Let's Go to the Movies: Week of October 17, 2022: Elvis
Tennessee just loves Elvis Presley. Elvis was a great neighbor to Tennesseans, and he supported numerous people and institutions in the Memphis area. The fact that he did not leave the Heartland was and is a big deal to the people of Tennessee.
So, as Catherine is back in Tennessee, what better movie to recommend this week than the new and possibly Oscar-winning musical biography Elvis? The film is a well-made biodrama depicting the life of Elvis from his humble origins to his planet-wide success. The story is told from the narrative perspective of his long-term manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Parker (Tom Hanks) propelled Elvis (authentically performed by Austin Butler) to stardom but also took control of much of his life and freedom of decision-making.
The Presley family—Elvis’ daughter Lisa Marie and his ex-wife Priscilla Presley—have acknowledged and praised the movie, stating that Austin Butler’s performance and Baz Luhrmann’s directorship “accurately and respectfully” embody both the man as well as the musical and artistic genius of the “King of Rock and Roll.”
A little vignette that is not in the movie is that Elvis was very interested in the work and paintings of Russian writer and painter Nikolas Roerich and his wife, writer Helena Roerich. Elvis owned a first-edition copy of the Letters of Helena Roerich, in which he left many underlined passages as well as handwritten notes in the margins.
Related:
Elvis (2022) on Wikipedia
Film review in The Guardian
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