I am still thinking about Elvis and days have gone by since I saw the film. Honestly, I learned about the documentary the same day that I read the listing for the showtime at my local theatre. Really I was expecting more of a life-story, or some behind the scenes narrative. What I left the theatre with is something I had never expected, a much deeper understanding of Elvis Presley.
The human side of a man who knew the power he held in his hands. There was a humility about Elvis that was rarely seen in public or in his movies, only when he’s rehearsing and interacting with his band-mates do you get to see a really personal side of the man. It was always well known that he loved Gospel songs but interesting to learn, that often time after a show, that he would sing them with his friends, upstairs in the hotel, until dawns morning light.
Elvis said that he would usually take about 5 hours to calm down after the show. Also, that it was common for him to lose four pounds of weight from sweat, in every concert but he didn’t care because he loved his fans and said that they deserve everything he’s got to give. He always reminded his band that they had to perform every show like it was the first time because for most of the people in the crowd, it is their first time.
Elvis Presley was offered the choice of a guitar or bicycle as a boy, he made the choice of the guitar and the world’s a better place for it. The King of Rock-n-Roll is a true master of the guitar, has to be or he would have never risen to the top. There were plenty of crooners and Sinatra was just across town at Caesars Palace, Dean Martin could sing too but Elvis was a young Rock Star with a guitar.
Las Vegas was ready for a Rock Star, and from the first minute Elvis arrives, to begin his 7 year residency, the film feels more like a reality series and certainly not a movie about a single event. We get taken on a backstage peek into the inner workings of the man of invented the man who became Elvis.
There’s nothing even borderline scandalous or even glimpses of excess. Just a candid look into the artistic process and thought processes of dealing with Stardom. It’s easy to imagine how someone as cool as Elvis is presented, could have influenced virtual legions of young men to pick-up the guitar. Every great from Michael Jackson to Kurt Cobain has proclaimed that Elvis is the King of Rock n Roll.
Without ruining the movie for you by giving away the reason Elvis moved to Las Vegas because I really want you to go and see this on a big screen, even if it’s just for the the entertainment, and trust me… you will be entertained. I want you to see with your own eyes, the love that came from his heart, to his fans.
No comments yet.