To The Odeon in Sunny Colch! …on Monday afternoon. The Morning Star Elvis Correspondent recommended that you view the new Baz Luhrmann Elvis film on the biggest FUCK OFF screen that you can. Which for me, meant Screen 2 at The Odeon on Monday lunchtime.
It helped that Mondays at The Odeon is the cheap as chips £8 price for a flick - which seems about right in my distorted Cost of Living parallel economic Universe.
We sat down in a near empty cinema and: ARSE - I’ve only gone and forgotten my bloody specs. No worries. We were on the fourth row. It’s got be better than trying to screen it off a dodgy internet connection on my iPhone in bed.
Our company for the early afternoon screening was half a dozen or so coffin dodgers, probably back from picking up their pension, if that is still a thing. Don’t believe the hype that Elvis is COOL. He also still has a strong fanbase amongst the blue rinse brigade.
The last time we were at The Odeon was to watch… Baz Luhrmann Elvis biopic. Spot the theme here? The new Elvis film is basically a collection of live footage and interviews covering the Hotel years from ‘69 to ‘77. It has a similar back story to Get Back, in that Luhrmann claims to have come across hours of previously unseen footage.
And blimey - halfway into the very enjoyable film and here we have Elvis performing Get Back live on stage. His cover of Something is one of my fave versions of a Beatles song. I had no idea that he had attempted the more upbeat Get Back. He just about passed the audition, natch.
The new film isn’t a great deal different from That’s The Way It Is - a backstage look at the Elvis Hotel years. He holds your attention on the stage, albeit morphing a little into some David Brent style dancing throughout. If in doubt, make it up. You’re still the bloody King, etc.
The band are tight as fuck. They were all seasoned musicians and knew how to serve their master well. Ronnie Tutt on drums in particular holds the stage. It’s no coincidence that Elvis always positioned him almost centre stage, staying in sight so that the two could communicate as Elvis dictated the pace of each show.
The editing by Luhrmann is a little sporadic. It interchanges throughout the years, with no real direction, chronological order, or even explanation. But you don’t really need that. You just need to sit down in front of your FUCK OFF screen and enjoy the show.
The years speed by, albeit in a non-linear style, and soon you’re staring at a grossly overweight fella backed by a band whose own waistlines and hair length have grown throughout what seemed like a never ending Las Vegas residency.
This story was only going to have one ending. Luhrmann doesn’t do the dirty on Colonel Parker in the same way that he did in the first film. Tom Hanks is brilliant in that role, btw. Instead the live Elvis film focusses on the music and the performance.
He’s still got it, even on a Monday lunchtime with some coffin dodgers in Sunny Colch.