Elvis: The Final Hours (2018) Poster

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8/10
"The King is dead, long live The King!" 👑
gmanswire19 January 2023
There have been very many documentaries over the decades discussing the details on the 'final' or 'last' hours of Elvis Presley. I found this one to be the most comprehensive and brutally honest account of his tragic death at the age of 42 as told through the lens of members of the Memphis Mafia.

The "Memphis Mafia" was the nickname given by the media to a group of Elvis' friends, associates, employees and cousins whose main functions were to accompany, protect, and serve him from the beginning of his career in 1954 until his death in 1977. The interviews with core members of the Memphis Mafia were conducted in 2002 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Elvis' death. They have been used in one form or another in several documentaries over the last 20 years. Most of them can be found on Tubi or YouTube

I have pretty well seen them all and thought that this particular one was the most powerful of the bunch in the clever way they edited the interviews with archival footage for maximum impact. It not only provides intimate details of Elvis' final 24 hours but also does a great job of explaining his growing dependence to prescription drugs beginning in the late 50s through his physical decline in the 70s. A truly shocking viewing experience for all who love and miss the King of Rock 'n' Roll.

"The candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long." A quote that rings so true when it comes to telling the full story of the life and death of Elvis Aaron Presley.
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3/10
Not enough Elvis, far too much of Memphis Mafia's voice.
aggiesfotos6 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
As title.

All, Oh how much we loved him, but mostly what I got from this dreadful documentary was how much they love the sound of their own voices, especially the spiritual hairdresser. He really held court here. I got the feeling he's been dining out on his "I was so close to Elvis" stories since 1977.

Very little footage of Elvis performing.

And as for the morbidly obese member of the Memphis Mafia saying he tried to tell Elvis his diet wasn't healthy - just laughable,

I watch a lot of music docs, and they I usually come away with increased appreciation, insight, knowledge and understanding. I was mostly bored throughout this. The individual segments of each MM member talking were just too long to be interesting. It was like getting stuck with every boring uncle at every tedious family gathering.

The only new thing I learned about Elvis was that his white hair regrowth was touched up with black mascara by the hairdresser after his death, because he didn't have his dyes with him.
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