Elvis (1979)

Great Film overall

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

"Elvis" is an absorbing biopic,mostly thanks to Kurt Russel's terrific portrayal and a well-chosen music sometimes anachronistic ("until it's time for you to go" which can be heard during Elvis AND Priscilla's romance was actually recorded in 1972) Shelley Winters is the prefect choice for Elvis' s mom ;Elvis is not shown as an uneducated moron ,but as a smart young man of taste -he hates the movies he makes:some may remember he was considered for the part of Tony in "west side story".His readings show a personality preoccupied with spiritual longings.A biopic to be recommended,but nothing is told about Elvis' reaction to the changing music world of the sixties .Elvis is often,on the other hand,haunted by gloomy thoughts about his late twin brother.

I have loved this movie since I first saw it in 1979. I'm still amazed at how accurately Kurt Russell portrays Elvis, right down to how he moves and the expressions on his face. Sometimes its scary how much he looks, acts, and talks like the real Elvis. Thankfully this is being released on DVD, so all of us that have been waiting can finally have an excellent quality version of the full length film. I have heard the detractors, who say that there are some inaccuracies, or some things left out, but I think that keeping in mind that John Carpenter only had about 2 1/2 hours to work with, and that this was being shown on television (just two years after Elvis's death!) that he did a fine job with this. In fact I haven't seen another Elvis movie that even comes close to this one. Highly recommended.

Sure, this is not the greatest "made-for-tv" movie ever (I've seen alot worse), and yes, at times the lip-sync is "out-of-sync", but still, this movie is worth a shot. Good luck trying to find it at the local video store, I looked high and dry with no luck, finally had to buckle down and buy it on e-bay. Not a huge Elvis fan, so the many alleged inaccuracies in the movie really didn't bother me that much. I am, however, a big Kurt Russell fan and that is what is important here.......Kurt Russell's impersonation of Elvis is perfect.....from the intonation in his voice to his moves on stage, no one has ever portrayed The King better. I've always felt Kurt Russell was an under-rated/appreciated actor....well, this flick proves he is a very capable actor. Thank ya.......thank ya very much.

This magnificently produced biop of Elvis Presley contains an eerie, almost frightening portrayal of Presley by Kurt Russell, who literally seems to be inhabited by Elvis' spirit. Physically, the movie is perfect in casting and location - you could see a freeze of any frame of this film and know it's about Elvis.All that being said, die-hard Elvis fans will be left frustrated by the movies' gaping holes and unnecessary inaccuracies, the biggest of which is that the film stops in 1970 when Elvis lived until 1977. One can understand having to leave out parts and truncating others but this film went too far. There is nothing indicating Elvis' drug use, which began in the army; nothing that touches on the other women in his life while he was with Priscilla; he and Priscilla seem to be talking divorce in 1969; Elvis' Vegas opening is combined with his later touring - and the concert opens with "2001: A Space Odyssey" - no way; Elvis rants and raves about the movies he has to make, but it's 1968, he's supposed to be doing his comeback special and he's just about free of the films; and on and on. For dramatic effect, the circumstances of his mother's death were changed so that Elvis is present in the hospital room - yet the true description of Elvis learning of his mother's death in the Peter Guralnick book is much more harrowing. Interestingly, however, the film does touch on Elvis' lethal enmeshment with his mother and the "twinless twin" syndrome, showing him often talking with Jesse. If they could draw on those elements, the producers certainly could have come up with a more accurate script.