Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Elvis Presley | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
Eugene Jarecki | ... | Self | |
James Carville | ... | Self - US Political Analyst | |
Mike Tyson | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
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EmiSunshine | ... | Self (as Emi Sunshine & The Rain) |
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Terri Davidson | ... | Self |
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Dale Rushing | ... | Self, Elvis Impersonator |
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Greil Marcus | ... | Self |
Franklin D. Roosevelt | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
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Steve Fraser | ... | Self, historian |
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Peter Guralnick | ... | Self, author of 'Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley' and 'Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley' |
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Leo Bud Welch | ... | Self (as Leo "Bud" Welch) |
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Vince Varnado | ... | Self |
Chuck D | ... | Self | |
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A.C. Wharton | ... | Self, mayor of the City of Memphis |
Forty years after the death of Elvis Presley, a musical road trip across America in his 1963 Rolls Royce explores how a country boy lost his authenticity and became a king while his country lost her democracy and became an empire.
The King is essentially three or four really good documentaries edited into one and that's where the trouble starts. Elvis' life and career are fascinating to watch. And the lies on which the American dream is built - stolen land, slavery, apartheid, the corrupted political system - deserve every effort to refocus public awareness. The roadtrip in Elvis' old Rolls Royce is a nice idea. Just that trying to link his rise and fall to all that happens in America over the past 70 years seems forced and doesn't give each story the necessary time and attention. Viewing The King I felt like watching an interesting docu on TV while someone else got hold of the remote and constantly switches to another channel. 8 Stars for the original idea, 2 Stars for execution.