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103 of 105 found the following review helpful:
 superb music documentary Aug 18, 2004
By Alejandra Vernon
"artist & illustrator"
Director Robert Abel and producer Pierre Adidge present a marvelous look at Elvis in this documentary, using concert, rehearsal and backstage footage, as well as clips from the early days of his career, and a montage of him kissing his co-stars while "Love Me Tender" is performed. Excellent use of split-screen techniques are used, and the cinematography is always interesting.
Elvis looks in great shape from the neck down, quite trim and with the athletic flexibility to do deep leg lunges, and delivering each song with enormous emotional and physical energy. His face shows much dissipation however, and tells another story; the feeling one gets from this film is of a desperately sad man, a hurting soul, putting a brave mask on for the world. There is also not even a flicker of ego...we see only a hard-working guy, with not a shred of arrogance. He wears his flashy clothes with grace, style and humility, and sings his heart out, and it's a beautiful thing to see.
His voice is occasionally wobbly (and the sound quality also has its variables), but for the most part he shines, particularly in the songs with a spiritual theme. "Bosom of Abraham," "I John," and especially "American Trilogy" and "You Gave Me a Mountain" are very moving, and terrific listening.
His band is wonderful, and his back-up singers, The Sweet Inspirations and J.D.Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, an added delight.
Song list:
"Johnny B. Goode" (film titles)
"See See Rider"
"Polk Salad Annie"
"Separate Ways" (recording studio)
"Proud Mary"
"Never Been to Spain"
"Burning Love"
"Don't be Cruel" (over early stills and clips)
"Ready Teddy" (Ed Sullivan Show)
"That's All Right"
"Lead Me, Guide Me" (rehearsal)
"Bosom of Abraham" (rehearsal)
"Love Me Tender"
"Until it's Time for You to Go"
"I John" (rehearsal)
"Bridge Over Troubled Water"
"Funny How Time Slips Away"
"An American Trilogy"
"Mystery Train" (at an airport)
"Suspicious Minds"
"I Got a Woman"
"Amen"
"A Big Hunk of Love"
"You Gave Me a Mountain"
"Sweet, Sweet Spirit" (exquisitely sung by J.D. Sumner and the Stamps)
"Lawdy Miss Clawdy"
"Can't Help Falling in Love"
"Memories" (final credits)
You don't have to be an Elvis fan to enjoy this film, but you're guaranteed to have a deeper appreciation of his talent, and understand why he was "The King" after seeing it.
This is one of the best music documentaries I've seen, up there with Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz," who incidentally, is listed as Montage Supervisor in the credits of this film.
Total running time is 93 minutes.
56 of 59 found the following review helpful:
This video rocks, entertains . . . and saddens Jul 08, 2006
By T.M. Reader
To start, I won't labor through listing all of the music on the concert video. Reviewer Alejandra Vernon did that nicely in her excellent Spotlight Review.
This is not my favorite Elvis concert video from a musical perspective - that would be "The '68 Comeback Special". But this video belongs on your Elvis shelf because it reveals an Elvis that we have not seen in his earlier work.
Pensive, tired, still unselfishly giving of himself to his fans. The thrill is gone and it has become work. He has a constant trail of people following him, depending on him, and he has the burden of projecting that Elvis image continuously.
There is a lot of off stage footage, which shows him to be thoughtful of and genuinely generous with his fans. He looks great for his age, but he is aging, and he seems sad. It's interesting that his only apparent joy in life (at least in this on the road, tour environment) seems to be music, including especially the impromptu off stage stuff . . . singing to himself in the limo, jamming gospel backstage with the band members. He's very likeable (loved by millions, of course) and one is glad to see him find escape in some good thing that he enjoys.
The on-stage music is good but is lacking a bit of the fire of his younger years. The stagework in the video is a montage from the series of stops on the tour. Clearly some of the concerts are better than others. At some he is a bit reserved and his famous stage posturing and movement is stilted and a parody of earlier times. He is HOT at a couple of them and, again, you can tell that he never stopped loving the music. The video brings it out clearly. Quite remarkably, we also see that he is still dealing with stagefright.
Speaking of the music - It seems that in every concert video (by anyone), there is a standout performance. In this one it's Elvis' imperfect but driving performance of "Burning Love". He introduces it as a "new song", has to read the lyrics for much of it, and it is incomplete. The lyrics are a variation on what will later become maybe his last great #1 Hit recording. He even seems a bit embarrassed by the "silliness" of the tune . . . but he WAILS it out like the Elvis Presley of 10 years earlier.
This video does a pretty good job of showing the phenomenon of Elvis at (or a bit past) his peak: truly bigger than life, unarrogant, flashy but unassuming as only he could be, weary, human, lovable. I hope that God received him into the habitations that he loved to sing about.
Recommended - for Elvis fans, music lovers, and students of remarkable people.
36 of 37 found the following review helpful:
Supurb concert performances from a fifteen-city tour Nov 01, 1998
This superb video focuses on the spectacular, 1972 Elvis Presley concert tour. Its chock full of entertaining segments of this captivating superstar, both on and off stage. Highlighting performances from his fifteen-city tour, he is clothed in an impressive array of costumes. All of them adorned with jeweled belts, capes and scarves. His presence on stage is totally spellbinding. Included are flash-back performances of a very riveting, young Elvis, as he sings and gyrates to "Don't Be Cruel" and "Ready Teddy." This is the actual performances as seen on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. Enjoy film clips of his boyhood days. Included are actual scenes of the famous hair cutting when he was inducted in the army. Experience Elvis singing all your favorite songs, up close and personal. See him perform "See See Rider," "Polk Salad Annie," "Proud Mary," "Burning Love," "Suspicious Minds," "Funny How Time Slips Away," " An American Trilogy," "I Got a Woman," " Mystery Train," " A Big Hunk O' Love," "You Gave Me a Mountain," "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," " Love Me Tender," " Bridge Over Trouble Water" and "Can't Help Falling in Love." A very entertaining movie from start to finish. Almost as good as being there with front row tickets. END
30 of 33 found the following review helpful:
 Elvis in decline, but fascinating nonetheless Dec 14, 2001
By DJ McGovern
"Derek McGovern"
What a difference two years can make in the life of a touring mega-star. Having recently purchased the excellent DVD of the 1970 Elvis - That's The Way It Is, I was unprepared for the drastically changed Elvis of this 1972 theatrical release. The changes are not just in his appearance, but more importantly in his vitality and vocal performance. In fact, the appearance aspect was the least of my concerns. True, he has put on weight since the earlier film, but so what? He still looks handsome at thirty-seven, and if there are telltale signs that his lifestyle is beginning to catch up with him, then this is hardly surprising after 16 years of relentless stardom. Far more worrying, however, is the decline in sheer vocal quality.From the very first song (Johnny B. Goode), Elvis sounds tired and slurred. His voice is worn, and lacks the resonant beauty that it had just two years earlier. On many of the slower numbers (eg Separate Ways, Love Me Tender and Bridge Over Troubled Water), a distinct "wobble" has crept into his singing, making it difficult for him to sustain a smooth line in the quiet passages. (Compare these with, say, his 1970 recording of Twenty Days and Twenty Nights and the unevenness of his later singing is immediately noticeable.) The change is nowhere more evident than in his middle register. He is still able to belt out the notes in climactic moments - An American Trilogy is proof of that - but gone is the wonderfully rich baritonal quality and freshness of his earlier singing. The decline seems to have set in from 1971 onwards. Up until then his voice had been magnificent, with 1969 and 1970 arguably his peak years. There would still be moments - even right up until the end - when he would regain much of his former vocal beauty, but overall I believe this documentary confirms an ominous decline that would continue with the 1973 Aloha from Hawaii concert. Maybe the problem was simply tiredness and over-use of his vocal chords. If this was the case, then it's unlikely that those closest to him would have ever succeeded in reining him in. For as this video makes abundantly clear, Elvis loved touring, and his need to perform was a constant driving force. And what a great performer he was! Vocal problems aside, this is a fascinating study of THE pop icon of the twentieth century. Far from being "static", as Leonard Maltin asserts, this is a fast-moving look at the hectic whirlwind of Elvis Presley's touring life. There are also reflective moments of quiet beauty, notably when Elvis rehearses gospel numbers with his troupe. Elvis' occasional narration also adds much to the film. This is an honest, warts and all look at Elvis, and well worth your time.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Elvis still in top form, don't believe the hype Sep 30, 2002
By D. McClure
"Magnum Opus"
The only major difference in Elvis' appearance between this film and 'That's The Way It Is' is that he doesn't have a tan, and his hair is longer. Elvis is NOT heavier, and even if he is, it couldn't be by more than 5 pounds. He is very lean in this, with a small waistline and overall striking figure. His voice is beautiful, and I love to hear how it matured and improved over the years. In this film, his voice is smooth, rich, and powerful. The way he sings "Bridge Over Troubled Water" knocks the original version right off the map. His energy during the song "Polk Salad Annie" is startling, this version being markedly faster than the 1970 version. The Stamps are spotlighted singing the moving gospel song "Sweet Sweet Spirit" that can move you to tears, especially seeing Elvis standing aside and admiring one of his heroes, J.D. Sumner. "I Got a Woman","Lawdy Miss Clawdy","Burning Love"...this film has no shortage of rockers. Also we get to go into the recording studio with Elvis while he records the song "Separate Ways", a poignant ballad about lost love clearly selected to mirror Elvis life while he was separated from Priscilla. We get to go backstage with Elvis and see his human side, he says "I've never gotten over what they call stage fright, I go through it every show". A long interview with Elvis was recorded to accompany some of the non musical moments, and we hear the man himself telling his story. They flash back to 1956 and show some of Elvis' early TV appearances to great effect. It was filmed in stereo, and plays just fine in Dolby surround. It's energetic, exciting, and contains some great songs. A must for any Elvis fan or fan of live concerts.
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