
Watch This Is Elvis
- PG
- 2002
- 1 hr 41 min
-
7.6 (1,469)
This is Elvis is a documentary about famous rock-and-roll singer Elvis Presley. Presley revolutionized the music industry in the 1950s and became an iconic American legend. Several films were made about Elvis, both before and after his death in 1977. This film was produced by Warner Bros. and was co-directed by Malcolm Leo and Andrew Solt. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. This is Elvis was praised by critics for taking a gritty, honest look at the life and career of its subject. The film uses several different devices to tell the story of Presley's storied but chaotic career. It includes live concert footage in many scenes. There are also home movies that are used to demonstrate Elvis's personality and private life. The film also features reenactments describing Elvis's life and career. Presley is portrayed by four different actors during the course of the movie. Paul Boensch plays the young Elvis, at age ten. David Scott plays Presley as a teenager. He is depicted singing at a high school concert. Dana McKay plays "the king" at age 35, when his career was floundering. Finally, Johnny Hara portrays Elvis during his final days in 1977. Voice-over actors portraying Elvis and other characters are used to narrate certain scenes. The movie's soundtrack is, of course, filled to the brim with Elvis classics. It has sold over half a million copies and remains available today. The theatrical version of This is Elvis ran for 101 minutes. When the film was given a special double-disc DVD release in 2007, an extended version was also included. The longer version ran a total of 144 minutes, containing nearly 45 minutes of additional footage that had been cut from the film's theatrical release.