Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk was born on June 26th 1909 in Breda, Netherlands, where he found a natural inclination for the carnival. Pulling together all of the money he had earned on the boats of Rotterdam as a teenager, van Kuijk migrated to the United States and enlisted in the army where he assumed the identity of Tom Parker. Serving for two years before deserting (discharged with psychosis), he returned to circus life with the Royal American Shows in the 1930s, gaining contacts and surviving the Great Depression newly wedded to Marie Francis Mott. This is when Parker became involved in Talent Management, promoting crooner Gene Austin, comedian Minnie Pearl and country music singer Eddy Arnold. In 1948, after working with politician and singer Jimmie Davis, Davis granted Parker the honorary rank of Colonel which added to his stage name identity. Entering the 1950s being sacked by Arnold for being too involved with the growing popular Hank Snow (receiving a $50,000 contract buyout in the process) and all but adopting 15 year old pop singer Tommy Sands, Parker’s stock and earnings were growing. Then he discovered a 20 year old called Elvis Presley, which is where the 2022 film Elvis begins. Written, produced and directed by Baz Luhrmann, Elvis is the latest biopic to hit the big screen. Told through the eyes of his agent Colonel Tom Parker (played by Tom Hanks), we witness the many rises and falls of the best-selling solo music artist of all time Elvis Presley (Austin Butler in his first leading role).
It’s these two performances that personify my feelings towards the whole movie, so we’ll make a stop in the Heartbreak Hotel first and lead with the negatives. Hanks wearing an odd fat-suit is initially distracting and hinders his facial expressions but something my brain could adjust to. The accent, on the other hand, was incoherent and inconsistent, straying between dialect and tone whilst simply being difficult to hear at some points. This is less than ideal for one of the main stars, let alone the decision to have Hanks narrate the entire picture. Telling the story from Parker’s perspective does allow an air of mysticism towards Presley, apart from when they break this for narrative’s sake (again, something you just have to look past). However, it also means we focus on some niche moments in Presley’s life for way too long. I don’t know how I’ve made it this far without complaining about the runtime but it’s two hours and forty minutes. There’s 42 years of significant topics to cover, glossing over but at least mentioning sleeping with 14 year old Priscilla Presely née Beaulieu (Olivia DeJonge) as well as alluding to his other infidelities, so why was there so much focus on making him singing Santa Claus Is Coming To Town? Why does he keep saying Snowjob? Labouring on some of these points results in a lull during the second act and left me especially bleary-eyed as I exited the cinema.
Now that we’re discussing cutting though, I can move on to the aspects I couldn’t help falling in love with. The editing, completed by Jonathan Redmond and Matt Villa, will deservedly win all of the appropriate tech awards. Every scene smoothly fits into the next without any noticeable breaks, cleanly transitioning between various locations and time jumps. It can be quite overwhelming at the start with so much going on at breakneck speed but this aptly produces the roller coaster feeling Presley & co were likely experiencing. This is elevated by the flashing lights, bright colour schemes and screaming, adorning fans that filled the screen – replicating those carnival vibes. Keeping up with the pace is Austin Butler. Starting acting as a teenager in Nickelodeon and Disney Channel shows can be tough to get away from, but his performance as Elvis shatters any preconceived notions. Every hand gesture and dance move is choreographed to perfection (trained by Polly Bennett), with a costume design (helmed by Catherine Martin) that Butler makes his own. Above all else, it’s his voice that blurs the line between reality and film. Everyone attempts an Elvis impersonation, but being able to get Presley’s timbre accurate without sounding comical is an impressive feat, let alone performing full renditions. The film soundtrack itself is a little jarring (period pieces shouldn’t have contemporary mixes, especially if it’s Emimen and CeeLo Green) and I would have loved a bit more song variety, but seeing Butler perform at the International Hotel is as close to the real thing as you’ll get.
In summary, Luhrmann’s Elvis is divisive. For some, the trailer and near 3 hour length will be enough to baulk at the idea of sitting though the movie and that’s understandable. For others, it will be five stars, film of the year, resurrection of the king and they will love every moment of it, and that’s understandable too. For me, the astonishingly good moments outweigh the detritus despite managing to hit many of my biopic pet peeves that I have discussed over this season. The power of Butler’s performance accompanied by an unmatchable passion for Presley made for an iconic picture and a feeling that lasted hours after I had left the building.