TORONTO – Baz Luhrmann made his version of Elvis Presley’s legend with “Elvis.” And with his latest movie, the director lets the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll tell his own story.
Not a documentary, not a concert, but “a tone poem,” Luhrmann says, “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” showcases electrifying rehearsal and concert footage never seen before from Presley’s Las Vegas residency at the International Hotel from 1969 to 1976. The Australian filmmaker was on hand to premiere the film Sept. 6 at Toronto Film Festival, where the audience stood up and danced to hits like “Suspicious Minds” and more from the Presley catalog.
When getting ready to make his 2022 movie “Elvis” starring Austin Butler, Luhrmann said he had heard about some “mythical footage” that he wanted to research. The filmmaker had the resources to go into “the salt mines in Kansas” where Warner Bros. had stored negatives and found 59 hours of footage – 15 hours of it with no sound at all.
According to Jonathan Redmond, Luhrmann’s longtime editor, all the music performances and rehearsal tracks were in hand; they just had to sync it up with the found footage. That ended up being a two-year job.
During that process, one thing really impressed Luhrmann about Presley: “It doesn’t matter what’s going on, it doesn’t matter what condition he is, he is never out of tune,” the filmmaker said. “And he’s always spiritual when he sings.”
“EPiC” gives a little history of Presley leading up to the Vegas years, from being drafted into the Army to becoming a Hollywood star. He didn’t love the films he was making, which led to the residency. “He said, ‘I need to show the audience what I can do. I need to get back to being Elvis.’ And that is what drove him,” said Luhrmann.
The striking thing about both the rehearsal and concert footage is it shows how vital Elvis still was a performer, hip thrusts, kung fu moves and all. He does a little tap dancing when Sammy Davis Jr.’s in the crowd. Presley banters with the audience when they’re not trying to hug him (he does kiss many a fan, too). But it’s his sense of humor that comes through most in “EPiC”: Rehearsing The Beatles’ “Something,” Presley croons, “Something in the way she moves …” and he quips to his band, “These are suggestive lyrics, man.”
Something else that Luhrmann found in their digging: Presley spoke to his band for 45 minutes, unbroken on tape, “about his life and he was so unguarded,” he said. The movie includes pieces of that, including Presley stating, “There’s a lot being said, but I’d like to have the opportunity to tell my side of the story.”
That prompted Luhrmann to “let Elvis sing and tell his story himself. And that was really the choice. Kind of a dream.”