Elvis

Sam@Cult Labs · #1 19th July 2010, 06:02 PM

ELVIS

KURT RUSSELL
IN A CAREER-DEFINING,
EMMY AWARD NOMINATED PERFORMANCE
AS THE KING OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL.

Just two years after Elvis Presley died, actor Kurt Russell and director John Carpenter brought him back to life in what has since become the definitive biopic of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Rarely seen in the UK since its 1979 edited theatrical release, a little seen VHS version and subsequent but infrequent TV broadcasts, John Carpenter’s Elvis now comes to DVD and Blu-ray for the first time, presented in its complete, unedited 168-minute version restored from the original film elements.

In a career-defining performance that many consider to be the finest movie portrayal of The King to date, Kurt Russell (who was nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actor Emmy for his role) stars in the title role in a movie that would mark the first of his now legendary five collaborations with Carpenter (Escape From New York; The Thing; Big Trouble In Little China; Escape From LA).

Tracing Elvis’ life from 1945 – when, as a ten-year-old boy living in Tupelo, Mississippi, he received his first guitar – to 1969 and his triumphant return to the stage at the International Hotel in Las Vegas (his first public shows in nearly ten years), Elvis lovingly and faithfully recreates the key moments in the King’s life, from his meteoric rise to fame, his time in the army, his mother’s untimely death and his fateful meeting with Priscilla Beaulieu to his ill-advised movie career, the birth of his daughter, Lisa Marie, and his incredible comeback.

Something of a family affair as movies go, Elvis co-stars Russell’s real-life father Bing Russell (The Magnificent Seven) as Elvis’ father, Vernon Presley, and Russell’s real-life wife, actress Season Hubley (Escape From New York) as Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. Rounding out the star-studded cast are two-time Oscar winner Shelley Winters (A Patch Of Blue; The Diary Of Anne Frank), Pat Hingle (Commissioner Gordon in the Batman movies) as Colonel Tom Parker, Ed Begley Jr (Pineapple Express) as drummer DJ Fontana, Charles Cyphers (Escape From New York; The Fog; Halloween II) as Sam Phillips, Ellen Travolta (Charles In Charge) as Marion Keisker, Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) as “Memphis Mafia” member Joe Esposito and Melody Anderson (Dead And Buried; Flash Gordon) as Elvis’ high school sweetheart.

A rare, non-genre movie from the ‘Master of Horror’ and a surprisingly heartfelt and moving portrayal of a remarkable life, Elvis is essential viewing for fans of John Carpenter, Kurt Russell and, of course, Elvis Presley.

Above: HMV exclusive postcard sets available in DVD & Blu-Ray editions

Elvis (cert. U) will be released on DVD (£15.99) and Blu-ray (£19.99) by Fremantle Home Entertainment on 16th August 2010. Special Features include: audio commentary by Ronnie McDowell (Elvis’ singing voice) and Edie Hand (Elvis’ cousin); ‘Bringing A Legend To Life’ (original 1979 ‘making of’ featurette; rare clips from American Bandstand – Elvis Day (4th July 1964); photo gallery; song selection; scene selection.