The King (2017)

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.

Director:

Eugene Jarecki

Writers:

Eugene Jarecki, Christopher St. John (co-writer)

Stars:

Elvis Presley, Eugene Jarecki, James Carville

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elvis Presley	...	Self (archive footage)
Eugene Jarecki	...	Self
James Carville	...	Self - US Political Analyst
Mike Tyson	...	Self (archive footage)
EmiSunshine	...	Self (as Emi Sunshine & The Rain)
Terri Davidson	...	Self
Dale Rushing	...	Self, Elvis Impersonator
Greil Marcus	...	Self
Franklin D. Roosevelt	...	Self (archive footage)
Steve Fraser	...	Self, historian
Peter Guralnick	...	Self, author of 'Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley' and 'Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley'
Leo Bud Welch	...	Self (as Leo "Bud" Welch)
Vince Varnado	...	Self
Chuck D	...	Self
A.C. Wharton	...	Self, mayor of the City of Memphis

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

rolls royce | road trip | luxury car | archive footage | 

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Taglines:

The Rise of a King, the Fall of an Empire.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The car featured in the documentary is a 1963 Rolls Royce Phantom V touring limousine with coachwork by James Young and was owned by Elvis. It was bought by the film makers at Bonhams auction in 2014 for $396000. It was resold after filming and now resides at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

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Connections

Features King Kong (1933)

User Reviews

Good idea, unfortunately not working so well

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

The King

Filming Locations:

Parchman, Mississippi, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,050, 24 June 2018

Gross USA:

$259,291

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$273,601

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charlotte Street Films, Ghost In The Machine Films, Backup Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1