Bagarres au King Creole

Elvis Presley was a hugely influential performer with one of the most distinctive singing voices of anybody. He embarked on a film career consisting of 33 films from 1956 to 1969, films that did well at the box-office but mostly panned critically (especially his later films) and while he was a highly charismatic performer he was never considered a great actor.

Both 'Jailhouse Rock' and 'King Creole' in particular are proof that some of Elvis' early films are pretty good or more and that he could give a good performance when his material allowed it. Can understand totally the indifference at best towards his later films though. 'King Creole' is (along with 'Jailhouse Rock') often considered Elvis' best film, and even more widely his performance is considered his best, Elvis even called 'King Creole' his personal favourite and it is more than easy to see why on all counts.

Maybe 'King Creole' is a touch overlong, and the female characters are not as interestingly written as the male ones, somewhat lazy and it's the performances that stop them from being completely vapid. Otherwise there is very little to dislike. Have commented a couple of times on the writing and stories not being strong suits in Elvis' films, but 'King Creole' is a pleasant exception. The writing is surprisingly gritty and suspenseful, with few soap-operatic or corn elements, and the story is darker and meatier than the usual story for an Elvis film, thus one of the most absorbing.

As for Presley, his role here shows a dark and vulnerable side and he does it with intensity, charisma, swagger, charm and emotional honesty and no stiffness. Of his performances, which largely varied dependent on his material, it is agreed that this is his best. He has one of his best supporting casts, particularly a terrifyingly reptilian (while also remarkably complex for a mobster heavy) Walther Matthau, a touching Carolyn Jones and perfectly weasel-like Vic Morrow.

The songs are absolute knockouts, especially the title song, the sultry "Trouble" and the moving "As Long as I Have You". All performed by The King of Rock and Roll in his glorious and vocally distinctive prime. Michael Curtiz directs assuredly and with finesse, making one of the best-directed Elvis films, while 'King Creole's' film noir photography and atmosphere are strikingly done.

In conclusion, very good, tied for Elvis' best film and the best Elvis had to offer. 8/10 Bethany Cox

It's fair to say you've got a temper and it shows, but this time you're in a film that has some go, a great director takes your talent, a performance with great extent, after the reel flickers by, engagement grows. As Ronnie grabs your eye and you then flunk, to be expected of a 1950s punk, joining a gang you rob a store, this life is not within your core, then you land a job to realise your funk. But there's demand for all the wares that you present, and Maxie Fields' the kind of guy that holds resent, there are tricks and treachery, lives are lost, there's not much glee, in the end there's satisfaction and content.

Not the worst Elvis film you'll encounter.

If LOVING YOU (1957) seemed to me at times to play like a lighter version of A FACE IN THE CROWD (1957), this reminded me of another Elia Kazan masterpiece, ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) which is quite appropriate since this is one of Elvis Presley’s better and most popular vehicles and one of the few with genuinely talented Hollywood craftsmen behind them.

This was one of the earliest film adaptations of Harold Robbins novels – the most notable of which would prove to be THE CARPETBAGGERS (1964), THE ADVENTURERS (1970) and THE BETSY (1978; which I have on VHS but have yet to watch) – but, Hollywood being Hollywood, it had its Chicago setting relocated to New Orleans; the screenplay was co-scripted by Michael V. Gazzo who was then still fresh from the Broadway success of A HATFUL OF RAIN (later filmed by Fred Zinnemann in 1957) but is nowadays perhaps best-known for his Oscar-nominated performance in THE GODFATHER PART II (1974).

Elvis is backed by a rather stellar cast: once again, lovely Dolores Hart is featured as his love interest – when he’s not being ensnared by long-suffering gangster’s moll Carolyn Jones, which doesn’t sit at all well with vicious kingpin Walter Matthau (effectively cast as the sleek heavy of the piece); the older generation is represented by Dean Jagger, appearing as Elvis’ submissive pharmacist father and Paul Stewart playing the owner of the “King Creole” establishment (who eventually hitches up with Presley’s older sister) and the only one who’s unafraid to stand up to Matthau’s control of the territory and who signs up “busboy”/failed graduate Elvis when he’s revealed to be a talented singer. Other cast members making notable contributions are Vic Morrow as Matthau’s chief lackey/thug and an uncredited Gavin Gordon as Jagger’s bossy superior.

At almost two hours, the film is slightly overlong but the meatier-than-usual plot line, the tawdry atmosphere of the Deep South (vividly-captured through exemplary noir-ish lighting by Russell Harlan), the star’s own instinctive performance (clearly modeled after his Method-trained heroes Marlon Brando and James Dean), dazzling musical interludes (whose sheer power remains undimmed) and occasional bouts of violence keep one watching. It is said that KING CREOLE was also Elvis’ favorite among his own movies and, having now watched it myself, I can easily understand why.

Elvis Presley can act! This is perhaps his best movie and certainly the one with the strongest plot. Based on the Harold Robbins novel ‘A Stone for Danny Fisher', Elvis plays Danny with that teenage angst you'd associate more with James Dean or the young Marlon Brando. The music too is exceptional, with the sexy title track alongside of such gems as ‘Steadfast, Loyal and True', ‘Crawfish' (that unusual of things, a duet between Elvis and Kitty White), ‘Hard Headed Woman', and ‘Trouble'.

The supporting cast is also eminently watchable – Dean Jagger, Walter Matthau, Vic Morrow, Carolyn Jones – and help to move the pace along. The look of the film in its non-musical moments is strictly noir, and the whole piece is slickly directed by Michael Curtiz.

‘King Creole', and a handful of other Presley movies, hint at the movie career that he could have had without his manager Col. Parker's constant greed to display his peacock client in an ever-grating role of innocence to make money.

Elvis Presley plays Danny Fisher, a misunderstood teenager who is forced to live in a neighbourhood frequented by hoodlums because his father's business went bankcrupt and lost their other house. Danny flunks out of high school and does several dead end jobs in order to make ends meet, but it is discovered that he has a talent for singing and he is hired by nightclub owner Charlie Le Grand. However, sadistic blackmailer and criminal Maxie Fields (Walter Matthau) also has corrupt designs on Danny's talent.

Probably one of Presley's finest movies with a fairly strong storyline and assured direction by Michael (Casablanca) Curtiz. The acting is good from Presley in one of his better roles and Matthau scores as the ruthless gang boss. The film is shot in gorgeous noir black & white and the memorable tunes include "King Creole", "Trouble" and "As Long As I Have You".