Elvis
A dazzling kaleidoscope of rhinestones and jewels. Hypnotizing dance of glam meets gaudy. Dizzying between royalty and hillbilly. The “kaleidoscope” is Derived from the Ancient Greek words (Kalos), “beautiful, beauty”, (eidos) “that which is seen: form, shape” and (skopeō) “to look to, to examine”, hence “observation of beautiful forms.” The mirrors and the sparkling pieces make up the kaleidoscope. Elvis is an observation of beautiful forms, but like the mirrors in the funhouse, dizzying deception and distortion of reality. So much beauty- Elvis Presley, Austin Butler, Baz Luhrmann’s direction, Priscilla Presley, Olivia DeJonge, music, costume design, set design. Along with so much deception and distortion. Colonel Tom Parker, politics, racism, commercialism. The American Dream turned tragedy, history repeating.
Baz Luhrmann has done it again. He is a master at creating my favorite type of film. Strictly Ballroom was my introduction and I loved that movie so much and remember comparing it to another favorite a few years later when Muriel’s Wedding came out. Two years later though was when my love for Luhrmann was cemented. I still remember sitting in the theatre and watching in awe as Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes portrayed the title characters in Romeo and Juliet. The style of the movie was mesmerizing. Modern mixed with Shakespearean; the music, the costuming, the frantic cinematography. I bought the soundtrack on CD as soon as possible and relived the experience over and over. ‘Kissing You’ by Des’ree is especially nostalgic to this day as it instantly takes me back to that beautiful ‘love at first sight’ scene. The glowing fish tank, the wings, the armor, the innocence, the curiosity. Thankfully we have been blessed with more including Moulin Rouge! Ewan McGregor keeps appearing in my favorites as he was also in Trainspotting and later a similar to Baz Luhrmann's fantastical directing in Tim Burton’s gorgeous, Big Fish. I love playing Seven Degrees of Separation with movies and music so before I go off on a wild tangent I’ll get back to Luhrmann. He has truly conquered this story. Elvis Presley’s story is as most Hollywood or Rags to Riches stories tend to be, complicated and without a lack of controversy. Luhrmann has done a beautiful job celebrating the dark and hopeful parts with perfect casting, music choices, and of course colorful and artistic sets. I loved the switching in and out of present and past and the creative ways he linked Elvis’ familiar trademark symbols such as the connecting of the TCB lightning bolt, blue suede shoes, etc. Bravo to Luhrmann for another masterpiece.
Austin Butler became Elvis. He somehow seemed to have been touched by the King of Rock and Roll’s spirit and played the hell out of that role! I was amazed as I watched. Butler slips away and leaves you watching Elvis. He perfected the dance moves, the gestures, and mannerisms, the speech. Looking forward to seeing him receive nominations when award season comes around. Olivia DeJonge gave a great performance and had an uncanny similarity to the timeless beauty that is Priscilla Presley. Tom Hanks needs no explanation, he is among the gold standard of actors and proves he can also creep you out when the script calls for it. Other great appearances include Jodi Smit-McPhee who I loved in The Power of the Dog. Model Alton Mason as Little Richard, sung by Les Greene, of American Idol was a fun treat. Other musical appearances include Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Shonka Dukureh as Big Mama Thornton. Important inclusion of the black artists who influenced and originated the music of Elvis Presley and of those currently updating and covering those songs for this latest telling of this musical piece of history. The soundtrack has been playing on a loop all weekend.
Growing up, Elvis was an artist that got heavier playtime in Casa Lopez. Again, I often find myself describing my parent’s influence on my love and knowledge of music. My dad really loved Elvis and I really loved listening to him sing his songs and especially loved watching as he would bust a move dancing to Elvis at any big family party. It was usually ‘Hound Dog’, ‘Jailhouse Rock’, ‘All Shook Up’ or The Beatles: ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ or ‘She Loves You’. My Papi would turn into the life of the party if one of those songs came on. Hip swivels, finger-snapping, hand-clapping, twisting, side shuffling, shoulder shrugging, and even a jump to land in the splits if we were lucky. I have pictures of my dad with the white t-shirt and leather jacket look. Was it Elvis trying James Dean and Marlon Brando and then The Beatles trying Elvis and then our dads trying all of them? It all came back with American Graffiti, Grease, and again with The Outsiders. Elvis brought glam to the greaser. Rockabilly flair to perfectly tailored and colorful Lansky suits. Way before Harry Styles and his Gucci partnership, Elvis was wearing Lansky and looking so good in those suits. Of course, the movie does an amazing job of showing us the transformation into his other iconic looks. The leather suit for his comeback concert and his most copied bedazzled jumpsuit look. My dad wore one of those for Halloween one year, it was great. He was sure to sing and dance along to Elvis tunes at my Tio Hugo and Tia Evelyn’s Halloween party so he might as well dress the part. Catherine Martin’s work on Elvis's costume design was stunning. Seems like so much pressure to design for your husband’s film but they have made a great team many times before so by now it may be just another day at work for the power couple.
In my love of his music and of this film I in no way ignore that there are parts of his life that would have possibly canceled him today. There is a fair share of problematic issues that one can bring to the table when discussing Elvis. If you are familiar with my posts and writing you know I don’t tend to shy away from these topics. Like all of us, Elvis was a human being and far from perfect. This film did a great job of putting some of his faults on display while skipping some of these issues or only subtly hinting and instead focusing on the destruction that was caused by the very people meant to have his best interests. The trusting, good southern boy side of Elvis got in his way in standing up to the evil and greed that surrounded him. Elvis is a treat for the senses or rather an explosion of them. Heart racing, dancing in my seat and breathtaking. It's definitely a must see in theaters type of film. Go see it, and when you do you’ll most definitely….Thank me, thank me very much!
