Elvis

I've just watched the first half of this on DVD and can't believe I've waited so long to see it! I've never been too bothered about Elvis - he died 6 years before I was born - but this fascinated me from the first 5 minutes. I'm a fan of Johnny Rhys-Meyers anyway and this is by far the best thing I've seen him in.

I bought the DVD as a Christmas present for an Elvis fan but I think I might have to get another copy for myself now, and borrow some of her other movies about/starring Elvis too.

I understand comments about the lip-syncing, but if Johnny can't pin down the accent while singing (he's a great singer in his own right) then rather that have him do an injustice. I'd like to have heard Elvis try and sing in a Cork accent ;)

I think that Johnny, plus the actress playing Mrs Presley and the actor as Colonel Parker have all done anastounding job here. The awards they won for it are well deserved. I can't wait to get home tonight and watch the second half.

Since the dawn of time, or at least since 1592 ("Dr. Faustus" by Marlowe), the tale of a person selling their soul to the Devil in exchange for success has intrigued and thrilled audiences. Whether historically accurate in the case of "Elvis", here we have an interesting spin on that old theme.

I'm not an Elvis aficionado, I don't even own any of his albums, but my mom was a big fan. That's what got me interested in this acclaimed miniseries (worthy of its praise), but what hooked me was the subtle Faustian theme which was brilliantly pulled off by Randy Quaid as the mysterious cajun "The Colonel" who is shown to be responsible for Elvis' pyrotechnic rise to stardom as well as, you guessed it, his rude awakening.

What made this a unique telling of the classic myth is that The Colonel is not shown to be a fiendish "devil" out to snare Elvis' soul. Instead, The Colonel is almost emotionless, impartial, a stoic mirror of human ambition without any cartoonish fire & brimstone. Near the beginning of the film he asks Elvis what he wants. And by golly he gives Elvis exactly that, no tricks.

In that sense, there is no villain in this film. Only human nature. It reminds me of the Steinbeck short story "The Pearl" where a poor family finds a valuable pearl, and what you would expect to be a miracle turns out to be far less.

Reading these reviews, I see that fans of Elvis loved it. Jonathan Rhys Meyers did a great job, bore a striking resemblance to The King, and had the lip curl down pat. Elvis is portrayed in a favorable light, despite his flaws, and the music is great. I do think the story could have been a bit grittier, getting more into the drug abuse that eventually killed Elvis. But that was beyond the scope of this family-friendly film which takes up only as far as 1968. There are some strong references to his drug use and accompanying fits of violence. But for the most part, this film centers around his early years and relationship with his family (particularly his kindly mother) and his closest friends. And of course, there's the best part: The Colonel.

This is a great film for any aspiring musicians, or ambitious people of all careers. Especially in this day & age when we are hearing about so many tragic celebrities in the news who got everything they wanted except fulfillment, "Elvis" is timeless. The story of ambition and success applies today just as it did 50 years ago. And I'm reminded of a great line from the Irish movie Kisses, "There is no devil. Just people."

A true Elvis fan will appreciate the solid and outstanding effort by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He was a natural choice for this project. Aside from the strong resemblance, he also found a way to speak and move like him. He doesn't over-do the accent or the moves. The supporting cast deserves a lot of credit as well, especially Camryn's portrayal of Gladys Presley. The story is very well written and flows nicely. Most fans will enjoy learning more details about the events in his life. The music is exciting too. You will hear the original master recordings as Jonathan performs and he stays true to the tone of the song. Without a doubt this mini-series will keep you captivated.

Riveting. Elvis is portrayed as a real human being with all the trials, tribulations, and temptations we all face. This movie shows what so many of us suspected all along: Elvis was misguided and mismanaged by the Colonel who kept Elvis from reaching his full singing and acting potential. We may never know the real genius of the King of Rock n' Roll. Sad, sad indeed! The character of Elvis comes through loud and clear. He pledged loyalty to the Colonel and maintained that loyalty at his own expense. This is the best Elvis movie since the Kurt Russell flick which was simply excellent.

Rev. James W. Clifton

I have seen every movie made about Elvis with the exception of a regional drive-in movie that was fictitious called "The Legend" I believe, and not since Kurt Russell's phenomenal impersonation in the 1970s TV Movie have I seen such an amazing job of acting as done by this young kid from Ireland. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was so stunningly accurate even though the combed back hair made his forehead look a little too prominent. Still, I did not work against his extremely effective portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll. Okay, I know I'm being picky here, but having been a portrait artist for 48 years, it's hard not to notice such physical details.

What made this film all the more watchable were the acting of Camryn Manheim as Mama Presley and Randy Quaid as The Colonel. In both cases, the actors added so many shades to their characters and, despite the stories we Elvis die-hard fans know inside out, the script was put together in a way that made it all unfold as though we were there. And after not quite lookalike actors like Don Johnson with a voice that sounded more like one of David Seville's Chipmunks than Elvis, and Dale Midkiff who lacked the charisma with his slight resemblance to the man in the miniseries "Elvis And Me") this time, we had a guy we could believe was the real thing. And then there was the guy from the TV show who also played Elvis Michael St. Gerard who had such an uncanny resemblance to Elvis though with nothing close to the voice (except for the time he briefly played Elvis in "Great Balls Of Fire" and for one scene tells Dennis Quaid's Jerry Lee Lewis "Take it! Take it awwlll!") he was okay in the acting department but only okay. This guy Jonathon Rhys-Meyers has some serious acting chops. I loved his work in this one and will keep an eye out for him in the future. (And isn't it ironic how both Quaids have gotten to be connected somehow to the Elvis legend?)

So to all the Elvis haters and those who tore this film down, you don't have a clue. This was a great movie and for TV was a bloody masterpiece.

I can't wait until this sucker is on DVD or video and I can buy a copy for my personal collection. Thank you CBS for this great present.