Elvis
Presley: The Searcher was made with the
cooperation of Graceland and Priscilla Presley. It’s a massive, two-part, nearly four-hour documentary
on the life and times of The King. Quite
honestly, it could’ve been whittled down to a two-hour running time. With so many documentaries and specials about
Elvis already out there, I’m not sure why we needed another one. However, there are enough stirring moments
(particularly in the second part) to make its existence justified.
The
first part (** ½) covers Elvis’ youth, rise to stardom, and entry into the Army. All this material has been covered countless
times before and done much better in a shorter time. I also could’ve done without all the pointless
shots of the interior of Graceland while producers, writers, and other
performers talk about Elvis. The problem
is that the pool of interviewees seems a bit small. While hearing from Tom Petty and Bruce
Springsteen is cool and all, the stuff from Elvis’ friends and confidants are
much more enlightening. I for one would’ve
liked to hear more from Elvis in his own words because when he speaks, whether
through candid interviews or in song lyrics, it says more about him than anyone
else could say.
The
second half (*** ½) is a big improvement. It covers the time after Elvis’
military service, his string of Hollywood movies, the Comeback Special, and the
non-stop touring of his later years. While
I don't agree with the documentary’s consensus that his movies were mostly
terrible (even the worst ones are worth watching just because of his singular screen
presence), everything about the second half feels tighter and more concise. Also, we hear a lot more from Elvis in this
section, which helps put us squarely in his headspace.
The
most effective moments surround his final days.
When we hear Elvis singing “Hurt” days away from his death during the “Jungle
Room Sessions”, it gives us a clearer picture of what he was going through than
anything else in the movie can offer.
The moments where we hear him perform “Separate Ways” in the context of
his divorce is equally heart-wrenching.
The film also cunningly finds a way to let The King go out on top,
ending things with him performing a rousing rendition of “If I Can Dream” from
the Comeback Special.
As
good as the second half of Elvis Presley:
The Searcher is, it’s far from perfect.
They gloss over his black belt in karate and don’t mention his historic
meeting with Richard Nixon at all. Despite
that, there are plenty of good moments here.
I’m sure there was an excellent two-hour documentary lurking about, if
only director Thom Zimny had been disciplined enough to pare it down more. Even in its overlong form, it’s still worth a
look for die-hard Elvis fans.
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