Baz Luhrmann's ELVIS

 The long awaited biopic is finally here and I got to watch it. By the looks of the trailer before it was released, it had some promises of being a good film but I went without high expectations because I have watched dozens of Elvis biopics and left disappointed.

 

An ardent fan of Elvis since I was six, I remember listening to Elvis on my Walkman and falling asleep every night. I had always dreamed of visiting Graceland and that finally happened (4 times to be exact) when I lived in America. But I have been blessed that through the years, I have made great friends through Elvis, whether it is through fan clubs or what not. I am grateful to own rare memorabilia and some footage of unreleased concerts. I am even ore honoured to have had close friendships with people who were close to Elvis but who have also sadly passed. The biggest deal for me being an Elvis fan was when I was asked to assist in the promotion of the Tupelo tourism featuring Elvis. My work was recognized when I had a brick with my name engraved on, placed at the Elvis Fairpark Statue and my name engraved on the Fans Memorial Wall.

So, Elvis holds a very huge place in my heart and in my life. I only wish I wasn’t born 2 years after his passing because it would have been amazing to catch him in concert.

It’s a little daunting to realize Elvis was only a year younger than I am now when he passed. Nevertheless, in my opinion, and I believe many would agree with me, that there will only ever be one Elvis. Also in my opinion, Elvis’ shoes are big ones to fill and so many have tried to impersonate him or to portray him and although I wouldn’t say they failed at it…. they did not meet expectations or they did not have that WOW factor.

 

Think about this… how many singers have really accomplished what Elvis had in such a short span of time? How many singers you know, that when you mention their name and anyone would know who you are talking about? Whether someone is 6 or 99, whatever language they spoke or whatever religion they belonged to, if you mentioned Elvis, I can assure you 80% will know who you are talking about.

 

That theory of mine was proven correct when I sat in the cinema last night with my mother and looked around. There were people who were much younger than I was, people of different races, and who probably spoke different languages…yet, they were all there to watch ELVIS.

 

Anyway, let’s talk about the movie.

 

As I mentioned, I did not have very high expectations as I have been disappointed many times before. However, Baz Luhrmann’s biopic sort of promised he will explore the real life of Elvis, his rise to fame and his undesirable relationship with Colonel Tom Parker.

 

It was amazing how much was put into this 2.5 hours movie, from the very young Elvis, finding his way into Sun Records, to the time Colonel Tom Parker discovering Elvis as well as the demons Elvis faces throughout his life and career and not to mention having to deal with Colonel Tom Parker’s control over him. It also covered Elvis’ army life, marriage, Comeback broadcast, residency in Las Vegas, divorce and death. But the best part about the movie was the stellar soundtrack covering lots of Elvis hits.

 

To be honest, I still cannot find the right words to describe what I felt or still am feeling. Yes, the movie was that powerful! It was heartwarming, funny, sad and there were also moments that could make you so upset.

 

I believe, many Elvis biopics showcased Elvis’ rise to fame but this one in particular somehow showed us what really went on with Colonel Tom Parker.

 

They started the movie with Colonel Tom Parker introducing himself and saying “I didn’t kill Elvis” though the movie implies otherwise. The Colonel went on to say, “I made Elvis.”

 

So is Colonel Tom Parker a bad person? After watching the movie, I am left wondering. I also thought he used Elvis and because of his citizenship status and did not own a passport that he stopped Elvis from touring the world and being bigger than he was. I believe Elvis could have been more if the Colonel wasn’t so selfish. But Colonel Tom Parker was also a very smart and manipulative man.

 

Would be still have enjoy Elvis is not for Colonel Tom Parker and his amazing business ideas? Who knows?

 

I guess he did have a part to play in Elvis’ unhappiness and later part; death.

 

Oh I don’t know. I have been told by some of the people close to Elvis that Colonel Tom Parker was well liked by many and he could brighten up any room. But they won’t deny he was a little dodgy when it comes to money and who took advantage of Elvis. So I guess even people close to Elvis were not too sure what they thought about the Colonel.

 

Going back to the movie and how they portrayed Colonel Tom Parker…

 

Colonel Tom Parker was colourful, controlling and clearly had a huge influence on Elvis since becoming Elvis’ manager in 1955.

 

In my opinion, I think Elvis was partly afraid to lose Colonel Tom Parker because in Elvis’ mind, the Colonel got him to where he was and that if he fired the Colonel that he would mess everything up.

 

I read somewhere years ago that the Colonel did not even like music yet her profited disproportionately from Elvis’ record sales and concerts taking a bigger than normal cut. If I am not mistaken I think he started out at twenty-five percent while the norm, was fifteen percent.

 

And apparently the Colonel had massive gambling debts which got him into trouble in Las Vegas which made him hike his percentage to fifty percent. Then I wonder, how the hell did Elvis agree to that!?

 

Don’t forget that because of the Colonel not having a US passport, Elvis missed out on global tours.

 

In the movie, it showed that Elvis’ long-term deal performing in Las Vegas was because the Colonel had made a deal to keep Elvis there in repayment for all his own debts to be wiped out. But that killed Elvis’ momentum and broke his spirit. He became unhappy, overworked and exhausted. That was heartbreaking to watch.

 

They showed Elvis collapsing from exhaustion and Colonel continuing to push him to perform. It was madness.

 

There was a part where they showed Elvis looking high and strung out and cussing out Colonel Tom Parker on stage. Many would think it was exaggerated or there was no truth in that but I can say I have many clips that were shared with me through the years when Elvis did just that. Can you blame him? I am sure he felt so trapped.

 

Elvis did try to fire, or leave the Colonel on a couple occasions but the Colonel was a smart, manipulative man who used Elvis own words, fears and feelings to control him.

 

Anyway, moving on to the star of the show… AUSTIN BUTLER.

 

OK. Before I get into Austin, I have to say this…

 

Before you see Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis, you have to watch other actors who played Elvis in the past, in previous biopics.

 

Actors like Jonathan Rhys-Meyers who wasn’t that bad but not that good, Tyler Hilton, David Keith, Kurt Russell, Don Johnson (how the heck did they cast him?), … just to name a few.

 

Austin Butler earned praises from Presley’s own family so that should tell you something.

 

I am not surprised by how many actors have tried their turn at playing Elvis and donned the Elvis jumpsuit.

 

As I mentioned earlier, Elvis’ shoes are BIG shoes to fill and I can only imagine the task it takes to portray an iconic figure like Elvis in a biopic. Any actor can be given tons and tons of Elvis references from photos to videos but if an actor cannot nail their impersonation or interpretation to the audience who are so familiar with Elvis, then all the magic is lost!

 

Well, you do not have to worry about that when it comes to Austin Butler. He was mesmerizing!

 

He faced a tough challenge and he nailed them all! From getting Elvis’ voice and mannerisms almost close to perfection, to the vocal cords when singing some of the songs and recreating some if Elvis’ dance moves!

 

Austin Butler captured the smoldering physicality of Elvis, as well as the playfulness and vulnerability.

 

Any doubts I had going about whether Austin Butler could fully capture Elvis was evaporated almost instantly. Austin has the moves, the mannerisms, and the voice. He sang about a third of the songs himself, especially the early ones. I did not feel he was trying too hard to impersonate Elvis but inhabiting him.

 

The truth is Elvis’ voice cannot be imitated and this biopic wisely did not try to and instead what they did was genius; remixing the actual Elvis recordings with Austin’s voice, rather than trying to replicate them.

 

I guess it was a bonus that Austin Butler could sing to begin with. As part of his audition, he actually sang his own rendition of Elvis’ Unchained Melody. Oh did I also mention that Austin has been playing the guitar since the age of 13?

 

Truly, Austin brought Elvis back again. I also loved how they had actual footage of concerts together with that of Austin Butler’s performance and at times, even the biggest of fan could be confused as to which was Austin’s portrayal and which was Elvis himself.

 

Well, the chose the right actor for sure and Austin Butler’s efforts put into studying Elvis over a one year period sure did pay off. I am pretty sure Elvis would finally be smiling knowing someone finally did a great job at portraying him.

 

The details in most of the performances were close to perfection. Let me name a few examples;

• The details to the jumpsuits Elvis wore.
• The things that was said on stage in Vegas (funny moments).
• The hilarious Elvis character was also portrayed when Elvis put the mic in his mouth during performance.
• The details of Elvis’ last performance, seated at the piano, singing Unchained Melody. I am talking about even the little details of what was placed on the piano!

The final touches put towards the end just made it perfect. They showed actual footage of Elvis during his Vegas performance, wedding, etc.

 

If you have not seen the movie yet, GO GO GO! You will not be disappointed. This is coming from a lady who always had very high expectations for any Elvis biopics!

 

By the way, I forgot to mention how I loved the bejeweled Warner Brothers logo that was shown at the beginning of the movie. That was so very Elvis like.