Elvis’ dark side

When the young Elvis appeared on stage with girly makeup and rubbery leg movement, some people attacked him and described him as violating customs and traditions of the 1950s.

However, the young boy continued his rebellion and became the King of Rock’n’Roll, with millions of fans and a legacy that still lives on.

The new Elvis movie, directed by Baz Luhrmann, features the life of the legendary music icon, but focuses on the dark side, which appears only backstage like his complex relationship with his manager, his drug abuse and his wrong decisions that resulted in his sudden death at age 42.

The movie begins with brief scenes of young Elvis (Austin Butler), who was raised in an Afro-American neighbourhood in Tennessee, where he falls in love with the music, fashion and way of dancing. In one scene, Elvis sneaks into a church to hear how black people sing gospel music and dance. He gets high and engages with them.

Although the film is about Elvis and his rise to stardom, it focuses much on the relationship between him and his mysterious manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

We hear the whole story from the point of view of Parker. The movie gives glimpses on how Parker was somehow responsible for the deterioration from which Elvis suffered as the former manipulated him financially over the course of 20 years. In fact, the film is more about this colonel who gave himself a fake identity and has an extremely powerful character that forced Elvis to become submissive for a large part of his career.

Parker says “I didn’t kill Elvis… I made Elvis”.  However, the movie points out how Parker’s manipulation of Elvis ruined his health and career.

It is hard to speak about Elvis without mentioning racism on race. Elvis’ dancing and singing came from Afro-Americans with whom he lived. But due to racism, some people didn’t accept Elvis’ shows and they attacked him. The director devoted part of the movie on discrimination and how Elvis succeeded in imposing his style and point of view.

Director Baz Luhrmann presents the various colours of Elvis music through soundtracks that mix blues, gospel, pop and country.

The acting throughout the movie was spectacular. Tom Hanks creatively portrays Parker as an old experienced devil who has the ability to turn even bad situations in his favour. On the other side, Austin Butler clearly appears as Elvis. He perfected Elvis’ body movements, as well as expressions that have driven audiences to obsess over him.

So, if you want to watch one of the best portrayals of the king of music, you should see this movie and enjoy the good blend of music and know a little bit about his dark side.