Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley

I thought this documentary was well done. I've seen many on Elvis and this one was very enjoyable and not over the top! Most of the other reviewers seem to have felt the same way! However, there's always that one that has to somehow make it political (see his heading usual suspects) which is ridiculous! I thought all the cameos were excellent! I especially liked Darlene Love's insight! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm definitely not a big fan of Conan but he was really good in this and made some very good points from an entertainers view! I would definitely recommend this documentary to any Elvis fan! 👍

In an era of perfectly curated social media personas and algorithm-driven stardom, "Return of the King" doesn't just reframe Elvis - it holds up a mirror to our own time. Through a masterful reexamination of iconic moments, particularly the raw electricity of the '68 Comeback Special, this documentary doesn't unearth lost footage so much as strip away decades of accumulated mythology to reveal a shocking truth: we've been looking at Elvis through the wrong end of the telescope all along.

The film's genius lies in its reconstruction of familiar scenes, most notably from 1968, where we finally understand what we're actually witnessing: not just performances, but prison breaks. When Elvis tears through "If I Can Dream," the camera lingers on moments we've seen before but never truly understood - this isn't just a comeback, it's a man literally breaking free from his chains, if only for a moment. The sweat isn't from the hot lights; it's from the effort of pulling back the curtain on reality itself.

Colonel Tom Parker emerges not just as a manager but as an architect of limitation, a master builder of golden cages. Yet what makes this portrayal so haunting isn't its villain, but its relevance - how many Colonel Parkers exist today, their methods refined by technology, their control made absolute by algorithms and analytics?

The documentary's most powerful revelation comes in its deconstruction of Elvis's infamous nervousness before performances. These weren't the jitters of an insecure star - they were the tremors of a human vessel preparing to channel something larger than himself. Watch his hands shake before the '68 special, then witness those same hands minutes later commanding the stage with supernatural confidence. This isn't stage fright being conquered; it's transformation being documented.

Modern audiences accustomed to seeing their stars as brands will find something both foreign and deeply familiar here. The film speaks our language - it understands our obsession with performance, our worship of excellence, our endless pursuit of the next level. But beneath this familiar framework, it plants a devastating question: what if what we call 'peak performance' is actually just the ceiling we've built over our own heads?

The technical achievement in sound restoration serves a higher purpose here - it's not just about clarity, it's about truth. When Elvis breaks through in certain moments, particularly during the '68 special, the audio quality captures something that feels less like music and more like testimony. These aren't just good performances; they're proof of what happens when authentic talent momentarily escapes its constraints.

To the casual viewer, this might just seem like another well-made music documentary. To those paying attention, it's a blueprint of both imprisonment and escape, rendered in rhinestones and rebellion. The true genius of this film is how it speaks simultaneously to both audiences - offering surface-level excellence while encoding deeper truths for those ready to receive them.

Watch this film. Then watch it again. First time for the spectacle, second time for the spaces between the spectacle. Pay attention to the moments when Elvis isn't performing - or rather, when he stops performing one role and accidentally reveals another. There's a reason these particular performances have resonated through decades, why they feel more real than reality itself. They're not just moments of great entertainment; they're moments when the truth broke through, when authentic expression escaped the machinery built to contain it.

This isn't just a documentary about Elvis - it's about every pure impulse that's ever been packaged, every wild talent that's been tamed, every truth that's been transformed into product. But more importantly, it's about how that truth always finds a way to shine through, if only for a moment, if only for those with eyes to see.

In an age where authenticity itself has become a marketing strategy, "Return of the King" reminds us what the real thing looks like. And once you see it, you can never unsee it again.

This is an EXCELLENT Documentary about The Greatest Showman/Entertainer Of All Time. The Documentary tells the Elvis story from the very beginning, and throughout his amazing career as a singer/entertainer, including his many ups, and some downs. His story is told through the people who knew him well. The documentary shows many wonderful photographs of him throughout his colourful career. Showing many clips of him singing lot's of his great songs, many clips of his shows/concerts, his interviews, and personal family/friends footage, though a lot of it on view to the general public, which would follow him around throughout his life, as though he was 'public domain'. I know the many legions of Elvis Fans around the world, including the many hundreds or thousands of Elvis impersonators, who will have seen the many documentaries made of Elvis, to know how this latest documentary compares to the previous one's, and how good they think it is. For me, who has 'Johnny Cash' as my number one singer, and seen a number of Elvis documentaries over the years, find this one my favourite. Really nice to see, and hear Bruce Springsteen talking highly of Elvis. Like me, I do hope you all enjoy this highly rated Elvis documentary. (ps)

A great documentary about the King that showcased the incredible talent and charisma Elvis had. It documents how Elvis's meteoric rise to fame was followed by formulaic movies that were about making as much money as possible. It was sad to see Elvis reduced to mindless entertainer doing anything for money. The 68 Comeback special is so iconic because it showed his fightback and talent he wanted to share with the world. It showcased old and present day Elvis where for a moment he took control of his destiny and journey. It is unforgivable what Colonel Parker did to Elvis and tragic how this great figure became a prisoner of his fame and his manager. After this comeback and revival, the King would live for less than a decade. He was a work of art and had incredible talent. I only wish they showcased a little more backstage footage of the special for the King.

I never understood Elvis growing up in 1970s Ohio. My parents were fans and we had his LPs in our wood console stereo cabinet, but to me, he was a Vegas lounge act from an era when where careers went there to die. After we watched Netflix's fascinating documentary on Elvis' 1968 NBC comeback special, "Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley", I finally got it. This compact and insightful film gives a well-rounded view of the man, the myth, the legend, (re)igniting an admiration for his artistry.

We then followed up with Sofia Coppola's film, "Priscilla", providing another layer of perspective on the Elvis story. The biopic gives the perspective of Priscilla Presley (though vociferously denied by Lisa Marie), offering a full view of the sad, complicated tale of a flawed genius gone too soon and the woman he loved. I found Priscilla more engaging than expected, and Coppola's direction and impeccable use of popular music, as seen to great effect in "Marie Antoinette", added depth and emotional resonance to the story.

To close out our Elvis era, we re-watched Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis", featuring Austin Butler's magnetic portrayal, which was even better the second time round, and "Viva Las Vegas" with Elvis and Ann-Margret, in a light, frothy romp around Sin City. To wrap up my deep dive into all things Presley, I just started Lisa Marie and Riley Keough's biography "From Here to the Great Unknown".