''This Is Elvis'' is a 1981 American

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

about the life of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, written and directed by Andrew Solt and Malcolm Leo. It combines archival footage with reenactments, and voice-over narration by pop singer Ral Donner, imitating Presley's speaking voice. It was screened out of competition at the

1981 Cannes Film Festival The 34th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 27 May 1981. The Palme d'Or went to the '' Człowiek z żelaza'' by Andrzej Wajda. The festival opened with '' Three Brothers'' (''Tre fratelli'') by Francesco Rosi and closed with '' Honeysuckl ...

. The film grossed $2 million at the box office in the U.S. and Canada, ranking #92 for 1981.

Content

For the reenactment scenes, Presley was portrayed in the film by four actors: *Paul Boensch II as Presley at age 11 (

Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo () is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. With an estimated population of 38,300, Tupelo is the sixth-largest city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of North ...

, in 1946) *David Scott as Presley at age 18 (Memphis in 1953, singing in high school, and at a Sun recording session; vocals by David Scott) *Dana MacKay as Presley at age 35 *

Johnny Harra Johnny Lee Harra (born Harry Lee Lovett; July 11, 1946 – March 30, 2011) was an American Elvis impersonator. He began impersonating Elvis at the age of 11 and was cast as the 42-year-old Elvis in the 1981 docudrama ''This Is Elvis''. Harra, one ...

as Presley at age 42 (Opening credits, August 16, 1977 death scene from extended version) Other narrators provided voice-over narrations for Vernon Presley,

Gladys Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, and

Priscilla Presley Priscilla Ann Presley ( Wagner, changed by adoption to Beaulieu; born May 24, 1945) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the former wife of American singer Elvis Presley, as well as co-founder and former chairwoman of Elvis Presley ...

. Presley's former road manager

Joe Esposito Joe Esposito may refer to: *Joe Esposito (author) (1938–2016), American author and publisher *Joe Esposito (singer) (born 1948), member of the Brooklyn Dreams *Joe Esposito (politician) (1872–1928), American corrupt politician *Joe Esposito (ba ...

and girlfriend

Linda Thompson Linda Diane Thompson (born May 23, 1950) is an American songwriter, former actress and beauty pageant winner. Thompson began her acting career as a " Hee Haw Honey" on the American television variety show '' Hee Haw''. She was also a girlfrien ...

provided their own narrations. Presley receives credit only in the extended version prepared for cable and later home video release.

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

released the soundtrack as a double LP album from the film in March 1981, featuring the first official release of several of Presley's 1950s television appearances as well as other previously unreleased performances. The soundtrack album was certified Gold on August 6, 2002 by the RIAA. A two-disc DVD set of the film was released on August 7, 2007 commemorating the 30th anniversary of Presley's death. Disc 1 features the original version shown in theaters, Disc 2 includes the extended version with 45 extra minutes of footage. ''This Is Elvis'' is the only Presley movie produced and released by

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

, until Baz Lurhmann’s biopic ''

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

'' in 2022. Warner Bros. also currently owns other titles with Presley via purchasing

Turner Entertainment Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner in 1986. Purchased by Time Warner in 1996 as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing t ...

, including Presley's

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

films and National General Pictures' ''

Charro! ''Charro!'' is a 1969 American Western film starring Elvis Presley, shot on location at Apacheland Movie Ranch and Old Tucson Studios in Arizona. This was Presley's only film in which he did not sing on-screen; the film featured no songs at all ...

''.

Charts

Certifications

Reception

In a contemporary review, '' Variety'' wrote, "A real curiosity item, ''This Is Elvis'' is a fast-paced gloss on Presley's life and career packed with enough fine music and unusual footage to satisfy anyone with an interest in the late singing idol."

References

External links

* * 1981 films 1981 documentary films American documentary films Documentary films about singers Films about Elvis Presley The Wolper Organization films Films directed by Malcolm Leo Films directed by Andrew Solt 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{music-documentary-stub