Encore is having en Elvis movie festival this month. And I
know what you’re thinking: “Elvis movies are lame!” Well, yeah, if you’re not
an Elvis fan, I guess so. But there’s something for everyone to love in a lot
of the Elvis movies even if you’re not a subject of The King. (Hey, maybe his
fan club should have been called “The King’s Subjects”? No? Okay, never mind…)
And what’s that, you might well ask? Well, it’s simply this: For the color
movies of Elvis Presley, rarely have the possibilities of color film been
better understood or exploited for eye candy. (And no, I’m not high.)
Seriously, I know Elvis made a bunch of silly movies, but
the color ones are just gorgeous to look at: hot girls, hot cars, hot damn!
(<That’s from a White Zombie album, by the way.) Who cares if the plot is
dumb and hackneyed? There’s so much going on, the color palettes are so well
designed, and there are so many pretty girls dancing around, who needs a good
plot? And who cares if most of the songs were written by Hollywood songwriters
for the movies? Elvis wasn’t famous as a songwriter anyway, he was a performer.
So what’s the difference?
Yes, I agree with you: Why would the hottest musical act in
the world want to stop performing for live audiences and make a bunch of campy
movies? I wouldn’t. But you know, these movies are forever (whether you think
that’s a good thing or not!), and at least we can still see them. And despite
their silliness, they never age. And so Elvis fans can see him at the peak of
his powers at any time if they want to. Maybe it’s not nearly as good as a live
concert, but I think they’ll take what they can get.
But for me, the reason these movies are great is for their
wonderful color designs. Boy, the art department did a great job with the sets,
the props, the wardrobe, the cars, etc. Every color is perfect, and they all
work so well together! You may complain about the story lines, or the musical
numbers, or whatever else, but you most likely won’t say: “Wow, lame color design!” I have almost never
seen a movie series that has made better use of color possibilities than these
silly color Elvis movies. Just watch them and see for yourself. (But aside from
Jailhouse Rock, don’t waste your
time on the B&W ones.)
