullest. Butler is great in that sequence but the real Elvis was transcendent this song is near the end of That's the Way It Isso how the whole movie builds on that performance Elvis Presley, past his prime but not finished, finds himself in "Suspicious Minds," the heartbreak of this song that evokes his sweaty, ecstatic It's written all over his face: Elvis recreates it — That's what it was supposed to be explains why it mattered in the first place.
Tim Grierson (@timgrierson) is a senior US critic for Screen International.Vulture, Rolling Strike. A frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times, he wrote his latest book This Is How You Make a Movie