Elvis : The Great Performances

Review by David Woodward

There are numerous documentaries that detail aspects of Elvis Presley’s personal and professional life. Most tend to focus either positively or negatively on the subject.

This latest compilation of material takes an honest look at Elvis’ outstanding achievements as a recording artist and performer. 

The 3-DVD boxset from Umbrella is actually made up of three documentaries which have a common thread as famed documentary producer Andrew Solt and Jerry Schilling, Elvis’ long-time friend, had involvement in all three.

Andrew Solt has an impressive record as a producer, director and writer. His involvement with Elvis as a subject goes back to 1981 when he produced This Is Elvis, a documentary that combined real-life footage and re-enacted sequences.

Jerry Schilling was one of Elvis’ protective group of friends, the Memphis Mafia.  Since then, he has had frequent involvement in documenting Elvis’ achievements, writing a book and supervising several projects sanctioned by the Elvis Presley Estate.

It is these two aspects that give this DVD boxset its real pedigree.  The audio and visual material has been meticulously researched and edited into a comprehensive examination of Elvis’ career, on stage and off.

The first DVD (Centre Stage) (1990) (52-minutes) documents Elvis’ performances on stage and includes some rarely seen (and mostly colour) footage of Elvis performing in the mid-1950s. It is fascinating to watch the raw energy that Elvis displayed at that time. 

He then moulded his stage presence into a persona that was breathtaking to watch in the late 1950s and during his triumphant return to Las Vegas in the early 1970s. Unfortunately, it is difficult (even for an unashamed Elvis fan like myself) to watch just how Elvis’ health problems affected his later performances, especially the footage filmed just two months before his death.

The second DVD (The Man and The Music) (1990) (54-minutes) concentrates more on Elvis’ private life but still manages to include some rare footage that has not been re-used a thousand times before.

The last documentary (From The Waist Up) (1997) (51-minutes) is narrated by Bono from U2 and written by Elvis author Peter Guralnick. It deals with Elvis’ TV appearances in the 1950s at a time when his manager cleverly used this form of mass entertainment to promote Elvis to the public.

Much of the material is from programs like The Ed Sullivan Show.  While some of Elvis’ raw energy is still there, it is evident that he knew what he was doing by this time and he was clearly playing with the audience whenever he twitched his hips or shook his legs!

While all three documentaries have been available for some years, this compilation boxset brings together a comprehensive look at the Elvis phenomenon. 

I have to say that it is a welcome addition to this Elvis fan’s collection and would be a great way for those less familiar with Elvis Presley to learn just what all the fuss was about all those years ago!

DVD Special Features

Nil, but it’s all there in the documentaries themselves!

Conclusion: Episodes 90% Extras: N/A