The upcoming release of Elvis, the Hollywood biopic written and directed by Aussie Baz Luhrmann, and the March opening of a new in Victoria, has led to a renewed buzz about Elvis Presley.
Of course, there’s already a wealth of information covering the rock’n’roll legend’s life and career, from his dynamic debut in 1954 up until his tragic death in 1977 at age 42.
However, SBS On Demand has two English-language documentaries and a movie that provide fascinating insights into Presley’s legacy.
Private Elvis
The documentary Private Elvis examines the two years Presley spent in the US Army after being drafted in 1958.
The singer and actor was at the height of his career, having released 11 chart-topping singles, sold 18 million records and starred in four box-office blockbusters. But it all came to a grinding halt when Uncle Sam tapped him on the shoulder at age 23.
Director John Coxall interviews some of the key people, including close friends and fellow soldiers, who knew him during this time. Their stories – complemented by news footage, photographs and home movies – help flesh out a crucial period in Presley’s life that saw him lose his mother, meet his future wife and fret about whether he’d still have a career when it was all over.
Upon being drafted, a media scrum surrounded the entertainer’s arrival by bus at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas on March 24, 1958. Cameras filmed his every movement while he had a medical check-up, got his hair cut and was inducted into the army.
Despite his celebrity status, Presley demanded no special treatment. His down-to-earth nature and sense of fun quickly endeared him to the other soldiers.
“As we got to know Elvis a little better, we realised he was a nice person,” says Rex Mansfield, who was inducted at the same time, “and we all became protective of him. If someone would try to kid him…we would stand up for him.”
Presley was doing basic training at Fort Hood, Texas when his mother, Gladys, passed away on August 14. They were incredibly close and her death devastated the young man. Two months later, he was sent to Friedberg, Germany where he saw out the rest of his military service. It was there that another momentous event occurred when he met teenager Priscilla Beaulieu.
Mansfield says it was love at first sight. “You could tell right away there was something special about this girl,” he states, “because Elvis went ape over her.”
By the time he was honourably discharged from the army in March 1960, Presley had risen to the rank of sergeant. He’d also gained a new girlfriend and garnered a huge amount of respect from the public for doing his patriotic duty.
Instead of being a detriment to his career, Private Elvis shows how being drafted helped elevate Presley from a pop superstar to a cultural icon.
Private Elvis is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Classic Albums: Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley
Presley’s self-titled first album stunned the music world in 1956, selling 300,000 copies upon release and becoming RCA Victor’s most successful LP up till that point. It held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart for 10 weeks.
With its iconic cover featuring a photo of the charismatic singer mid-concert, Elvis Presley established rock’n’roll as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry and not just a passing fad.
The story of how it came together is told in Classic Albums: Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley, featuring interviews with Sam Phillips, BB King and Keith Richards among others.
The record was recorded over several sessions from July 1954 to January 1956, firstly at the famous Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, then at RCA Victor studios in Nashville, Tennessee and New York City.
Despite the presence of producers Phillips (Sun sessions) and Stephen Sholes (RCA sessions), the singer played a crucial part in choosing the songs and the way they were recorded.
The 12 tracks selected cover a wide range of musical styles, including country, blues and pure rock’n’roll. They reflect Presley’s influences at the time, remoulded into something uniquely his own.
The King kicks off side one with a rip-roaring rendition of Carl Perkins’ Blue Suede Shoes and he and his band don’t take the foot of the brakes for the next 28 minutes.
As Richards explains, “It was like the world went from black-and-white to technicolour.”
Classic Albums: Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Finding Graceland
The mythical qualities surrounding Presley – particularly the stubborn belief of some fans that he didn’t actually die in 1977 – are explored in the surreal 1998 American movie Finding Graceland, directed by David Winkler.
Grieving widower Byron (Johnathon Schaech) picks up an eccentric hitchhiker (Harvey Keitel) who claims to be the real Elvis Presley. Despite Byron’s doubts about the truth of those claims, he agrees to drive the old man to Memphis to visit his home at Graceland.
Along the way, they encounter various people who are convinced the hitchhiker is the King, including a highway cop who was once a childhood friend and Ashley (Bridget Fonda), a Marilyn Monroe impersonator.
Following an electrifying live performance at a casino, the truth about Elvis’s identity is exposed, threatening to permanently derail their road trip.
In the ultimate seal of approval, Priscilla Presley was an executive producer for this drama, even allowing a scene to be filmed inside Graceland.
The King may be gone but thanks to Finding Graceland, Private Elvis and Classic Albums – not to mention Luhrmann’s new movie – Elvis Presley will never be forgotten by his legion of fans.
Finding Graceland is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
More from The Guide
Travel becomes therapy in ‘Robson Green’s Icelandic Adventure’
