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Elvis: That's the Way It Is

November 23, 2023

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. The film was released simultaneously with Presley's similarly titled twelfth studio album, That's the Way It Is.

Elvis: That's the Way It Is
Cover of special edition DVD
Directed byDenis Sanders
StarringElvis Presley
CinematographyLucien Ballard
Edited byHenry Berman
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • November 1970 (1970-11) (Toronto)
  • November 11, 1970 (1970-11-11) (United States)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office>$1 million

Overview edit

The original concept – as devised by technical advisor Colonel Tom Parker – was a closed circuit television presentation of one show, in view of Presley's triumphant return to live performances. The film was ultimately shot with eight Panavision cameras, in 35mm anamorphic format.

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

  • The opening credits sequence contains footage of Presley's show at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on September 9, 1970. This was the first show of Presley's first tour in 13 years.
  • Presley and his band are seen rehearsing for the Las Vegas engagement at MGM Studios in Culver City, California. There are scenes of Presley running through such tunes as "I Just Can't Help Believing", "What'd I Say", "Little Sister", "Words", "That's All Right Mama", and "The Next Step Is Love." Presley and his group are also heard performing a tongue-in-cheek rendition of "Crying Time". The rehearsal sequences were filmed during late July 1970.
  • Later rehearsals show Presley in Las Vegas with his back-up vocalists The Sweet Inspirations, Millie Kirkham and The Imperials, preparing songs such as "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water".
  • There is also a session of rehearsals that takes place in the Showroom Internationale of the International Hotel (now known as the Westgate Hotel and Casino) in Las Vegas. Together, Presley and the entire group run through songs from "Mary In the Morning" to "Polk Salad Annie". These rehearsals took place on August 7, 1970.
  • Footage of an Elvis Appreciation Society convention in Luxembourg was shot on September 5, 1970. Radio Luxembourg DJs Tony Prince and Peter Aldersley are on hand to lead the festivities. A tandem bicycle owned by Presley is raffled off to a lucky fan in the audience. Additionally, various musicians are seen performing their own versions of Presley's songs.

Onstage in Las Vegas edit

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:

Presley 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 Presley 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 edit

  • July 14 rehearsal (M.G.M. Stage 1, Culver City, California)
  • July 15 rehearsal (M.G.M. Stage 1, Culver City, California)
  • July 24 rehearsal (R.C.A. studios, Hollywood, California)
  • July 29 rehearsal (M.G.M. studios, Culver City, California)
  • August 4 rehearsal (Convention Center, International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada)
  • August 7 stage rehearsal
  • August 10 stage rehearsal
  • August 10 opening night show
  • August 11 dinner show
  • August 11 midnight show
  • August 12 dinner show
  • August 12 midnight show
  • August 13 dinner show
  • September 9 (Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix)

Cast edit

Reception edit

The film opened in the week ending November 11, 1970 at the Uptown I theater in Toronto, Canada grossing a mild $9,500 for the week.[1] It expanded to at least 9 cities the following week (including San Francisco, Portland, Denver and San Antonio) grossing $78,950 from the sample cities covered by Variety and placing 25th on their box office chart.[2][3][4] Based on the sample cities covered by Variety, it grossed $332,714 from 110 play weeks in 1970.[5] In Japan it grossed $700,000 in its first 6 weeks.[6]

Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune described it as "a carefully managed […] concert designed to promote his future engagements in Nevada." He noted that "fans will be enthralled as Presley sings more than a dozen of his hits" but that "persons hoping to learn about the man after hours will be disappointed."[7]

2001 version edit

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 four-track stereo). The DVD also includes approximately 35 minutes of additional performances and other footage that was not included in either edition.

A two-disc Special Edition Premium Digibook was released on August 12, 2014.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "'Norway' Neat 12G, Tor'nto; 'McKenzie' Nice $8,300, 'Executioner' Sharp 8G". Variety. November 11, 1970. p. 10 – via Archive.org.
  2. ^ "50 Top-Grossing Films". Variety. November 25, 1970. p. 11.
  3. ^ Elvis: That's the Way It Is at the American Film Institute Catalog
  4. ^ "Picture Grosses". Variety. November 18, 1970. pp. 8–12.
  5. ^ "U.S. Films Share-of-Market Profile". Variety. May 12, 1971. p. 182.
  6. ^ "Record-Breaking (advertisement)". Kine Weekly. April 24, 1971. p. 1.
  7. ^ Siskel, Gene (May 26, 1971). "Taking Off". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois: Tribune Media Services. p. 7, s. 2.

External links edit

DVD reviews edit

  • Review by Ian Jane at DVD Talk, August 27, 2007.

November 23, 2023
elvis, that, 1970, american, documentary, film, directed, denis, sanders, film, documents, american, singer, elvis, presley, summer, festival, vegas, during, august, 1970, first, dramatic, film, since, beginning, film, career, 1956, film, gives, clear, view, p. 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 The film was released simultaneously with Presley s similarly titled twelfth studio album That s the Way It Is Elvis That s the Way It IsCover of special edition DVDDirected byDenis SandersStarringElvis PresleyCinematographyLucien BallardEdited byHenry BermanDistributed byMetro Goldwyn MayerRelease datesNovember 1970 1970 11 Toronto November 11 1970 1970 11 11 United States Running time108 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBox office gt 1 million Contents 1 Overview 1 1 Onstage in Las Vegas 1 2 Shows rehearsals 2 Cast 3 Reception 4 2001 version 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 7 1 DVD reviewsOverview editThe original concept as devised by technical advisor Colonel Tom Parker was a closed circuit television presentation of one show in view of Presley s triumphant return to live performances The film was ultimately shot with eight Panavision cameras in 35mm anamorphic format Although most of the footage takes place onstage at the International Hotel in Las Vegas there are several other parts to the film The opening credits sequence contains footage of Presley s show at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on September 9 1970 This was the first show of Presley s first tour in 13 years Presley and his band are seen rehearsing for the Las Vegas engagement at MGM Studios in Culver City California There are scenes of Presley running through such tunes as I Just Can t Help Believing What d I Say Little Sister Words That s All Right Mama and The Next Step Is Love Presley and his group are also heard performing a tongue in cheek rendition of Crying Time The rehearsal sequences were filmed during late July 1970 Later rehearsals show Presley in Las Vegas with his back up vocalists The Sweet Inspirations Millie Kirkham and The Imperials preparing songs such as You Don t Have to Say You Love Me and Bridge Over Troubled Water There is also a session of rehearsals that takes place in the Showroom Internationale of the International Hotel now known as the Westgate Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Together Presley and the entire group run through songs from Mary In the Morning to Polk Salad Annie These rehearsals took place on August 7 1970 Footage of an Elvis Appreciation Society convention in Luxembourg was shot on September 5 1970 Radio Luxembourg DJs Tony Prince and Peter Aldersley are on hand to lead the festivities A tandem bicycle owned by Presley is raffled off to a lucky fan in the audience Additionally various musicians are seen performing their own versions of Presley s songs Onstage in Las Vegas edit 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 Mystery Train Tiger Man That s All Right Mama I ve Lost You Love Me Tender In the Ghetto Patch It Up You ve Lost That Lovin Feelin I Just Can t Help Believin Sweet Caroline Heartbreak Hotel One Night Blue Suede Shoes All Shook Up Polk Salad Annie Bridge Over Troubled Water Suspicious Minds Can t Help Falling in Love Don t Be Cruel You Don t Have to Say You Love Me Presley 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 Presley 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 edit July 14 rehearsal M G M Stage 1 Culver City California July 15 rehearsal M G M Stage 1 Culver City California July 24 rehearsal R C A studios Hollywood California July 29 rehearsal M G M studios Culver City California August 4 rehearsal Convention Center International Hotel Las Vegas Nevada August 7 stage rehearsal August 10 stage rehearsal August 10 opening night show August 11 dinner show August 11 midnight show August 12 dinner show August 12 midnight show August 13 dinner show September 9 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Phoenix Cast editElvis Presley The Imperials vocals Terry Blackwood Armond Morales Joe Moscheo Jim Murray Roger Wiles The Sweet Inspirations vocals Estell Brown Myrna Smith Sylvia Shemmell Ann Williams TCB Band Joe Guercio orchestra conductor James Burton lead guitar John Wilkinson rhythm guitar Charlie Hodge acoustic guitar and harmony vocals Glen D Hardin pianos Jerry Scheff bass Ron Tutt drums Richard Davis Sammy Davis Jr Joe Esposito Felton Jarvis Millie Kirkham vocals Del Sonny West Red WestReception editThe film opened in the week ending November 11 1970 at the Uptown I theater in Toronto Canada grossing a mild 9 500 for the week 1 It expanded to at least 9 cities the following week including San Francisco Portland Denver and San Antonio grossing 78 950 from the sample cities covered by Variety and placing 25th on their box office chart 2 3 4 Based on the sample cities covered by Variety it grossed 332 714 from 110 play weeks in 1970 5 In Japan it grossed 700 000 in its first 6 weeks 6 Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune described it as a carefully managed concert designed to promote his future engagements in Nevada He noted that fans will be enthralled as Presley sings more than a dozen of his hits but that persons hoping to learn about the man after hours will be disappointed 7 2001 version editIn 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 four track stereo The DVD also includes approximately 35 minutes of additional performances and other footage that was not included in either edition A two disc Special Edition Premium Digibook was released on August 12 2014 See also editList of American films of 1970 Elvis Presley on film and television Elvis Presley discographyReferences edit Norway Neat 12G Tor nto McKenzie Nice 8 300 Executioner Sharp 8G Variety November 11 1970 p 10 via Archive org 50 Top Grossing Films Variety November 25 1970 p 11 Elvis That s the Way It Is at the American Film Institute Catalog Picture Grosses Variety November 18 1970 pp 8 12 U S Films Share of Market Profile Variety May 12 1971 p 182 Record Breaking advertisement Kine Weekly April 24 1971 p 1 Siskel Gene May 26 1971 Taking Off Chicago Tribune Chicago Illinois Tribune Media Services p 7 s 2 External links editFor Elvis Fans Only Website dedicated to Elvis Presley s Movies Elvis That s the Way It Is at the American Film Institute Catalog Elvis That s the Way It Is at IMDb Elvis That s the Way It Is at AllMovie Elvis performing I Just Can t Help Believin from Elvis That s the Way It Is Video on YouTube Elvis performing Bridge Over Troubled Water from Elvis That s the Way It Is Video on YouTubeDVD reviews edit Review by Ian Jane at DVD Talk August 27 2007 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elvis That 27s the Way It Is amp oldid 1185594945, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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