Elvis (1979/I) (TV)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writer:

Anthony Lawrence (written by)

Release Date:

11 February 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

The King Lives On!

Plot:

Biographical movie about the famous rock singer Elvis Presley. |

Plot Keywords:

Elvis Presley | Mother Son Relationship | Price Of Fame | Recording | Concert

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Kurt Russell	...	Elvis Presley
Shelley Winters	...	Gladys Presley
Bing Russell	...	Vernon Presley
Robert Gray	...	Red West
Season Hubley	...	Priscilla Presley
Pat Hingle	...	Colonel Tom Parker
Melody Anderson	...	Bonnie
Ed Begley Jr.	...	D J Fontana
James Canning	...	Scotty Moore
Charles Cyphers	...	Sam Phillips
Peter Hobbs	...	Jim Denny
Les Lannom	...	Sonny West
Elliott Street	...	Bill Black
Randy Gray	...	Elvis as a boy
Will Jordan	...	Ed Sullivan

Also Known As:

Elvis the Movie (USA) (informal title)

Runtime:

150 min | UK:163 min (1988 video release) | West Germany:105 min (theatrical version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:6 (f) | Finland:S | UK:U | Netherlands:AL

Company:

Dick Clark Productions

Trivia:

The first time that John Carpenter and Kurt Russell worked together which would start both a great partnership and friendship between the two which would lead them to work together on _Escape from New York (2001)_ and so on.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)

a fine film

Elvis Presley was probably the most beloved entertainer of the twentieth century, and one of our most tragic figures. People have talked about Elvis as an ignorant hick who couldn't handle sucess. Lets face it, people who grow up barefoot poor and suddenly become the greatest entertainer in the world don't grow on trees. Someone with the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job couldn't deal with that kind of meteoric rise to fame! Elvis was a case of too much too soon. Kurt Russell had been in a film with Elvis when he was a child actor and this movie was probably the first one made of his life. It was released in February of 1979 a year and a half after Elvis's death. Its hard to believe that John Carpenter directed it, I always think of him for Halloween and Escape From New York, he did a great job I think. Kurt Russell looked enough like Elvis to pass muster with me, but he did more then that, he captured Elvis's soul and made him a flesh and blood character, not the one that you read about in The National Enquirer. I remember what I liked most about this film was its sensitive portrait of Elvis and his mother. It was said that there was never a more devoted son and Shelly Winters did a great job as Gladys and the scenes of Elvis at her deathbed and when she passed away are heartbreaking. People who knew him said that he was never the same afterwards. I have always wondered that if his mother had lived that he would have had a lot of the problems that he did that eventually led to his death at the age of 42.