Elvis
(1979/John Carpenter TV Movie/Mini-Series/Shout! Factory DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B- Main Program: B-
Trying to
do a fictional version of Elvis Presley can seem like a losing battle as his
image has been done to the point of no return in pop culture, satire, media and
with more professional impersonators than any other star in entertainment
history. When John Carpenter made his
only TV Mini-Series in Elvis (aka Elvis – The Movie), it was easier as
The King had only left us recently and the shocking loss was a sore spot for
many fans and others. But this would be
an ambitious production from Dick Clark and a production team serious about
doing this well.
Kurt
Russell was picked to play the young Elvis and was not bad in the role, though
he still looked somewhat like himself.
One of the better portrayals of Presley set in flashback from his late
1960s comeback period but mostly set ion the early days. Russell’s work has aged decently, but he did
not do his own singing (which shows) and now, he seems to be playing Chris
Isaak as much a Presley, so this might not always work throughout the 170
minutes. Russell does good work here,
however, and is backed by a great cast that includes no less than Shelley
Winters as his mother, Season Hubley as Pricilla Presley, Pat Hingle very
interesting as Colonel Tom Parker, Charles Cyphers as Sam Phillips, Bing
Russell, Melody Anderson, Ed Begley Jr., James Canning, Ellen Travolta and Joe
Mantegna. They help keep this working.
But
Carpenter was also in good form. He made
this after Halloween (1978) and his
telefilm prior called Someone’s Watching
Me! (also 1978, both reviewed elsewhere on this site) coming in with a good
sense of pace. This can be uneven and
hit some flat notes (no pun intended) narrative-wise at times, but is worth
revisiting, especially if you are a fan of the man and the music. Yes, it can feel like a TV production at
times, but there are also times it breaks through and over 30 years later,
plays better than most mini-series since.
This was
filmed and though shot in a 1.33 X 1 frame, was soft matte for what became a
1.85 X 1 theatrical presentation when it was issued in a shorter version in
Europe and other overseas territories, this anamorphically enhanced DVD is at 1.78
X 1 and does not look bad considering its age.
However, there are some minor artifacts and color can look faded or off
in parts. Also, detail and depth can be
an issue, but Director of Photography Donald M. Morgan’s work still has its
moments. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono also
shows signs of its age in limited fidelity and some compression. Extras include a booklet with an essay and
illustrations inside the DVD case, while the DVD adds stills, rare American
Bandstand clips associated with Elvis circa 1964, a vintage featurette
promotion this release called Bringing A
Legend To Life and feature-length audio commentary by Ronnie McDowell (who
did the singing) and author Edie Hand.
- Nicholas Sheffo
