Almanac Music: Baz Luhrmann’s new movie ‘EPiC – Elvis Presley in Concert’ 

 

 

Review by Stan Kluzek

 

Any of  Almanac readers, would have detected by now, that I’m a bit of an Elvis Tragic.

 

Having just seen the new movie EPiC – Elvis Presley in Concert at the IMax in Melbourne, I felt it important to write a short review on the documentary.   There is no doubt that Baz is also a recent Elvis Tragic.  The effort that Baz has  put into resurrecting footage from 50 years ago, shows his passion for his craft, but also his passion for Elvis.

 

Baz says it’s the world concert that Elvis never got to do.   A concert it isn’t though.  It is a lot of archival footage restored, with audio dubbed over some found silent footage.

 

Baz enlisted Peter Jackson’s team (Restoration of Beatles Get Back) to assist with reimagining the documentary.  The combination of film footage and audio is fantastic.

 

What we see is Elvis at his best, in the early 1970s, (1970 to 1972).  We see him rehearsing, producing, sweating, laughing, and in concert. Elvis talks candidly about himself.  The images are heartwarming and shows Elvis’s passion for his craft.  Throughout the film you see Elvis fine tuning his presentation.  The documentary shows that Elvis never needed a producer in the studio or in live concerts.  He was the producer.  He may have never written any songs, but from the 1950s until his death in 1977, he was responsible for the interpretation of his music.

 

On stage, Elvis’s musicians had a fair idea of what Elvis was up to, but they had to be eagle-eyed at all times to anticipate what Elvis was going to pull out of his head.   Watch drummer Ronnie Tutt during the song Suspicious Minds.  Elvis gives him a real workout.  What is also evident is Elvis’s very positive relationship with his band and backup musicians.

 

Tony Joe White would have been very proud of Elvis’s interpretation of ‘Polk Salad Annie’, which is one of many highlights of EPiC.

 

Elvis always said that he had to give his audience a performance, or they might as well just stay at home and listen to his records.  So his relationship with his audience is also an important aspect to the film.

 

If you’re not into Elvis, but maybe curious about this new perspective on Elvis, then give it a chance.

 

 

Read more from Stan Kluzek Here.

 

 

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