Will there ever be another Elvis Presley? Judging by Australian director Baz Luhrmann’s eye-popping biopic dedicated to the King of Rock & Roll, probably not. Anchored by an incendiary, soul-shaking lead performance, ELVIS is pure, glorious sensory overload that manages to capture the madness of superstardom. Premiering out of competition at Cannes, it’s possibly the best thing I’ve seen so far at the festival this year.
Will keep this one brief because Cannes in its infinite wisdom programmed THREE competition titles to screen on the same day as ELVIS. People should know that structurally, the film doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It follows in more or less linear fashion the trajectory of Elvis’ career, focusing in particular on his tumultuous relationship with long-time manager Tom Parker. But when I say this film is an EXPERIENCE. Luhrmann is a director known for his flamboyant style and he goes all out here to cook up a visual/aural extravaganza for the ages.
Starting from the flashback sequences where we see the influence of gospel and black music in general had on Elvis as a child, Luhrmann dials the musical performances up to eleven to accentuate the deep, spiritual connection this young white boy feels to rhythm and blues. When Elvis starts singing and conquers ever bigger arenas, each performance is composed and shot like a full-on spectacle. The swift, vibrant camera alternates its attention between the sweat dripping down the performer’s face, the uncontrollable hysteria of the audience and the sheer size of the concerts attended by fans in record-breaking numbers. The recognizable voice of Elvis, all the rock instruments and the sea of shrieks and chants are blended seamlessly into a wall of sound that adds heat and immediacy to everything you see. Edited with great fluidity and verve, these sequences are terribly exciting to watch and really make you feel the swoon-inducing intensity of an Elvis performance.
Austin Butler, Austin Butler, Austin Butler. Where did a performance this good come from? At the end of the film they show candid footage of Elvis and you realize that even with makeup and hairstyling (meticulous, character-building, Oscar-worthy work), the two don’t look alike. And yet Butler brings such utter, easy conviction and force of charisma to the part the transformation happens far beyond the superficial level. When he takes the stage as Elvis, you very much see a man possessed, just as Elvis himself probably was. There’s an extended scene about the filming of a Christmas special where Elvis becomes openly antagonistic towards Parker. Butler carefully maps out the mental states of a man trying to get his career back on track, feeling shocked by the racial unrest in the country and obliged to send a message to the public, and eventually finding the moral courage to stand up against someone who helped make him who he is. He’s believable at every turn, giving you an intimate look at the innermost beliefs and emotions of a superstar. Hanks is very good as the greedy, manipulative manager, but it’s truly incredible to watch someone act circles around a two-time Oscar winner.
Luhrmann’s films are always eye candy and his instincts for high style prove a magnificent match for the story of one of the biggest pop stars in history. Unapologetically loud and lavish, his version of Elvis’ world feels appropriately over-the-top. It’s a world whose every aspect is so magnified even the amount of love one receives can be fatally overwhelming. I love the manically fast pace of the film and its rich, imaginative visual design, including a segment where Elvis pursues an acting career in Hollywood and the frames are suddenly made to look like classic films from the era.
It’s obviously too early to call these things but I would be surprised if ELVIS doesn’t factor prominently in the next Oscar race. It deserves to be considerd for all technical categories and, from where I’m standing, Austin Butler is a sure-fire contender for best actor.
Butler can’t win against veterans like Domingo , fraser , jackman , dicaprio , farell , firth , cacho all are in movies made by respected oscar winning or nominated directors
Looking forward to this. If it does well at the BO, despite lukewarm reviews, it could pull a BoRap and reap major Oscar noms (BP, Lead Actor…) Butler may even win, why not?, if he’s really that good. At least, makeup sounds like a done deal (for a nom).
Reviews are already better than Rhapsody.
Despite mixed reception and slight sense of disappointment, Australia and Great Gatsby had their support and alternative option and were in-the-wings threats to crash the race. If Elvis walks the walk critically and commercially then it’ll likely get in.
The only Luhrmann I personally rate is Strictly Ballroom.
I loved his Gatsby, must be my favorite film of 2013. I think I’m going to enjoy his Elvis.
Matt and I are definitely going to see this when it comes out. We are also going to see Top Gun within the next few weeks. We don’t usually see a blockbuster right when it comes out because we like a less crowded experience. Cute story—-yesterday was the anniversary of Matt’s and my engagement, and we watched Batman (1988), which we saw on our first date.
I don’t remotely go to theaters like I used to. First there was Covid, then there were no theaters, then there was more Covid, then only superhero movies/sequels (I’m done), but this is one I’ve got to go to!
RIP Ray Liotta
re: Elvis… watch out for another combo make up + performance with Tom Hanks… logic dictates that Hanks will go supporting, however, given how due he is for a 3rd and how big of a star he is, I wouldn’t be in shock if he is campaigned as co-lead.
From the many things I’ve read, Hanks is not getting nominated in any category.
He’s a mortal lock for a Razzie nomination, but he might actually get into the Oscar race as well due to his own likeability and bonus points for playing against type.
If Jared Leto’s Wario impression can get nominated by SAG and Critics’ Choice, anything’s possible.
A lot of the mixed/bad reviews are singling out Hanks’s performance as a negative. Although that was also the case with Glenn Close in 2020 and Jared Leto in 2021; she got nominated and he came reasonably close, so who knows.
When did half of Hollywood become “due” for an Oscar? The way that term gets thrown around nowadays, it’s lost whatever meaning it might have once had.
because half of Hollywood is actually due for an Oscar, think of how many have done excellent work in the past and were not even nominated! Marilyn Monroe – arguably, Hollywood’s most iconic star, ever – wasn’t even nominated… ever!
But Hanks has already won twice and you’re still calling him due. If we call everyone we like “due” the concept just doesn’t mean anything. It’s just another way of saying we like them.
he last won in 1994 (undeservingly, if you ask me… Travolta owned that Oscar)… since then, he’s been nominated again but even more times snubbed… it’s a Meryl Streep case, he’s due for a 3rd and one of the not many actors who deserves to have 3.
I have an interesting question for AD readers—-if you could nominate Marilyn for an Oscar for one role, which would it be? For me, choice #1 is Bus Stop, followed by Some Like it Hot and perhaps Prince and the Showgirl or How to Marry a Millionaire. I really need to give some of her films a re-watch.
Bus Stop, Some Like it Hot, Prince and the Showgirls (she annihilates Olivier whenever they are on screen together), How to marry a millionaire and The Misfits come quickly to my mind. The Misfits actually opened a door for a future, more drama-focused career that was tragicly cut short. Should she have won any for any of these, or another? I don’t know, but it’s really heartbreaking how she was never seriously considered as an actress, beyond the Golden Globes.
I need to rewatch her movies from the latter stage of her career. She really had a mesmerizing talent, apart from being what one commercial announcer said was “the greatest star the movies had ever known.” I think Vivien Leigh played the Marilyn part in the original production. I really need to re-read my Marilyn and Vivien biographies. I have the Summers and Spoto biographies of Marilyn among others and the Vickers, Edwards, and Walker biographies of Vivien.
The Apartment was written for Marilyn to play Shirley McLaine’s character. Probably that would have been her 1st Oscar and a career-changing turn for Marilyn.
That is so interesting. I had just mentioned Shirley MacLaine today because of The Turning Point. Grace Kelly was offered either role in that, but sadly the people of Monaco did not want her to go back to the screen, whether it was “Marnie” or anything else. It’s a shame. I loved her eleven movies and her documentary narration in Children of Theatre Street. I even have her Book of Flowers.
Shirley MacLaine must have been the go-to second choice for movies that Marilyn didn’t want to do. I think she ended up in What a Way to Go when Marilyn didn’t do it. I will look that up to make sure it’s accurate.
Of all the interesting casting stories around, there are two that I find the most interesting. 1—-Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan were slated to be in Casablanca at one point. Also, if Jean Harlow had not died, there was going to be a studio trade that put Shirley Temple as Dorothy in Wizard of Oz. My source is the Platinum Blonde book about Jean Harlow by Eve Golden.
Hanks has another movie called A Mac Called Ove in December. It’s a better role for him, if the movie works, he will definitely be in the oscar conversation.
But, no one has to worry about winning, because this is Tom Cruise’s Oscar to lose.
it’s a remake… I am unsure if that film will be generating any critical buzz…
Da fuh?? Marc Forster’s remaking A Man Called Ove as A Man Called Otto with Tom Hanks in the lead?
yeah, but it’s in English!
CODA and The Departed are exceptions. Most American remakes of foreign films go nowhere close to critical acclaim or Oscar buzz.
It’s origin is a book, so I doubt the original foreign film will ever be mentioned since I don’t really consider it a remake?
Is every new Hamlet a remake?
point being: if there had not been the swedish film, would it exist an American adaptation? Most likely not: it’s a remake.
the book is quite popular on it’s own, it’s a staple of reading groups.
Much like Dragon Tattoo. It would have been a movie based on the immense popularity of the book.
This isn’t Vanilla Sky or The Vanishing
Infernal Affairs was vastly superior to The Departed too.
I am not saying the Tom Hanks/Otto movie will win Best Pic, just that if Tom Hanks is in the Oscar nomination conversation I am willing to wager it will be the remake of the foreign film.
Austin Butler was cast as Feyd Rautha in Dune 2; just announced yesterday. Shooting begins in July. He told the NY Times he was in training for fight scenes.