Elvis: That's the Way It Is

Elvis: That's the Way It Is
Directed by Denis Sanders
Starring Elvis Presley
Cinematography Lucien Ballard
Edited by Henry Berman
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • November 11, 1970 (1970-11-11)
Running time
 108 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Elvis: That's the Way It Is is a 1970 American documentary film directed by Denis Sanders. The film documents American singer Elvis Presley's Summer Festival in Las Vegas during August 1970. It was his first non-dramatic film since the beginning of his film career in 1956, and the film gives a clear view of Presley's return to live performances after years of making films.

Overview

The original concept as devised by technical advisor Colonel Tom Parker was in view of Elvis's triumphant return to live performances was a closed circuit television presentation of one show.

Although most of the footage takes place onstage at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, there are several other parts to the film:

Onstage in Las Vegas

The Elvis Summer Festival at the International Hotel began on August 10, 1970, and the MGM film crew was on hand to film this show as well as the evening and midnight performances of August 11, 12 and 13. He sings many well-known songs, including several of those that he had been seen rehearsing earlier in the film. The songs are:

Elvis is also seen relaxing in his hotel suite with various members of his entourage. The movie is also intercut with footage of fans offering commentary about what Elvis means to them; officials at the International Hotel; and celebrities (including Sammy Davis Jr., Cary Grant, Charo, George Hamilton, Juliet Prowse and Xavier Cugat) arriving for opening night of the show.

Shows/Rehearsals

Cast

Reception

The concert film reached #22 on the Variety National Box Office Survey on its original theatrical release in 1970.

Soundtrack album

A soundtrack album was released in conjunction with the film. It was Presley's first full-length film soundtrack album since 1968's Speedway, and the last as his final film, 1972's Elvis on Tour, did not have a soundtrack release. It was only a partial soundtrack release, as it did not include all of the live performances, and substituted studio recordings for some of the songs performed in the film (some of these recordings can actually be heard playing during the film itself).

A Special Edition was released in 2001 in conjunction with the Special Edition of the movie. This consisted of three discs:

However the following shows are also available on CD:

2001 version

In 2001, a new version of That's the Way it Is was compiled. The new version eliminated much of the documentary and non-Elvis content of the original in favor of adding additional performances of Elvis rehearsing and in concert. The final film runs 12 minutes shorter than the original, but contains more music, although several performances included in the original film are omitted (most notably the concert performance of "I Just Can't Help Believin'", even though the new version of the film features footage of Presley rehearsing the song and being concerned about remembering its lyrics on stage).

The special edition was released on January 19, 2001, when this new version made its worldwide debut on the cable network, Turner Classic Movies and produced by award winning producer Rick Schmidlin.

In August 2007 a two-disc DVD "special edition" was released by Warner/Turner that has both the reworked version plus the original cut. The original, however, has only a mono soundtrack [it was made with 4 track stereo]. The DVD also includes approximately 35 minutes of additional performances and other footage that was not included in either edition.

2014 version

A Two Disc Special Edition Premium Digibook was announced for release in August 12, 2014. With thousands of feet of materials including sequences added to capture with greater intimacy Elvis' performances and his creative process behind-the-scenes, the previously released Special Edition is now being made available as a Blu-ray two disc Special Edition Premium Digibook. Denis Sanders (Shock Treatment) directed this "rockumentary." Academy Award® nominated Lucien Ballard (The Wild Bunch) was the cinematographer. Disc 1 (DVD) 2001 Special Edition and Special Features: - Patch It Up: The Restoration of Elvis: That's The Way It Is - 12 Outtakes - song/nonmusical sequences - 1970 Original Theatrical Version Disc 2 (DVD) 1970 Original Theatrical Version and Special Features: - 12 Outtakes - song/nonmusical sequences

See also

External links

DVD reviews

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