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This Is Elvis

Play trailer Poster for This Is Elvis PG Released Apr 3, 1981 1h 42m Drama Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
89% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Actors (David Scott, Paul Boensch III, Johnny Harra) portray Elvis Presley at various ages, combined with public and private documentary footage.
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This Is Elvis

Critics Reviews

View All (9) Critics Reviews
Jay Scott Globe and Mail It's a portrait of a face full of wounds, warts and wonders. Dec 6, 2022 Full Review Linda Deutsch Associated Press Unlike previous documentaries, this one focuses on the star's life more than his music and gives the best hints yet of why Presley's skyrocket ride to stardom led him to self-destruct. Mar 2, 2019 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The movie's lesson is brutal, sad, and inescapable: Elvis Presley was a man who gave joy to a great many people but felt very little of his own, because he became addicted and stayed addicted until the day it killed him. Rated: 3.5/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies This Is Elvis is at its best when focusing on archival footage but this docudrama depends way too much on reenactment footage during the first half, for better or worse. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 31, 2022 Full Review Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) The biggest issue with This Is Elvis is that it reduces the life of a singer who has become a myth to four biographical facts. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 21, 2019 Full Review Peter Ackroyd The Spectator Although the film resembles a child's drawing of a life, it is enlivened by the use of documentary material which, if it does nothing else, at least recreates that era When 'rock-and-roll' was seen as the harbinger of things to come. Mar 29, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (9) audience reviews
Paul B I starred in This Is Elvis, 1981. I had the best time during the filming. I had the extreme pleasure to meet Furry Lewis. The producer, David L. Wolper hand picked me to star as Elvis, age 10. The movie had an extra 45 minutes of live video shot by Elvis himself. The directors found a locked closet in Graceland. When they opened it, all these home videos fell out! And YES, I have been upstairs in Graceland. And NO, I did not sit on any furniture. My mom was good friends of Elvis. If you want to see and hear Elvis, THIS IS ELVIS is an excellent movie. I can also be found on FB. ENJOY! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/29/23 Full Review Audience Member A re-released movie from the 1980's to coincide with the release of Bas Luhrmann's new film. This documentary blends actual footage of Elvis's life and career with actors playing Presley at various stages of life. It is a good and fun documentary. it is a really endearing walk down the life of the poor southern boy that became a larger than life icon. This is now more than 40 years old but it holds up. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review uncle p Story/Screenplay: (3/5) A factual representation of Elvis Presley's life portrayed in an uninteresting manner. Not boring, but uninteresting. Duration/Tempo: (3/5) At 1 hour and 50 minutes, it's an average length movie that felt about the same. Methodical and deliberate with uniform pacing throughout, the film could have benefited from a better delivery. Cast & Crew: (2.5/5) Not much here to like or dislike. As a documentary, the film is a string of recorded events pieced together to tell a story, but the events are bland and the final story is the same. Summary: (3/5) The story and cast were middling, and the film felt longer than I would have liked. A thumbs down. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Surface-level informative, but lacking any real insights or ambition. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review s r A good documentary about the king. Although some of the writing seemed contrived, I felt that it stayed true to who he was and the struggles he had. I would like to go to Graceland after seeing this. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This was my first acting gig. I had a great time making the movie! Andrew Solt and Malcolm Leo are super directors and can't say enough about how fantastic they are in person. I would really like to act more in the future. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
This Is Elvis

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Cast & Crew

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Malcolm Leo

Director

Andrew Solt

Director

David Scott

Elvis Age 18

Paul Boensch III

Elvis Age 10

Johnny Harra

Elvis Age 42

Lawrence Koller

Vernon Presley

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This Is Elvis

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Movie Info

Synopsis Actors (David Scott, Paul Boensch III, Johnny Harra) portray Elvis Presley at various ages, combined with public and private documentary footage.
Director
Malcolm Leo, Andrew Solt
Producer
Malcolm Leo, Andrew Solt
Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 3, 1981, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 31, 2009
Runtime
1h 42m
Sound Mix
Surround
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