Elvis on Tour

Over the years I for one like many others have became an Elvis fan, hey it's hard not to like the man. The king was the one and only his songs were both touching and uplifting as his words touched your soul and spirit. As Presley often sang about the struggles, joys, and hardships of life. And the man's popularity lives on it's like he never died as his legacy and voice touched millions he's probably earning bigger paydays 33 years after his death! Anyway it was finally nice to get a chance to see some behind the scenes footage of the king in live action. As this award winning documentary from 1972 "Elvis on Tour" is a nice upbeat treat for any fan or film historian. It gives an all access pass to the tours of Elvis as it follows a 15 city tour. The footage a lot of it shot in duo vision and split screen style shows plenty of the king performing his hits on stage at the same time you get to view his backups singing. It follows his pack city to city ranging from states in the south like Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia to gigs in the north with the king entertaining in Michigan and Ohio.

And as any king fan remembers Elvis put on a show with his movement actions and deep soothing voice as he shined with his glitter costumes and flashy diamonds. It was hysteria seeing his many fans most females go wild and crazy from screams and tears of joy and excitement when he arrived in town as many were kept from stage while others were lucky as they got the kings lips planted on their faces! Also old vintage clips from Presleys early days are shown in black and white. Interesting note was that this man who flew in on private plane and rode private limo admits he suffered from stage fright as Elvis states he experienced it every time before he went on stage.

Really a pretty good and entertaining documentary that showcases the talents of the legendary king as Elvis Presley is still remembered and always will be the one and only king of rock and probably the greatest entertainer to have ever lived. It's a shame it ended to quick he died way to young. Overall good doc for any fan and a good watch for any film buff a documentary that gives good entertainment and lasting memories of the great.

If you're a fan of Elvis Presley like I am, then what's not to love about this thoroughly awesome documentary? It offers an excellent look at the King of Rock of Roll on tour exciting audiences as only he knew how. It's always very refreshing to see Elvis using his extraordinary talent and this film is no exception. A definite recommendation on my part.

I've never been a big fan of Elvis Presley, though I will admit he could certainly belt out a great song, and he also knew how to put on a good show in front of an audience. "Elvis on Tour" is without doubt a valuable rock and roll concert documentary, capturing what Elvis was like in a key part of his career. It shows that he still had considerable singing chops and magnetism.

But at the same time, something often seems to missing as he's singing, almost like he is just going through the motions. It may be because he was older, it may be because of the narcotics he was taking - I'm not sure why he isn't as energetic as he was just a few years earlier. The only portions of the documentary where he performs with genuine enthusiasm and energy is with a couple of gospel songs.

The behind-the-scenes portions of the documentary are also a bit of a letdown. We learn very little about Elvis, like what he's thinking about this entire tour, what he thinks about where he is in his career, and a number of other unanswered questions.

I will say, however, that the musical numbers in the movie are very well directed and edited; the split screen techniques bombard the viewer with a lot of information, giving the feeling of actually being at an Elvis concert. This does make up for Elvis' somewhat lack of the energy he had in the past, and push the movie up to being an okay viewing experience, though more for real Elvis fans than more casual appreciators like myself.

This is a multiple-screen documentary that provides an intimate and electrifying portrait of Elvis Presley. This was filmed during a 15-day tour that criss crossed the country. This dynamic glimpse of the legendary performer won the 1972 Golden Globe for Best Documentary. This is positive support proving Elvis being one of the world's most beloved entertainers. After viewing this film, even non-fans have trouble denying that Presley is the greatest American phenomenon of the 20th century.

I should stay on the fence for this one.

I mean, it's always an either/or situation when it comes to Elvis Presley: either you subscribe to a fanatical worship of him, going so far as to calling him the King, or you attack him with a generous portion of cynicism, remarking more about his capes, kung fu and his weight than about his music. Well, for me, it's always about the music. His music is what lives on. And the music is what works best in this film. Being able to watch him rehearse with band mates while backstage was an amazing 'fly on the wall' experience. Elvis had a love for music that was inspiring, and as you can see on the film, even his band members shared in the love for music and were very much in awe of him and his musical abilities. I guess that's what I take away from the film most, his love for music, whether it's country, blues, gospel or rock and roll, Elvis loved music. It was also a great thrill to see his band working out through their first live rendition of 'Burning Love' or to hear his dramatic rendition of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'. These moments are definitive proof of Elvis' ability to captivate an audience, just stunning.

However, I could have done without the cheesy '2001' intro, but you must remember, it was the 70's and who knows, you may get a perverse chuckle from hearing it. The 'Love Me Tender' film montage left me feeling sad in a number of ways. 1) In the clips we see Elvis as a young man, fit and charismatic, brimming over with so much promise. Then to cut back to see the current Elvis on stage in his capes. Just depressing.

2) The film images for the montage were taken from all of those films he made when he should have been concentrating on his music. Ironicly, the films kept him from making great music for a long period of time. Given the choice, I would rather he made music instead of 'Girls Girls Girls' or 'Viva Las Vegas' or any movie. It almost gives credence to something that is said in the film, in a totally non related way, when a loud speaker declares, "The Elvis Presley Show is a complete sell out".

All in all.....fans will loooooove the movie. People who can take or leave Elvis will deal with the movie and appreciate his talents, or at least they should. Those who are not fans will laugh at his costumes, his posse and his sides....hairy and otherwise. And you know, that's just not a good enough reason.

Me? I guess I lean more towards the 'either'.7/10.

Clark Richards