Elvis: A John Carpenter Film

UPC: 826663117431

Studio: Shout Factory

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Suitable for Children]

Summary: The first volley in the never-ending "Presley movie" blitzkrieg, the made-for-TV Elvis: The Movie stars Kurt Russell as the King, Season Hubley as Priscilla, Pat Hingle as Col. Parker, Shelley Winters as Elvis' mom, and Bing Russell (Kurt's real-life father) as Elvis' dad. The film recounts Presley's life from age ten to his 1969 Vegas comeback. Presley imitator Ronnie McDowell expertly dubs in Kurt Russell's renditions of "Love Me Tender," "Heartbreak Hotel," et al. When first telecast on February 11, 1979, the ratings for Elvis: The Movie went through the roof, even beating out a competing telecast of Gone With the Wind. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Motion Picture Made for Television – null Best Motion Picture Made for Television – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: cc

"Bringing A Legend To Life" Featurette with Archival Interviews of Kurt Russell and John Carpenter (1979)
Commentary by "The Voice Of Elvis" Ronnie McDowell and Author Edie Hand
Rare Clips From American Bandstand
Photo Gallery

Elvis: A John Carpenter Film

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 03/02/2010

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 170 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Elvis: A John Carpenter Film
2. Tupelo, Mississippi 1945 [6:39]
3. Early Years [9:04]
5. Sun Records [1:48]
10. Road To Nashville [14:13]
12. RCA And The Movies [1:14]
15. Graceland [9:28]
16. Fort Chaffee Arkansas 1958 [15:58]
18. Enter The Memphis Mafia [:36]
22. Elvis and Priscilla [12:25]
24. Suspicious Minds [12:25]
25. Las Vegas [3:35]
29. End Credits [2:07]

Mark Deming

There's something about Elvis Presley that seems to polarize people, especially today, when, more than two decades after his death, his absence in the present tense has caused common perception of him to evolve into a strange variety of clich?s, with Elvis usually portrayed either as redneck saint or white-trash clown. However, John Carpenter's TV movie Elvis manages the increasingly rare feat of taking Elvis seriously as a human being, without dwelling excessively on his faults or trying to portray him as the world's most wonderful human being. While Anthony Lawrence's script fudges a few facts here and there (Elvis was not at his mother's bedside when she died) and misses a few details (where's the 1968 comeback special?), for the most part he recounts a familiar story with a surprising degree of enthusiasm and respect without becoming fawning, and Carpenter gets it on film with both efficiency and an admirable feel for time and place. Kurt Russell is a real surprise as Elvis; he not only gets Presley's trademark drawl and one-of-a-kind moves down with startling accuracy, he also manages to give a real sense of the tug of war between modesty and arrogance that truly defined the King's personality; it may well be the strongest and most affecting work of Russell's career. And while Shelley Winters lays it on a bit thick as his mother, Gladys, the performance can hardly be called historically inaccurate, and Season Hubley displays great chemistry with Russell as Priscilla Presley (apparently the chemistry wasn't mere professionalism, either, since they got married shortly after making the film). Elvis may not be a great movie -- its pace is a bit erratic and occasionally betrays its relatively low budget -- but it is a very good one, and one of the few films about one of the key cultural figures of the 20th century (love him or hate him, you have to give Elvis that much due) that shows a real understanding about what made him special, and that alone makes it well worth watching. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Robert Christopher  Actor 
Dennis Stewart  Actor 
Galen Thompson  Actor 
Jesse Dabson  Actor 
Les Lannom  Actor 
Ellen Travolta  Actor 
Jim Greenleaf  Actor 
Larry Pennell  Actor 
Meg Wyllie  Actor 
Jim Canning  Actor 
Peter Hobbs  Actor 
Mark Denis  Actor 
Dennis Christopher  Actor 
Charlie Hodge  Actor 
Ken Smolka  Actor 
Ted Lehmann  Actor 
Nora Boland  Actor 
Mario Gallo  Actor 
Charles Cyphers  Actor 
Elliott Street  Actor 
Melody Anderson  Actor 
Robert Gray  Actor 
Joe Mantegna  Actor 
Ronnie McDowell  Actor 
Will Jordan  Actor 
Ed Begley, Jr.  Actor 
Dick Clark  Executive Producer 
John Carpenter  Director 
Joe Renzetti  Composer (Music Score) 
Anthony Lawrence  Producer 
Anthony Lawrence  Screenwriter 
Tony Bishop  Producer 
Kurt Russell  Actor 
Shelley Winters  Actor 
Bing Russell  Actor 
Season Hubley  Actor 
Pat Hingle  Actor 

Country: USA