During the week of Elvis' birthday this year, I was fortunate to tour Graceland and attend the US premiere of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert. This is what is learned.
The upcoming EPiC Movie: Elvis Presley in Concert was created by Baz Luhrmann, featuring long-lost footage from Presley's legendary Vegas residency in the 1970s, woven together with rare 16mm footage from Elvis on Tour and treasured 8mm film from the Graceland archive, along with rediscovered recordings of Elvis telling 'his side of the story.'
Because EPiC is more like a documentary, there are no actors; it's just raw footage and audio engineered to tell an interesting story. That's why film editing is so crucial to a film like this. Baz Luhrmann got his go-to guy, Jonathan Redmond, who also edited his original Elvis film, to oversee the project.
Fifty-nine hours of raw footage were discovered as they were making the first Elvis film. It took several years after discovering the footage to navigate multiple hoops and roadblocks before the actual editing could begin.
Redmond stated, "We had so many great performances of it. And I was, as you know, a little indecisive. I couldn't choose which one to focus on. I ended up using them all because I love the rehearsals. And his stage performances were great as well. It was a challenging piece to put together because the tempos of the different versions were all different and shifting because Elvis conducted his band live on stage often, so every performance was different. That made it hard to put together, but it also ended up quite exciting and different."
Managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Mr. Joel Weinschanker, stated, "The best voice that can speak for Elvis is Elvis. When you see this film, you see a candid Elvis Presley speaking about himself. So, it's a really tremendous film."
Today, Elvis' unparalleled style and artistry continues to thrill audiences, create fans, and inspire new generations of musicians around the world.
There really isn't a lot of technology in EPiC. It's the closest that you will ever come to seeing Elvis speak about himself for himself in a very casual way. Elvis did not like to toot his own horn. He was not political. He was not a songwriter. He was a performer. And when you got him on stage, there was nothing like him.
Watching Elvis in EPiC is like watching Da Vinci paint or Beethoven compose. Elvis was his own band leader, and he took performing to the next level.
Country Music Hall of Fame member Tony Brown was a part of Elvis' famed TCB (Taking Care of Business) Band. Though he played for and/or produced legends like the Oak Ridge Boys, Emmylou Harris, Alabama, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood, Wynonna, Reba, George Strait, and many more, he considers working with Elvis as the highlight of his career.
Elvis' TCB bassist, Jerry Scheff, recalls, "When he was on the stage, he controlled the stage. We were facing him, and he gave us all of it, but he told us when to start and when to stop. Sometimes he'd start songs we didn't even know. He was our conductor. And I was never ashamed of anything that he ever did while I was on stage."
Gospel music was a big part of Elvis's shows. He grew up with it and loved it. He would often sing it in his dressing room and before and after shows. The three Grammys he won were for gospel music. TCB pianist Tony Brown explained, "The reason he sang [gospel music] was because he wanted the people to hear it. He wanted people to be drawn to that music. He drew people closer to God."
The Imperials often backed up Elvis during the gospel segment. Member Terry Blackwood stated, "We're just blessed to have been a part of what Elvis enjoyed. He seemed to physically change on stage. When he was singing gospel, he seemed to be almost like Clark Kent turning into Superman. Something happened physically to him."
Tony Brown stated, "His voice was so magical until the very end. At his last concert (which no one knew was his last concert), his voice was so powerful. It never, ever wavered. And I was amazed at that because I know he got a little heavy there at the end, but he couldn't do the kicks like he used to do. He could sing his ass off."
One of the most critical aspects of Baz Luhrmann's EPiC movie and his 2022 Elvis movie is bringing an authentic Elvis to young people who have only heard about him via their grandparents. Because of this film, many young people are talking and making podcasts about Elvis. They are energized about this entertainer they are discovering.
The person on this planet who knows the most about Elvis Presley is Vice President of Archives and Exhibits for Elvis Presley Enterprises, Angie Marchese. She has worked with the Elvis Presley estate since 1989. She has seen and heard every video/recording of Elvis ever made. But even she was surprised by the EPiC movie.
She shared, "There were a lot of new camera angles and different takes and footage I'd heard of that I had never seen before. Such as Elvis sitting on a stool with the guitar, playing (the Beatles) "Get Back" and all of those types of songs during rehearsals. But the most interesting thing is how personal the movie is. I was mesmerized from the time the movie started until the time it ended."
She continued, "The way that Baz (Luhrmann) and Jonathan (Redmond) were able to pull that from the archives and weave this story together really takes you inside who Elvis was and really humanizes him."
After viewing this film, she got the idea to create an EPiC Exhibit at the Elvis Presley Memphis Museum. The exhibit showcases stagewear, jewelry, guitars, movie posters, and rare performance memorabilia, including several pieces never before displayed.
Luhrmann doesn't consider the EPiC film a documentary that tells Elvis' life story, nor does it qualify as a concert film. It's more of a tone poem, with Elvis talking about his life and career. The way the film was edited to include fresh audio alongside the video performances, it's like Elvis is telling his story to new and old fans alike.
In the film, Elvis takes the audience through parts of his life, through both classic and contemporary musical prisms, weaving unseen footage with iconic performances that have never been presented in this way. EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert is a leap of the musical imagination and a tribute to one of the most outstanding performers of all time.
EPiC opens exclusively at IMAX theaters (highly recommended) starting February 20th and everywhere else on February 27th.
See the photo gallery from Graceland and the EPiC Premiere here.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and TikTok.