This may be the recency effect, yes one of the best films of the year. More than the debate of the right portrayal or not. The show stealer was of course Austin Butler - he may not look exactly like Elvis but his acting as Elvis was mind blowing. After the movie I saw many interviews of how Austin has been preparing for this movie for many months.
Interestingly Austin had read and seen Elvis videos, pics and sent a video of him playing a piano and singing Unchained Melody to Baz even before the auditioning started. He learnt to play guitar and he actually performed in stadiums in front of 1000’s of people. One must see the movie and then understand the effort which went behind making this movie. Of course add to this the villianish role played by Tom Hanks who is also the narrator of the movie and as always outstanding in his performance and you are set for a good trip.
Of course when Baz makes a movie, it’s his vision end to end, (he has done story - screenplay - direction) and is in full control. His sets & costume design as expected is like all his other movies - Romeo+Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge is phenomenal. I only wish I could see it in theaters.
On Elvis: Anybody who listens to music cannot ignore Elvis. He is a phenomenon who had nothing, had everything then left a vacuum which no one could fill. One feels sad when one sees how he has been exploited to the extent that he lost his life making music. But that is true for many musicians. More than music Elvis is about stage performances which is why Baz is the perfect director to make this movie.
There are plenty on the you tube: Start with these 2.
Behind the Scene video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vww_q9c8C-I
Austins’ interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6gh-PUa85s
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