Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Denis Sanders

Release Date:

11 November 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

Concert footage and backstage documentary of singer Elvis Presley. |

Plot Keywords:

Elvis Presley | Singer | Character Name In Title

Cast

Elvis Presley	...	Himself
James Burton	...	Himself - Musician
Glen D. Hardin	...	Himself - Musician (as Glen Hardin)
Charlie Hodge	...	Himself - Musician (as Charley Hodge)
Jerry Scheff	...	Himself - Musician
Ronnie Tutt	...	Himself - Musician
John Wilkinson	...	Himself - Musician
Millie Kirkham	...	Herself - Background Vocalist
Estell Brown	...	Herself - Background Vocalist (as The Sweet Inspirations)
Sylvia Shemmell	...	Herself - Background Vocalist (as The Sweet Inspirations)
Ann Williams	...	Herself - Background Vocalist (as The Sweet Inspirations)
Roger Wiles	...	Himself - Background Vocalist (as The Imperials)
Jim Murray	...	Himself - Background Vocalist (as The Imperials)
Joe Moscheo	...	Himself - Background Vocalist (as The Imperials)
Armando Morales	...	Himself - Background Vocalist (as The Imperials)

Also Known As:

Elvis: That's the Way It Was (USA) (closing credits title)
Elvis: Thats the Way It Is - Special Edition (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some language.

Runtime:

97 min | USA:94 min (special edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (special edition) | DTS (special edition) | Dolby Digital (special edition) | 4-Track Stereo (original version)

Certification:

West Germany:o.Al. | USA:G (Approved No. 22703) (original rating) | Australia:G (special edition) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG (re-rating) (2000) | Ireland:G | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

2001 special edition premiered before 2,500 Elvis fans during Elvis Week 2000.

Quotes:

Elvis Presley: As you can tell, we don't know this song. We haven't rehearsed it. We're just fooling around.

Movie Connections:

Featured in This Is Elvis (1981)

Soundtrack:

Suspicious Minds

Re-vamped 2001 edition is good...

They cleaned up the print and soundtrack, got ridda interviews with the Velvet Elvis fan-clubs(the types who claim their Cats listen to the King), the array of Sammy Davis Jr. types in attendence, and put in more lost footage of Elvis jamming/rehearsing in LA with the band. There is a version of 'Get Back' that has to be heard-it medleys into 'Little Sister' and works great.

As for the Hotel Casino concert that follows-it's great, of course. He trots out the expected hits-'Heartbreak Hotel', 'Can't Help Falling in Love', 'Suspicious Minds', etc. the last a highlight along with 'In the Ghetto' and 'Polk Salad Annie'.

He is great form, both vocally, in front of the audience and with the band. Enjoyable also is the interplay between Elvis and Hardin, Scheff and Burton, a primo guitarist if there ever was one. You can also see Cissy Houston(Whitney's mom) as one of the Sweet Inspirations backing him up.

Too often Elvis the musician, singer and regular guy-as reg as he could ever be-gets shoved aside by the nightmarish late period stereotype we all know and dread. This goes a good deal towards correcting that.

*** outta ****-good show.