What a good review! You are always extremely fair and work very hard to find the worthwhile among the dreams.
Pauline Kael was good at that- she would go to watch films but was perfectly happy to see movies and give credit due.
I watched a bit of this. The lead was good! The patented " Baz Lurhman" headache set in within moments so I changed the channel. Baz is ...ok. Sometimes. Mostly not. I really hated Moulan Rouge. I was forced to sit through it (evening out with friends) . I thought it was a bad idea poorly executed. It has a lot of fans.
As an F. Scott Fitzgerald fan I expected to hate Luhrmann's "Gatsby" but I felt his style actually worked with both the dreamlike elements and vulgar excesses that are inseparable from the story. I still had a hard time sitting through all of it, though, and had to watch in installments.
I did see the Jack Clayton /Redford/ Farrow version last year. Beautiful to look at - and it didn't suck as bad as I remember hearing. I also saw the DeNiro "Last Tycoon" around the same time. I really liked it.
Should have been better - Harold Pinter screenplay. Kazan direction. All the people were in place for a masterpiece. Still- it looks great. DeNiro was good! Restrained, believe it or not.
Yeah, DeNiro can do restrained, he just doesn't enjoy it very much, LOL.
I think the character of Gatsby is very, very hard to get right, and I thought DiCaprio got closer to it than Redford did in Clayton's film. Fitzgerald makes a big deal about the effect of Gatsby’s smile, and as Redford has a dazzler I think he *looked* the part more, but he wasn’t all that effective otherwise.
I loved Gosford Park. A whodunit wrapped in a class critique wrapped in a comedy of manners. And that cast!
Gatsby contains multitudes and is described as having the urbanity and charm of a successful businessman, the vulgar affectations of a striver, the ruthlessness of a thug, AND the childlike wonder of a starry-eyed romantic fantasist. That is…a very tall order for any actor. I don’t think Gatsby as written can be portrayed with 100% accuracy as he is more of a symbol than a real character. I think the best you can ask of an actor is that he closely *approximates* Gatsby, which I think DiCaprio accomplished.
Disagree re Romeo + Juliet. I thought the adult actors understood what they were saying, but that the younger ones didn't, or not fully. Then again, I'm forever a fan of the Zeferelli (sp?) version.
I remember when it came out I thought" My god, what genius! A modern dress version of Romeo and Juliet where the two families are street gangs! "Maybe I'll go see it tonight - and tonight won't be just any night..."
When I actually did see it DiCaprio and Danes werethe only part I liked.
I always imagine, when watching a Baz Luhrmann film, that I am having a similar experience to that of a person who has made the dubious decision to drop acid at Disneyworld. Which is to say for those who like that sort of thing, then that is the sort of thing they like. I kind of like it myself in the right mood, but I overdose in a hurry. I watched about half of “Elvis” and enjoyed it for the same reasons Roy highlights, but then I couldn’t take any more. Maybe I’ll return to it one of these days.
Well, given the track record of movie bios, going for good documentary level facts and insights is unrealistic. So given that by definition any such movie is a mix of facts and fictions and maybe insights, this was pretty good. It was, as they used to say, cinematic, very much so. And, I have to say, as an Elvis non-expert, I learned stuff.
A few casting notes, tho': Little Elvis was terrific. Whatever Tom Hanks was doing exactly, it was entertaining (not too distracting). Closest to actual bad casting was the Priscilla. Actual Priscilla, when young and even not so, was breath taking gorgeous IMO and likewise should have been cast. (Saying that, I'm pondering Riley Keough in the part. Yes, I know, I know...)
Also should note, maybe, this was my first Luhrmann so no comment on him as an artiste other that I enjoyed Elvis pretty much.
As for Stephanie Hsu casting as the King in some sort of meta version of his life: A better, more appropriate East Asian woman would be Rina Sawayama. And now that I think about, I could go for her covering the King. Not sure she wouldn't too.
Rina Sawayama ain't full-faced enough, but I'd audition her, certainly. As for Priscilla, I thought she was fine, and I will also say that of the many costume coups in the picture, her mini-nightie in her scene in Elvis' giant bed was spectacular.
Dropping by to muse only the ridiculous Strictly Ballroom really "works" in my opinion with Luhrmann's style, and perhaps only because he stops tweaking now and then to let the leads actually have a romance; e.g. they talk to one another in a locked-off shot for more than 1 second. Let us all be thankful Baz was not involved with the Dressmaker, amen.
I was never a big fan of Elvis, either of his songs, his vocal style or his acting. I thought his public persona was something to ignore. But for some reason I can clearly remember when someone told me, at the entrance to the apartment building I lived in at the time, that the King was dead. After that, I became aware of some of the sordid details of his later life. It didn’t arouse any sympathy in me for a long time. Now I have an appreciation for who he was as a cultural icon and for his actual musicianship and vocal ability. But I don’t usually enjoy biopics of famous musicians. It seems the music is never quite right or, if I know a lot of the subject’s life, the couterfactuals grate on me, like “Lady Sings the Blues,” where Lester Young wasn’t even mentioned, much less a character in the movie. Clint Eastwood’s “Bird” was somewhat better, and Forrest Whitaker was a better casting choice for Charlie Parker than Diana Ross was for Lady Day, in my opinion. “Bird” at least had Dizzy Gillespie as a character. So I tend to write these movies off like bad debt. Today’s REBID review (very illuminating and well-written, BTW, thaks, Roy!) reinforces my attitude.
Biopics about musicians are my favorite form of movie junk food, the more times someone says "You'll never make it kid!" the more I like it. That basic formula, "Sure, they're famous now, but back in the day.." never gets old for me. I think I'm on record saying the secret to happiness is low expectations, and I go into any music biopic with VERY low expectations, and always leave satisfied.
"secret to happiness is low expectations" is from Carlton the doorman? I knew I picked it up somewhere, I believe it even more now that I know it came from such an eminent philosopher.
"Elvis looked more like a Greek god, or goddess, than a modern pretty-boy"
Thanks for this. I'd always felt there was SOMETHING about the boy...
But not my cuppa (possibly because I was so loyal to my parents and their aesthetic opinions at the time). Still, there's reason enough to remember the young dude fondly if only for his power musically to raise the dead.
Never an Elvis fan myself. I was weaned on the Beatles/British Invasion, then the psychedelic hippie shit that my older brother was into, and the folkie/Simon & Garfunkel that my older sister was into. I thought the whole "King" thing a bit trite, and outside of a few songs ("Jailhouse Rock," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Mystery Train" and "Hound Dog" and a few others) couldn't quite understand the appeal, although he was clearly a major influence on artists I really liked. I'm inclined to agree with Lisa Robinson on the "kitsch" part, without Roy's added saintliness.
Have you seen “This is Elvis”? It is uneven but when it is great it is a very high level of great.
I think that’s the first Luhrmann film I’ve seen, but the beginning of the Netflix series “The Get Down,” which he was purportedly responsible for, was excellent. Maybe his style is better suited for shorter form storytelling.
Not sure if I've seen that. Definitely saw "Elvis: That's the Way It Is." Is "This is Elvis" the one where he says "I was buried in the beaver" in the limo, and that shows the two guys who wrote "Elvis: What Happened?" doing a press conference? Because I did see that.
Yea, it had the “buried in the beaver clip.” I thought the bookends of the early Elvis’s performances with the older/dying Elvis’s incredible final acts were approaching, if not surpassing in the latter’s case, sublime. Luhrmann/Butler’s re-enactment didn’t approach the real thing in those cases.
I appreciated the restoration/reedit of "That's the way it is" but they cut the rehearsal of poke salad annie where elvis really lets ronnie tutt fly, goddamit!
My favorite Elvis reference is the duelling lecture in White Noise, when the main character, who's the chair (& sole member) of the department of Hitler studies sits in on his best friend's class -- who's the chair (& sole member) of the department of Elvis studies...
Typically splendid review. According to Forbes' list of highest-paid dead celebrities, Elvis (the person) made $110 million in 2022, and only $5 million of that was for the film rights to "Elvis" (the movie). No wonder the progeny of such folks never choose to go into, say, oceanography.
The Mrs. liked the movie, but, fortunately, I'd already left the building.
Haven’t seen it but went to Graceland with my then-nine year old son a while back. Favorite cinema Elvis: Bruce Campbell in “Bubba Ho-tep,” especially right now since I’m in a boat in Egypt previewing Argatha Crispy’d “Diarrhea on the Nile.”
Elvis, huh. The movie is a glorious mess, but then so was Elvis. Gurelnic's bio is the ultimate attempt to find the human buried in there, but even he was defeated by the twin powers of American mythology and American hucksterism. Even if Elvis doesn't hold much interest for you, the 2-volume bio is a masterful breakdown of American society at the height of its soft power and how racism was and is baked into it. It's clear to me that Baz and the screenwriter(s) spent a lot of time with it (fair warning: the 2nd volume Careless Heart is extremely depressing, because it centers on Elvis. The 1st volume Last Train to Memphis is more about Memphis than Elvis).
The movie is a sort of superhero movie tragedy, and that's why the Col. had to narrate it. He was the man who turned what rock critics who love (early) Elvis think of as the Soul of America into the tackiest possible money machine, a metaphor the size of Mt. Rushmore. The movie offers this view with the subtlety of a 5 pound sledgehammer of course, and Elvis didn't have to be that, but given the principle characters it almost had to turn out that way. Who would turn down a chance to be a Movie Star? And All. That. Money. And. Worship. Not a country boy who loved music and his mamma. And yeah, what saves the movie from being a lurid joke is that actor's performance of Elvis, a basically impossible lift that he nails.
What a good review! You are always extremely fair and work very hard to find the worthwhile among the dreams.
Pauline Kael was good at that- she would go to watch films but was perfectly happy to see movies and give credit due.
I watched a bit of this. The lead was good! The patented " Baz Lurhman" headache set in within moments so I changed the channel. Baz is ...ok. Sometimes. Mostly not. I really hated Moulan Rouge. I was forced to sit through it (evening out with friends) . I thought it was a bad idea poorly executed. It has a lot of fans.
The Romeo + Juliet was saved by the leads.
As an F. Scott Fitzgerald fan I expected to hate Luhrmann's "Gatsby" but I felt his style actually worked with both the dreamlike elements and vulgar excesses that are inseparable from the story. I still had a hard time sitting through all of it, though, and had to watch in installments.
I missed that one.
I did see the Jack Clayton /Redford/ Farrow version last year. Beautiful to look at - and it didn't suck as bad as I remember hearing. I also saw the DeNiro "Last Tycoon" around the same time. I really liked it.
Should have been better - Harold Pinter screenplay. Kazan direction. All the people were in place for a masterpiece. Still- it looks great. DeNiro was good! Restrained, believe it or not.
Yeah, DeNiro can do restrained, he just doesn't enjoy it very much, LOL.
I think the character of Gatsby is very, very hard to get right, and I thought DiCaprio got closer to it than Redford did in Clayton's film. Fitzgerald makes a big deal about the effect of Gatsby’s smile, and as Redford has a dazzler I think he *looked* the part more, but he wasn’t all that effective otherwise.
Polanski could have done it. Jean Renoir
and Visconti, both genuine aaristocrats.
And I think Altman
could have done it (Think Gosford Park)
I'm stuck on leads.
I loved Gosford Park. A whodunit wrapped in a class critique wrapped in a comedy of manners. And that cast!
Gatsby contains multitudes and is described as having the urbanity and charm of a successful businessman, the vulgar affectations of a striver, the ruthlessness of a thug, AND the childlike wonder of a starry-eyed romantic fantasist. That is…a very tall order for any actor. I don’t think Gatsby as written can be portrayed with 100% accuracy as he is more of a symbol than a real character. I think the best you can ask of an actor is that he closely *approximates* Gatsby, which I think DiCaprio accomplished.
I thought the first 20 minutes of Moulin Rouge were really good. The rest I totally forgot.
Disagree re Romeo + Juliet. I thought the adult actors understood what they were saying, but that the younger ones didn't, or not fully. Then again, I'm forever a fan of the Zeferelli (sp?) version.
I remember when it came out I thought" My god, what genius! A modern dress version of Romeo and Juliet where the two families are street gangs! "Maybe I'll go see it tonight - and tonight won't be just any night..."
When I actually did see it DiCaprio and Danes werethe only part I liked.
I see what you did there.
I always imagine, when watching a Baz Luhrmann film, that I am having a similar experience to that of a person who has made the dubious decision to drop acid at Disneyworld. Which is to say for those who like that sort of thing, then that is the sort of thing they like. I kind of like it myself in the right mood, but I overdose in a hurry. I watched about half of “Elvis” and enjoyed it for the same reasons Roy highlights, but then I couldn’t take any more. Maybe I’ll return to it one of these days.
"drop acid at Disneyworld"
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro,"
HST
I think Hunter would have adored Luhrmann.
Well, given the track record of movie bios, going for good documentary level facts and insights is unrealistic. So given that by definition any such movie is a mix of facts and fictions and maybe insights, this was pretty good. It was, as they used to say, cinematic, very much so. And, I have to say, as an Elvis non-expert, I learned stuff.
A few casting notes, tho': Little Elvis was terrific. Whatever Tom Hanks was doing exactly, it was entertaining (not too distracting). Closest to actual bad casting was the Priscilla. Actual Priscilla, when young and even not so, was breath taking gorgeous IMO and likewise should have been cast. (Saying that, I'm pondering Riley Keough in the part. Yes, I know, I know...)
Also should note, maybe, this was my first Luhrmann so no comment on him as an artiste other that I enjoyed Elvis pretty much.
As for Stephanie Hsu casting as the King in some sort of meta version of his life: A better, more appropriate East Asian woman would be Rina Sawayama. And now that I think about, I could go for her covering the King. Not sure she wouldn't too.
Rina Sawayama ain't full-faced enough, but I'd audition her, certainly. As for Priscilla, I thought she was fine, and I will also say that of the many costume coups in the picture, her mini-nightie in her scene in Elvis' giant bed was spectacular.
2 marks for Rina Sawayama.
Thanks, bro.
Sad to say, I was showing off a little bit dropping her name. OTOH, her musical interests and influences are pretty encyclopedic.
Dropping by to muse only the ridiculous Strictly Ballroom really "works" in my opinion with Luhrmann's style, and perhaps only because he stops tweaking now and then to let the leads actually have a romance; e.g. they talk to one another in a locked-off shot for more than 1 second. Let us all be thankful Baz was not involved with the Dressmaker, amen.
I was never a big fan of Elvis, either of his songs, his vocal style or his acting. I thought his public persona was something to ignore. But for some reason I can clearly remember when someone told me, at the entrance to the apartment building I lived in at the time, that the King was dead. After that, I became aware of some of the sordid details of his later life. It didn’t arouse any sympathy in me for a long time. Now I have an appreciation for who he was as a cultural icon and for his actual musicianship and vocal ability. But I don’t usually enjoy biopics of famous musicians. It seems the music is never quite right or, if I know a lot of the subject’s life, the couterfactuals grate on me, like “Lady Sings the Blues,” where Lester Young wasn’t even mentioned, much less a character in the movie. Clint Eastwood’s “Bird” was somewhat better, and Forrest Whitaker was a better casting choice for Charlie Parker than Diana Ross was for Lady Day, in my opinion. “Bird” at least had Dizzy Gillespie as a character. So I tend to write these movies off like bad debt. Today’s REBID review (very illuminating and well-written, BTW, thaks, Roy!) reinforces my attitude.
Biopics about musicians are my favorite form of movie junk food, the more times someone says "You'll never make it kid!" the more I like it. That basic formula, "Sure, they're famous now, but back in the day.." never gets old for me. I think I'm on record saying the secret to happiness is low expectations, and I go into any music biopic with VERY low expectations, and always leave satisfied.
Big points for the Carlton the Doorman: reference.
"secret to happiness is low expectations" is from Carlton the doorman? I knew I picked it up somewhere, I believe it even more now that I know it came from such an eminent philosopher.
Should probably add that even I can't make it through The Eddy Duchin Story.
"Elvis looked more like a Greek god, or goddess, than a modern pretty-boy"
Thanks for this. I'd always felt there was SOMETHING about the boy...
But not my cuppa (possibly because I was so loyal to my parents and their aesthetic opinions at the time). Still, there's reason enough to remember the young dude fondly if only for his power musically to raise the dead.
Never an Elvis fan myself. I was weaned on the Beatles/British Invasion, then the psychedelic hippie shit that my older brother was into, and the folkie/Simon & Garfunkel that my older sister was into. I thought the whole "King" thing a bit trite, and outside of a few songs ("Jailhouse Rock," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Mystery Train" and "Hound Dog" and a few others) couldn't quite understand the appeal, although he was clearly a major influence on artists I really liked. I'm inclined to agree with Lisa Robinson on the "kitsch" part, without Roy's added saintliness.
Yea, what you said.
Have you seen “This is Elvis”? It is uneven but when it is great it is a very high level of great.
I think that’s the first Luhrmann film I’ve seen, but the beginning of the Netflix series “The Get Down,” which he was purportedly responsible for, was excellent. Maybe his style is better suited for shorter form storytelling.
Not sure if I've seen that. Definitely saw "Elvis: That's the Way It Is." Is "This is Elvis" the one where he says "I was buried in the beaver" in the limo, and that shows the two guys who wrote "Elvis: What Happened?" doing a press conference? Because I did see that.
Yea, it had the “buried in the beaver clip.” I thought the bookends of the early Elvis’s performances with the older/dying Elvis’s incredible final acts were approaching, if not surpassing in the latter’s case, sublime. Luhrmann/Butler’s re-enactment didn’t approach the real thing in those cases.
I appreciated the restoration/reedit of "That's the way it is" but they cut the rehearsal of poke salad annie where elvis really lets ronnie tutt fly, goddamit!
Ronnie Tutt beat the hell out of the drums on that
I guess the kids might learn something. I certainly won't.
My favorite Elvis reference is the duelling lecture in White Noise, when the main character, who's the chair (& sole member) of the department of Hitler studies sits in on his best friend's class -- who's the chair (& sole member) of the department of Elvis studies...
How was the film ? The book is a modern classic.
Typically splendid review. According to Forbes' list of highest-paid dead celebrities, Elvis (the person) made $110 million in 2022, and only $5 million of that was for the film rights to "Elvis" (the movie). No wonder the progeny of such folks never choose to go into, say, oceanography.
The Mrs. liked the movie, but, fortunately, I'd already left the building.
Haven’t seen it but went to Graceland with my then-nine year old son a while back. Favorite cinema Elvis: Bruce Campbell in “Bubba Ho-tep,” especially right now since I’m in a boat in Egypt previewing Argatha Crispy’d “Diarrhea on the Nile.”
Elvis, huh. The movie is a glorious mess, but then so was Elvis. Gurelnic's bio is the ultimate attempt to find the human buried in there, but even he was defeated by the twin powers of American mythology and American hucksterism. Even if Elvis doesn't hold much interest for you, the 2-volume bio is a masterful breakdown of American society at the height of its soft power and how racism was and is baked into it. It's clear to me that Baz and the screenwriter(s) spent a lot of time with it (fair warning: the 2nd volume Careless Heart is extremely depressing, because it centers on Elvis. The 1st volume Last Train to Memphis is more about Memphis than Elvis).
The movie is a sort of superhero movie tragedy, and that's why the Col. had to narrate it. He was the man who turned what rock critics who love (early) Elvis think of as the Soul of America into the tackiest possible money machine, a metaphor the size of Mt. Rushmore. The movie offers this view with the subtlety of a 5 pound sledgehammer of course, and Elvis didn't have to be that, but given the principle characters it almost had to turn out that way. Who would turn down a chance to be a Movie Star? And All. That. Money. And. Worship. Not a country boy who loved music and his mamma. And yeah, what saves the movie from being a lurid joke is that actor's performance of Elvis, a basically impossible lift that he nails.
I couldn't verify it .- I remember it though.!