News: Warner Brothers Chat Session

I think you miss the point of the movie. If TTWII concentrates on Elvis' music making process and the performances, On Tour concentrates what it is like to be Elvis on tour. If it feels that so much is packed into 90 minutes then that is because it is trying to show how much Elvis and his team had to pack into such a short tour. ie, no let up, just show after show. Even the film stock shows us that this isn't going to be a clean and glossy movie.

As for Suspicious Minds - errr, not every song could have been included in the film any more than every song recorded for TTWII was included. The concentration here is clearly on songs not in the earlier film such as American Trilogy, Mountain, Burning Love, Lawdy Miss Clawdy and so on. The inclusion of Polk Salad is another example of how the film shows that touring is all about business now. There is none of the fun with the song that we saw in TTWII - it has now been stripped of the opening recitation and only the bear bones of the song is left.

Elvis On Tour is a film. It was obviously made for fans to see, but it is also ABOUT fans in many ways and also they hoped to rope general cinema goers in to see it as well. It is clearly a serious film and one that tells us alot about both Elvis and the music business and how it isn't all as glamourous as we might like to think. If you want to see Elvis looking great and singing lots, go and watch TTWII or Blue Hawaii. If you want to watch a thought-provoking film which is the only chance we ever have of glimpsing the man himself with his guard down (if only slightly) then its Elvis On Tour

Another fantastic post.

I suppose that "Elvis On Tour" was groundbreaking. While the title is great, "Standing Room Only" would also have captured a key difference between Vegas and on the road -- the cramped, rushed, claustrophobic, smothering feel (on multiple levels). Could have been a great metaphor, but "Elvis On Tour" ably captures it all. Also: I like what you said about the film stock. "That's The Way It Is" has a very glitzy feel. In fact, its cinematography is hideously, hideously underrated. It feels ALIVE. But "Elvis On Tour" is a little colder; it's got a more industrial, workman-like aesthetic. These films need better evaluation, but they can only really get that if their own people treat them with the care and respect they're due.

There is not even a Suspious Minds on ON TOUR. It is only 90 minute movie and is a very crowed film. It starts at Hampton Roads and ends with Hampton roads. Excuse me if I go to see a movie about ELVIS ON TOUR, I expect to see ELVIS on tour.

It was only after about 20 years when recording sessions books and such-like came out that any one found this out! At the time of the movie, no one could nitpick little holes in this movie in this way!!

i think not only the concert movies, but many of Elvis films are knocked for simply being Elvis films which is a shame. Perhaps I should do a couple of film reviews in the "revisted" ones I've been doing on the reviews section of the boards. I'll see how much time I get over the uni easter vacation! ;o)

You could say "good dog" a thousand times....but it's still a dog (or turkey)

I am not faulting Elvis performaces in any way just the movie themselfs. THATS THE WAY IT IS has too many interviews, and spends too much time on the hotel. There was just too much material to put in a less than two hour film. ON TOUR is even worst. How many close ups of back up singers do we need? I think the filmmakes were more interested in the Sweet Imperations than Elvis. The movie sould have been title Sweet INSPERATIONS ON TOUR withCo starring Elvis Presley. Both movies are very badly made. Elvis was great though. I have both versions on TTWII on dvd, without new material there isn't really any reason for me to buy it again. And ON TOUR needs to be redone, probably more than THATS THE WAY IT IS.

elvis

Very agree with you here an all you said. I'am an Elvis fan and I only want focusing on Elvis and sometimes the crowd reaction. Even the new TTWII have that problem too. Well, I have made my own TTWII with use of the best cameraangles from the outtakes only focusing on Elvis and my friends loved it. I understand that officially made concertfilms can't be done in that way, but give me all the raw material and I make it ready for Elvis jumpsuit-fans and not for the generally public

Sincerely

Kenneth