Directed by the multiple-award-winning filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, the new musical biopic Elvis tells the lifestory of the iconic star as reflected in the 1950s, 60s and 70s American experience. Three years in the making, the movie features Austin Butler as Elvis, Tom Hanks as his manager Tom Parker, and Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla. As the lead actor explains, although Elvis was long gone before he was born in 1991, the spirit of ‘The King’ was ever-present as he was growing up:
Austin Butler (American accent): I don’t really remember a moment in my life where Elvis wasn’t a part of it. I remember my grandmother watching his films when I was a kid. That’s the thing about Elvis, he’s sort of become the wallpaper of society, and he’s such a superhuman figure.
VULNERABILITY
Australian director Baz Luhrmann has used music to dynamise previous films such as Moulin Rouge (2001) and Strictly Ballroom (1992). For Elvis, the pre-1960s songs are sung by Butler, with later songs a blend of his and Elvis’s voice. Luhrmann talks about the authenticity in Elvis’s performance style that is captured in that of Butler.
Baz Luhrmann (Australian accent): I don’t think Elvis ever lost that nervousness, he never lost that vulnerability in front of an audience. And I think the love he gave to audiences and the love he got back was an attempt to fill that giant hole in his heart.
BUSINESS FIRST
Elvis’s manager Tom Parker (aka ‘the Colonel’) was a manipulative figure with a ruthless business ethic. Luhrmann talks more about how the character reflects America today.
Baz Luhrmann: Two of the things that I think are extraordinary about the American culture — on the one hand, invention, the creation of the new, and [on] the other hand you have the sell — in show business, when those two things are in a good balance, it’s a healthy world, but I think in recent times maybe one of those things has got a little bit out of balance. And the Colonel was absolutely, ultimately only about the business.
SHE WALKS IN
Elvis’s spirit lives on, particularly in the southern states. Butler describes a trip to the singer’s home in Graceland, Memphis, where he met living legend Priscilla Presley.
Austin Butler: I’m just waiting in the living room and eventually she walks in, and she’s so ethereal it took my breath away. And she looked me in the eye and there was something so profound about staring into these eyes that meant so much to Elvis, it gives me chills right now. And then she said: “You have a lot of support”, and she hugged me.
50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t be WrongElvis Presley was a huge inspiration on the music and look of similar groundbreaking performers; David Bowie and Mick Jagger both emulated the way he bent the era’s rigid gender rules, without ever leaving his masculinity in doubt. Elvis popularised the dramatic quiff hairstyle and regularly wore eye makeup. He wore a dazzling gold suit for the cover of the 1957 album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong, and bold floral prints for 1960s film Blue Hawaii. He later wore low-cutchest-revealing tops but also cropped shirts and, perhaps most famously, tight-fitting jumpsuits with sequins, capes and thick studded belts. For his ’68 Comeback, Elvis left audiences speechless by appearing head-to-toe in black leather. Stars such as Bono, Robbie Williams, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga have all attempted interpretations on this look. Elvis’ flamboyance, in fact, reflected his delight in spending generously. He owned 260 cars, including a limo painted with crushed diamonds, as well as private jets with gold-plated bathrooms. He loved giving gifts and owned mountains of eye-catching jewellery, which he often gave away to anyone who admired it.
Even though he has been dead for fifty years, fans across America have insisted they’ve seen Presley out and about. In 1989, The Elvis Sighting Society was created to monitor these apparent incidents. Some people say that he went into a witness protection programme after informing on a mafia group. Others claim that he appeared as an extra in the 1990 film Home Alone. There are also many highly successful tribute acts that keep his music and his performance style alive. |