Elvis

Elvis

Elvis Presley's biographical drama film. Released in 2022. Directed by Baz Luhrmann. It stars Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. In July 2022, I watched it at Movix Kameari for the first time.

It depicts the life of Elvis Presley, King of Rock and Roll, from the point of his manager, Colonel Parker.

As for old Western music, I have loved The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other several British rock bands. I had vaguely known about Motown Records that many African American musicians have belonged to, the activities of Elvis Presley before the British bands' debut, moreover, I had thought that I knew about how cruel the racial discrimination was in the United State when Elvis made a debut because I had watched the film Malcolm X, however, American society's reality depicted in it kind of surpassed my knowledge. The conservative white Americans especially surprised me because they frantically insisted that white people must not pander to black people. All the same, Elvis ignored their remarks and continued to play contemporary black music singing and dancing as a white rock 'n' roller. Then many young white women went wild over the sharp action of his legs perhaps because they had been repressed by the society full of racism. That looks like a comic skit from a present point of view. Elvis faced difficult trials. He was made to wear tails and was stopped from dancing when he sang in popular television programs so that serious white people would not frown. Although Elvis got annoyed not by being able to express himself, yet he was encouraged by his old friend B.B. King, an African musician, made the decision to act like himself in a concert, and danced with his original sharp motion, which made the white people furious and young white women go crazy. He was arrested just after that, which also seems to be a comic sketch, and was drafted into military service. By the way, more than ten years later, The Rolling Stones was forced to change the word "the night" to "some time" in the song "Let's Spend the Night Together" when they performed in the television program with high public popularity, The Ed Sullivan Show, because the lyrics are obscene, though it was said that the members, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, got pleased that it would become a popular topic and would make their albums sell well. The Stones and The Beatles became popular bands thanks to the agony and sacrifice of Elvis, a trailblazer in rock 'n' roll. He deserved the title, King of Rock and Roll.

Elvis' manager, Colonel Parker, played an important role to make the rock 'n' roller a super star not only in the United States but also in the world but Parker manipulated Elvis into continuing to perform on stages and taking drugs in order to fully enjoy gambling that he loved, so he was never a good person. I hate it that the flick depicts Parker as very human. I also wish that it would have told Elvis' story from the viewpoint not of Parker but of Elvis' father or Elvis himself.

Elvis looks to be pathetic toward the ending, so I was depressed a few days after watching it. That proves how wonderful Austin Butler and Tom Hanks' performances were. Butler superbly expressed Elvis' distress. Hanks exquisitely acted the cunning Parker. I have a complaint about how Colonel Parker is depicted but I believe that it is good as Elvis' biographical picture.