“King of Rock”: “Love, hurt, pain, exposure made Elvis unable to bear it anymore.”2Cach
Elvis Presley ‘s gifts as a singer, producer and arranger, as an emotive performer, made their transition to acting seem part of a natural progression.
But his soulful musical vision, his bold and imaginative fusion of country, pop, gospel, R&B and rock and roll , has rarely found an expression. the same goes for the 31 narrative films he made in Hollywood between 1956 and 1969, of which 27 were made in the 1960s.
Nearly all of Presley’s films were box office hits, making him, his manager, and the studios a lot of money. However, these films were ridiculed by critics, and Presley despised them.
After leaving Hollywood behind, he privately said:
When did Elvis come to Hollywood?
By 1956, Elvis had become a musical phenomenon. With his fan base, records, and TV appearances skyrocketing in the ratings, bringing Presley into the movie was the next logical step, and he was excited about it. Hollywood .
He grew up watching movies and was inspired by singers who transitioned to movies like Bing Crosby and Dean Martin , so it was a movie star dream for the boy from Tupelo .
Presley’s first screen test took place in September 1956. He didn’t display much raw acting talent, but that didn’t stop his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, from having a contract with Presley’s Paramount Studios, one that also reserved his employment rights. Presley with other studios.
Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender de 1956, a western from the Civil War . He took the job seriously enough to memorize the entire script before shooting, and in the end, the movie became a hit and was quickly followed by other movies, including Jailhouse Rock
In 1957, the United States Army recruited Presley, who knew how to delay his enlistment to complete Creole King, in which he played a young singer who had to overcome poverty and organized crime.
Presley was worried that enlisting in the army would affect his career, but Parker, his manager, reassured the star that with records and a canned film, they could prolong the production without they own.
In November 1958, Presley began serving in the Army. Meanwhile, his films kept him in the public eye. King Creole premiered in 1958, then was re-released with Love Me Tender in 1959. And while Presley was in Germany , received the script for his next film, GI Blues 1960.
Then came the 1960 film Blazing Stars , where Presley took on a role that had been written for Marlon Brando and gave a respectable performance as a half-white, half-Indian man. Later, Presley said, “I wanted to play a slightly more serious role. Because my ambition was to progress as an actor.
However, Fiery Star was not as successful as GI Blues , which came out the same year. As a result, Parker encouraged Presley to focus on a formula for film success that required him to sing in various exotic locations; This led to a huge success Blue Hawaii, 1961.
This, among other things, caused Elvis to become frustrated in his films; wanted better roles, but Parker reportedly turned down roles in films like West Side Story and Midnight Cowboy. However, Presley never studied acting and was probably not entirely focused on changing his career path.
Presley continued to appear in formula films, for which the studios paid him well, earning him a lot of money and a percentage of the net profit, after which the lackluster Kissin’ Cousins 1963, starring of Presley in two roles. The film was shot in 17 days under the auspices of a producer nicknamed “King of the Quickies”.
Then there was 1964’s Viva Las Vegas , which, however, featured one of the highest quality, shots that lasted for a long time, which reduced the film’s profitability. Then Parker pushed for short productions, with only two or three weeks to shoot. This led to films such as Scar Harum (1965), considered by exhibitors to be “Presley’s worst film”. However, being considered a terrible film did not stop its profits.
Presley’s movies did so well they saved the Allied Artists studio from bankruptcy. Producer Wallis also said that Presley’s films financed more “artistic pictures”. Presley didn’t like to hear this, but he needed money from Hollywood for his lifestyle financier .
Hollywood it caused Presley to compromise his artistic integrity in other ways. Although he made some non-film recordings, most of his musical talent was used to create film soundtracks with mediocre songs. He stopped performing live around 1961. As rock music changed in the 1960s with the Beatles, Beach Boys and Bob Dylan , Presley’s creativity faltered.
In 1965, Presley met the Beatles, and in one version of their meeting, John Lennon asked, “Why don’t you go back to making rock ‘n’ roll records?”
In 1968, box office receipts declined as audiences finally tired of Presley’s low-quality films, and King, who was dissatisfied with his career in Hollywood , told Parker that he wanted to refocus. into music. In November 1968, Presley’s televised Christmas special showcased the talent and musical ability that made him a star in the first place.
Changing Habits de 1969 was Presley’s last feature film, after which he was offered the lead role opposite Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born (1976), but in the end it wasn’t for him, which is Kris Kristofferson .
Presley spent much of the 1970s singing to devoted crowds in Las Vegas . As the decade wore on, however, there were more and more cancellations.
Presley died on September 16, 1977 at the age of 42, proving that his time was spent in Hollywood. It was good and bad, but certainly one of a kind. his heritage.
