Too much of everything

Just perfect...

Don't Believe the Hype

Crappy film

I can't let my appreciation of Elvis Presley's music and career get in the way of this review. The first twenty five minutes or so of rehearsals, fooling around and Elvis falling off his chair a few times seemed a frivolous waste of time. You couldn't even call the rehearsals anything serious because what was shown didn't have Elvis deliver anything in it's entirety, except perhaps his dual rendition of 'Little Sister' riffing into a refrain of the Beatles' 'Get Back'. When the documentary finally got to the actual concert things picked up considerably, but maybe for all the wrong reasons. Looking tanned, healthy and fit, and clad in his signature white jumpsuit, Presley was energized beyond the requirements of his considerable song list, with rushed arrangements of classics like "Hound Dog' and 'Heartbreak Hotel', with his martial art persona very much in evidence and striking an almost embarrassing posture for much of the latter portion of the film. Granted, the concert footage consists of six separate performances over a three day span, so I'm thinking that actually being there one might have experienced a more natural delivery from The King; on screen it just looks like the adrenaline kicked in and Presley had to work off his considerable energy. What was definitely cool was catching some celebrity faces in Las Vegas on hand to catch the opening show, names like Joey Bishop, Cary Grant, Sammy Davis Jr., Juliet Prowse and Norm Crosby. The after show credits showed Elvis greeting some of them and for anyone in attendance I'm sure it had to feel special. But of all the Elvis Presley specials, documentaries and concert films out there, this one doesn't qualify as the definitive one.

This is the quintessential peak of Elvis Presley's now immortal career. In my opinion musically in full stride, 35 years old looking healthy, happy and rail thin. What for history's sake this movie shows so brilliantly is the epic preforming artist Elvis actually was and truly shows that Elvis wasn't at all the parody of the bloated parade of impersonators that followed his passing. Not to be missed an really almost an entirely new movie in the re-edit of Elvis: That's the way it is special edition. Either movie shows the magnanimous performer Elvis was with brilliant live performances like "I Just Can't Help Believing", "Suspicious Minds", "Little Sister", "Words", "The Next Step Is Love "Mary In the Morning" to name a few. His live performances were lensed August 1970 in Las Vegas, sadly he would pass almost exactly 7 years later. Elvis: That's the way it is, so amply titled musically in the adult contemporary arena is as relevant in 2010 as it was in 1970.

This is the movie to see if you want to know what the deal is about Elvis. Forget the movies, which were mostly rubbish. This is the king at his on stage best. The only reason I never rated this movie as a 10 is that it came hot on the heels of the 68 Comeback Special and that cannot be beaten. This film shows Elvis backstage in Las Vegas before one of the Elvis summer festivals organised by Col. Parker. There is also footage of Elvis in rehearsals for his shows. You get a glimpse of the man behind the image at certain points. For us ladies there is also the bonus of seeing Elvis at his sexy best! The only thing to remember is this was made in the 70's so there are flares everywhere.

I'm commenting from the two DVD set one containing the original 1970 release version, and other the 2001 remastered version. The two movies are actually different enough to be considered two separate movies with mostly different songs, so if you play both back to back, it's like being entertained by a 3 hour long Elvis live in Las Vegas movie. By the time I was growing up, there was a whole generation who've never seen Elvis doing his music, and only known him from movies made in the '60s. So we had no clue why he was so famous. But when I saw the original release of this movie in theaters, for the first time I understood why he was so famous. I think I saw then for the first time what the word "entertainer" meant. He was the very embodiment of that word. This movie captures Elvis at his prime. Possibly the greatest entertainer in history is captured live, doing "his" thing. You would not be disappointed seeing this movie, with some of the best musicians in business playing along his side. Elvis was probably the first to pioneer having white male gospel singers (The Imperials), and black female blues singers (The Sweet Inspirations) to be his backing vocals. The combination of their harmony is spot on for his music. You'll also see the famous TCB band in action with James Burton on lead guitar putting out rainbow of tonal colors from his guitar. To me the 1970 version told a more complete story of Elvis and the culture surrounding him, and had better selection of songs, but that's just my opinion. Having both versions you can choose, and pick your favorite version. The remastered version have better color and sound. Take a tour back to 1970 with this movie, and see the KING in all his splendor. Guaranteed to be one of the best entertainment you've had in your life.