Elvis: That’s the Way It Is **** (1970, Elvis Presley) – Classic Movie Review 9305

Here in Elvis: That’s the Way It Is (1970) is Elvis Presley in regal splendour rehearsing and performing in 1970 on his first concert tour since 1957.

Director Denis Sanders looks at Presley backstage, polishing his act and belting out song after song at Las Vegas. Elvis performs ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’, ‘Suspicious Minds’, ‘In the Ghetto’ and ‘Polk Salad Annie’.

Elvis: That’s the Way It Is is a carefully made documentary, informative about his showmanship, though not very revealing about the King, and solidly entertaining for those who like Elvis as a showbiz star rather than a rock ‘n roll performer.

Veteran cameraman Lucien Ballard treats the superstar with the glossy awe he once reserved for Marlene Dietrich and his wife Merle Oberon. And the songs – old and new – keep coming.

Filming started on 19 July 1970 at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, 10202 W. Washington Blvd, Culver City, California. Shows at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, were filmed in August 1970. Shooting ended on 9 September 1970 with the concert in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum.

It is Elvis’s penultimate film – one more concert movie (the 1972 Elvis on Tour) followed.

Elvis: That’s the Way It Is runs 97 minutes, or 94 minutes (special edition).

A cleaned-up print and soundtrack 2000 version replaces 40 per cent of the original footage, with more concert and rehearsal footage instead of the fan interviews.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9305

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