The Rise and Fall of an Empire: Elvis, Maximalism, and Spotlighting the Plight of an American King
After watching Elvis, I left the theater exhausted. Two days later, I went back to watch it again. Although many might contest whether or not Luhrmann’s take on Elvis is great, few can dispute that the film certainly is grand. This gripping biopic spares no expense. Flashing pan shots that dash across whole cityscapes, sequences across massive stages with glittering theatrics, and a backdrop of the entire world under the film’s thumb, Elvis captures the larger-than-life sensation of taking on the King’s shoes.
The film industry is not shying away from its own glamorous descent into Hollywood’s newest trend. Biopics are hot. In 2019, rumors about one in particular, a biopic tracking the topsy-turvy extremes of American pop legend Elvis Presley, hit the news. Baz Luhrmann was onslaught to direct, Austin Butler was headed to lead, and Warner Brothers took on distribution. Once the film took to the screen, it made waves.
Baz Luhrmann’s notable maximalist style coalesces flawlessly with the theme at hand. The film does not shy away from an indisputably massive scale. From the beginning scene—with a casino floor stretching out into infinity—to later in the plot—with a large number of sequences sprawling across clawing audiences, pooling crowds, and desperate fans—Elvis’s ripple is felt firsthand. The overstimulation intrinsic to maximalist filmmaking (and its quick images, brief cuts, and long-spanning sets) seamlessly accompanies Elvis’s rise to fame. The film parses through the story slowly while jarring the audience with its quick style, tricking viewers into a vast plot with its palatable chunks.
Notable to the film, the soundtrack incorporates many modern-day vocalists on its tracks. Doja Cat, CeeLo Green, and Kacey Musgraves are among the massive hit stars that take their own remixes to the table. This approach offers a novel twist to the commune repetitiousness of the biopic: we’ve all already heard these songs, likely at length, likely on repeat. Yet, this fresh spin pleasingly underscores the legends of today while maintaining musical integrity. The new beats, punctuated by more recent flares, couples easily with the rapid pace of the film.
Besides hitting every major turn in Elvis’s life, the film, somewhat unconventionally, returns to Elvis’s roots. As satisfying as it was to see Elvis’s relationship to the Black community portrayed on-screen, the narrative approaches a shortcoming and takes on its own form of revisionist history. While the biopic is quick to point out critiques by the public of Presley’s “hellish” and “demonic” ways, it does not mention many of the sentiments among the Black community that Elvis appropriated, shortchanged, and stole their music. While there are levels of credit offered within the film, the erasure of this perspective leaves poor taste in the mouth. Nevertheless, the tie to roots strengthens this narrative in a human, grounded base that propels the plot. Early motifs of Elvis’s childhood, such as superheroes and reaching “eternity,” are masterfully woven throughout dialogue in each act.
The struggle gradually slows with time until, at some point, the ending becomes a dirge. Watching a cacophony of Elvis’s unraveling is a grueling process. The third act is nearly impossible to stomach as the audience watches Colonel Tom Parker succeed in his tricks, resulting in an excessively sadistic ending to the nearly three-hour run time. This conclusion leaves a bad taste in the mouth, soiling the energizing pace of the beginning. Nevertheless, each of the nuanced elements that construct this film, moving in tandem to spotlight the legend, creates a catastrophic force of a story. For all its exaggerations and gyrations, Elvis gets business done in a flash. And, a whirl, a fantasy, anything that stays with the eye long past its initial touch.