Highbrow Magazine - priscilla presley https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/priscilla-presley en ‘Elvis’ Is a Cinematic Wonder, but Does It Shed Light on the Icon’s Real Life Story? https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/20076-elvis-cinematic-wonder-does-it-shed-light-icon-s-real-life-story <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Fri, 07/15/2022 - 17:03</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1elvis.jpg?itok=GidXXjK4"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1elvis.jpg?itok=GidXXjK4" width="480" height="270" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Director Baz Luhrmann’s new examination of the life of Elvis Presley may not be the definitive take on the rock ’n’ roll icon, but it is a cinematic wonder, brimming with personality, spectacle and muscular musical performances. Luhrmann’s <em>Elvis</em> does what the singer himself was so good at, grabbing viewers and transporting them to a realm of pure entertainment. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">For those who don’t know much about Elvis, the film may also play as an unexpected tragedy. Presley did, after all, die at the age of 42, ravaged by drugs and abused by handlers, both preventing him from reaching his true artistic potential. Although Elvis’s pipes, groundbreaking dance moves and guitar playing landed him the moniker “King of Rock ’n’ Roll,” it’s nearly certain he would have done even more had he overcome the demons. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/2elvis.jpg" style="height:650px; width:439px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Luhrmann focuses on Elvis’s long-term manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who was instrumental in making the singer a household name, but who also funneled more than a fair share of the star’s wealth to his own accounts. Interestingly, the project is narrated by Parker (played by a heavily made-up Tom Hanks), and he does not fancy himself a villain. That said, the movie makes it clear that Parker should not be admired. In the film, Parker remains defensive about his role in Elvis’s life but doesn’t pretend to be wholesome. In fact, he pridefully calls himself “The Snowman,” noting that the key to success is skillfully snowing people … or steering them away from reality. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">It's not surprising that a man like this would apply the same rules to clients as to those he is representing, and Hanks paints Parker as equal parts shrewd, brilliant, vain and selfish. Elvis, on the other hand, is portrayed as a talented performer who is also a naïve dupe who falls for Parker’s shenanigans, even after years of abuse. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/3elvis.jpg" style="height:266px; width:400px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">In fairness, Luhrmann lumps too much blame on Parker, as Presley clearly played a role in his own downfall. Even with Parker pilfering his money, Elvis was able to live a lavish lifestyle, and it is disingenuous to lay the excessive drug use and poor business decisions solely at Parker’s feet. The film also skips over more questionable areas of the singer’s biography, such as the fact that he first wooed would-be wife Priscilla (played nicely in the film by Olivia DeJonge) when she was just 14 and he was a 24-year-old military man involved with another woman. His rumored extramarital affairs are only hinted at -- as is any other questionable behavior by Elvis himself. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Yet, we can forgive Luhrmann for an incomplete vision because authority doesn’t seem to be his goal, and movies work best when they have a point of view. This reading of Elvis is meant to be the story of an incredible talent, who was preyed upon by an incredible marketer and conman, and that story is well told.  </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/4elvis.jpg" style="height:270px; width:650px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Key to the picture’s success is title star Austin Butler, who passes admirably as Elvis, particularly in his younger years. He even sings some of the iconic star’s songs with the type of panache heard in original recordings. It is far too early to predict an Oscar nomination, but he must be in the conversation. Butler – like Elvis – is thrilling to watch. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Hanks is one of the finest actors of his generation, which makes it strange that his performance is controversial. Personal friends have mentioned that Hanks actually drew them out of the film, in part by choosing an oddball accent that Parker didn’t possess … and in part simply because he is Tom Hanks, bringing the baggage of his own star power. Interestingly, his performance doesn’t bother me, but neither does it stand out. Even noting that Hanks is merely “OK” feels like criticism, considering that he is capable of carrying movies almost single-handedly. Remember <em>Castaway</em>? This isn’t one of Hanks’s best roles, but whether one warms to it or not, there is plenty to like about <em>Elvis</em>. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">There’s Butler, of course, but viewers also get a constant bombardment of music and visual wonder mashing Elvis hits with the Golden era of MTV. What’s more, the story is compelling from beginning to end. Elvis’s life may have been sad, but it was also marked by extraordinary accomplishments that every music lover will do well to remember. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/5elvis.jpg" style="height:270px; width:650px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>Author Bio:</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong><em>Forrest Hartman is</em> Highbrow Magazine’s <em>chief film critic.</em></strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>For Highbrow Magazine</strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/elvis-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">elvis</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/baz-luhrmann" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Baz Luhrmann</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/elvis-movie" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">elvis movie</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tom-hanks" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Tom Hanks</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/austin-butler" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">austin butler</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tom-parker" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">tom parker</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/priscilla-presley" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">priscilla presley</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/king-rock-and-roll" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">king of rock and roll</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Forrest Hartman</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">In Slider</div></div></div> Fri, 15 Jul 2022 21:03:36 +0000 tara 11205 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/20076-elvis-cinematic-wonder-does-it-shed-light-icon-s-real-life-story#comments