Brian Viner's 'Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert' Captures the King at His Most Riveting

EPiC: The Elvis Presley Concert (12A, 90 minutes)

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In a year's time, it will mark fifty years since Elvis Presley passed away at the young age of 42, severely overweight and reliant on numerous prescription medications.

Had director-producer Baz Luhrmannwaited an additional 12 months before unveiling this remarkable documentary, the emotional impact of the 50th anniversary could have provided some valuable promotional strength.

However, Luhrmann didn't want to wait that long – and once you watch this movie, featuring the convenient EPiC acronym, you'll grasp the reason.

Furthermore, even though it centers on the early 1970s, just a few years prior to his tragic passing, it is not concerned with Elvis's death. Instead, it portrays him as being incredibly vibrant and full of life.

At the UK premiere last week, Luhrmann described how the project began. While working on his acclaimed 2022 biographical film Elvis - whichfeaturing Austin Butler in the leading role, alongside Tom Hanks portraying a notably menacing Colonel Tom Parker, Presley's authoritative manager- He discovered at least 65 boxes containing previously unseen Las Vegas concert footage. They were hidden deep within salt mines in Kansas, where Warner Bros stores its archives.

Was there ever anything so joyful that came from a salt mine? The negatives were about to be lost, and there was no sound, so Luhrmann, along with editor Jonathan Redmond and other experts, had a lot of work remaining to do.

However, with the assistance of director Peter Jackson, whose team had previously handled a comparable task with extensive old Beatles footage, the film was restored and the original audio was located and synchronized.

At the same time, Luhrmann found a worn-out old audio tape featuring Elvis speaking openly about his remarkable life. This was also included in the mix.

The outcome is captivating, and will not only leave devoted Elvis fans deeply impressed.

Anyone who has even a slight interest is likely to be captivated by his stage presence, which we were all aware of, and his deep musical talent, which some of us may have overlooked. The combination of both elements creates an impressive display.

A remarkable rendition of "Suspicious Minds" concludes with a drum solo that Elvis fully embodies, trembling like a religious zealot consumed by spiritual rapture.

Certainly, this is not a completely honest depiction, almost intentionally so. Luhrmann mixes the concert footage with older archival clips, yet there's no indication of any misconduct in his relationship with the (very) young Priscilla, nor any signs of his growing addictions. Above everything else, it's a bold, lively tribute to a star clearly still at his physical and artistic peak, aiming to entertain his audience, not provoke them.

When he politely comments during a press conference that he likes to keep his opinions on the Vietnam War private — "I'm just an entertainer, I'd rather not say" — it's clear that we're supposed to admire his humility. Indeed, his self-restraint is very different from many people today who use their public speaking opportunities as megaphones for their views.

A closing caption tells us that from 1969 to 1977, Elvis played in Las Vegas more than 1,000 times. Clearly, this intense schedule had a cost, and in the interview, he mentions this, discussing his feeling of loneliness even amidst a crowd. Very few people realized that it was Elvis himself who felt alone that night.

We also hear him regretfully expressing that he wished to tour the UK, an aspiration thwarted by Tom Parker. We don't see much of Parker in this, but whenever we do, the song playing over the footage is intentionally playful: You're The Devil In Disguise.

Overall, the movie focuses on the Vegas era – both on and off stage – with Cary Grant and Sammy Davis Jr. among those seen showing post-show respect to the singer.

"You began to accelerate and never ceased," praises Davis, who is no stranger to the art of performance.

That era in Elvis's career is often dismissed as nothing more than a surge of tacky style. It's accurate that if he was experiencing a downturn at that point, it would be reasonable to mock the flashy rhinestone outfits, the enormous stand-up collars resembling those of an alien royal, the massive rings, and the sideburns resembling fabric samples.

But we now understand that he was actually in better shape than ever.

At last week's premiere, Luhrmann received a loud round of applause when he informed us that not a single frame of artificial intelligence was used in his film, and that 'the only visual effect is the impact Elvis has on his audience'.

It's truly impressive that, 49 years after his passing, a new audience can still be energized by the king of rock 'n' roll.

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert premiered in IMAX yesterday and will be available in theaters across the country starting next Friday.

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