Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970) User Reviews

ELVIS: THAT'S THE WAY IT IS {2001 Re-Edited Version} (Denis Sanders, 1970) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 6 September 2007]

The original theatrical version was drastically re-edited in 2001 to make Elvis' stage performance the core of the show, thus removing all interview footage of the crowd before the concert, etc. Also given its due importance is the various rehearsal sessions which show Elvis goofing off on occasion but clearly knowing what he wants and in complete control of the proceedings. Indeed, Elvis is in great shape – both vocally and physically – and in great spirits, too and the fact that he had been missing live performances during a self-imposed hiatus (a direct result of his lengthy Hollywood sojourn) is palpable. Rather ironically perhaps, among the crowd of admirers one can glimpse such Hollywood celebrities as the already retired Cary Gramt, Sammy Davis. Jr., George Hamilton and ex-Elvis co-star Juliet Prowse!

Presley clearly wanted this film to be done right because he engaged the services of a respectable director (Denis Sanders) and a great director of photography (Lucien Ballard). Personally, I found "Suspicious Minds" to be the standout performance in the concert but all the songs he performed were good ones – including some pretty obscure current titles like "Patch It Up" – and it was refreshing to see the old "rock'n'roll" era standards being "thrown away" in a tongue-in-cheek manner by The King one right after another. His handling of the occasional cover – "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" and "Words" – was also quite impeccable.

After a three-week long Elvis marathon, this is undoubtedly the best way to remember him because, watching him here, one really appreciates why the man was so loved when he was alive and why he is still so revered, missed and imitated 30 years after his death...

Yes, he was really THAT cool

[slokes · 8/10 · 5 December 2003]

Filmgoers were treated to two rockumentaries in 1970. The first, "Let It Be," shows the greatest rock n' roll band ever, The Beatles, struggling unsuccessfully to get out of its first and only decade of existence. The second, "That's The Way It Is," shows the greatest rock n' roll singer ever, Elvis Presley, entering his third decade of stardom lean, mean, and taking no prisoners.

The form of both is almost identical. You see rehearsal footage in a studio, some backstage chatter, and then a live performance before an enthused crowd. But while "Let It Be" is more interesting as a historical document than entertainment, "That's The Way It Is" is a powerful, galvanizing performance piece that stands up as well now as it did in 1970.

Even better than in 1970, many would say, because the version we have now is heavily re-edited, using unused footage from the original filming, mostly focused on Elvis, and discarding other bits showing interviews with fans. (You can see the seams, though, as many of the patched-in bits have a washed-out color scheme immediately apparent when contrasted with the vibrant Lucien Ballard photography of the original film.)

I'm not sure I like the idea of tampering with the record, but it's hard to bicker with results. The new "Way It Is" has a power and freshness that makes you feel the vitality of Elvis, who by 1970 was at least a half-step behind the fashion of the times but a better performer than ever. Since the film features Elvis in a series of Vegas shows (six filmed over three days in August, 1970, just seven years before his death) it's not unnatural to expect a bloated rhinestone-encrusted drug addict with velcro sideburns performing hokey schmaltz, as the myth perpetuated by his detractors would have it. But 1970 was a very good year for the King. He was not only in fine physical shape, he had matured into a vocalist who had married his awesome power with subtlety and finesse, and found his voice in a series of country-tinged rock songs that complemented him nicely even if they never achieved the pop status of his earlier hits. Songs like "Patch It Up," "Just Pretend," "Twenty Days And Twenty Nights" and "Tiger Man" (seen in a killer title sequence juxtaposed with Elvis's standard show-opener "Mystery Train") are thrilling, classic-sounding numbers not burdened today by overplay on oldies radio stations. Even his outfits were in surprisingly good taste for the period, at times even casual and comfortable-looking.

In rehearsal and on stage, Elvis works in his biggest hits of yore, which he seems almost embarrassed by and trots out almost perfunctorily, then throws in newer songs recorded by other artists, like the Bee Gees' "Words" and The Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," that he invests with real conviction and passion. He was a real artist, always moving forward, finding brilliance in the work of others, and believing in the power of song.

There are many highlights in this film. Elvis throws himself into each number he performs on stage like its his last moment on earth, even his older hits once he warms up to them. His "Love Me Tender" sends him into the audience for a lengthy series of kisses with delighted female audience members, and what blows you away is not so much the serial smooching but the way Elvis makes an effort to offer serious eye contact to everyone who approaches him, and thanks them sincerely when he returns to the safety of the stage. "Sorry I couldn't make it up there," he yells to the people in the balcony, and I think he meant it.

I especially appreciated the chance to see Elvis's interaction with his bandmates, a killer ensemble led by guitarist extraordinaire James Burton and drummer Ronnie Tutt, who was probably the only guy in 1970 who could have given Keith Moon a run for his money in a "Wipeout" faceoff. "The backbone of my whole show," he calls his musicians in a typical moment of humility. Elvis is also accompanied by the playful and vibrant Sweet Inspirations and the Imperials, male back-up singers who resemble Elvis impersonators before their time.

Elvis comes across as genuinely decent and sweet, but doesn't let you into his world too much. That's just as well when you get a load of his unctuous retinue, the Memphis Mafia, a squalid band of freeloaders and enablers who sped the King to his sordid doom. They giggle and interfere a bit, enough to remind you of the dark side of Elvis's celebrity, but in the end what you have is a prime slice of music greatness, the greatest vocalist of his day finding new power in his reinvention as rock's elder statesman and most accomplished showman, plowing through songs like "Polk Salad Annie" and "I Can't Stop Loving You" like he was plugged into God's private frequency.

I'd never say the Beatles were a shabby second to Elvis, but it's hard not to see them falling short in the rockumentary department. Elvis even delivers a better version of "Get Back" (though he seems to think the title is "Take It Back.") This is a film you will want to see at least once, just to get a sense of who Elvis was just before the money-changers moved into the temple and the man was hijacked by the legend.

Acclaimed documentary of Elvis in Vegas.

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 4 April 2000]

Denis Sanders garnered high honors for directing this somewhat candid view of Elvis Presley at work and play, preparing for his summer 1970 stint in Las Vegas. Elvis at this time was still in his return to splendor. Looking fit and a fine specimen of singing, sex machine. Not yet feeling the passion for the real gaudy, sparkling costumes. Relaxed, but nervous; Presley plays and clowns for the camera. A lot of hard work and rehearsing culminates into a high energy performance on stage. Captured on film is just a portion of what made Elvis one of the world's most admired and beloved entertainers.

My husband almost had to throw a bucket of cold water on me

[Rusty-61 · 6 March 2001]

Sorry, but I'm not made of wood, people. I should probably mention right now as some sort of disclaimer that I'm going to do my best to focus on the details of the new Special Edition DVD here, but I was seriously distracted from technical details because Elvis looks so damn gorgeous and sexy in this footage. I'm not exaggerating, nor am I alone here. I've read at least 20 books about Elvis by those who were closest to him, and they all agree that he hit his peak around 69-70. By 68 he lost all the baby fat he had before and then some, was in the best shape of his life, tan, healthy, and confident. "Thin as a rake and more handsome than 10 movie stars" is the quote from a reporter that kept coming to my mind. Members of the Memphis Mafia said that around this time, they would frequently be looking for Elvis and find him admiring himself in the mirror and saying things like, "Damn, I'm one good-lookin' sonofagun!". Watching this movie, you definitely don't blame him one bit. I better just move on to the actual movie here before I start really embarrassing myself, but I think most people would agree that it's probably impossible for anyone to watch this and not see why Elvis caused women to completely lose control around him.

OK, anyway, where was I? Since this hasn't gone into wide release as of this writing, we were lucky to find a rental DVD copy a few days ago. I'd heard it was great, but expected maybe 1 or 2 new songs or alternate takes and 5 minutes more of rehearsal footage, plus a better picture/ sound quality. This is just like a second (better, I thought) version of the movie. Most of the footage of the fans that went on too long in the first version is gone. I have to admit that some of the original interviews with babbling fans loaded down with every type of Elvis souvenir (and it if it was wearable, wearing it all at once) probably helped cause the stereotype most people have of Elvis fans as lunatics. I've had people (usually, they were born after Elvis passed away) look at me like they way they would at a member of a cult dancing around in an airport when I mention that I'm a big Elvis fan. This version might make those people change their mind, or at the very least, see why Elvis has so many fans in the first place.

Instead of the insane fan interviews, there's plenty of rehearsal footage. Most of it is new, and amazing. It also reminded me strongly of the section of the 68 comeback special (and also "One Night With You") where Elvis jammed with his old band, just having fun. Again, I'm kind of fuzzy on the exact songs and the order they're in, ("Little Sister" was probably the best) but most of it is not in the 1970 version, including him talking to the Sweet Inspirations and joking with the band. The concert footage is amazing. Even though it's spliced together using the best of 6 different shows (not that I would have minded sitting through all of them) the performance is so energetic and intense that I can't believe that Elvis did his act twice a night, 7 days a week. Biographers say that Elvis actually requested not to have a day off because he was having so much fun when he first started playing Vegas, and it's obvious from watching this footage that he was having the time of his life. Most of the patter between songs is different, and so are some of his interactions with the audience. There's an extended version of "Suspicious Minds" that's even more impressive than the other one, using alternate takes (they leave out "I hope this suit don't tear up baby", and put in more of the type of dancing that, how do I put this politely, got him banned from the waist down in the 50's ). Just a complete show-stopper. You have to see it to believe it. And if you already thought Elvis was hot, you might want to have that bucket of cold water handy to pour over your head before you sit down to watch this.

Some of the extras include an extremely entertaining trailer that makes you want to watch the movie again immediately, and a pretty interesting "making of" documentary. Obviously, a lot of care and time was taken to produce this new version; this is not something they just slapped together at the last minute just to cash in on the popularity of special edition DVDs. Elvis fans, you have got to own this-or at least see it ASAP, at which point you'll want to buy a copy. I still haven't picked my jaw up off the floor. At some points when you're watching the movie, it's hard to believe he's gone. But it's not hard to believe he would have been very proud of this edition.

Unmissable Vegas Elvis. Both versions are a must-see, as they offer rather DIFFERENT CONTENT. 10/10. Spoilers.

[lizziebeth-1 · 10/10 · 18 May 2003]

Even if you're not an Elvis fan, you'll be one by the end of this concert movie. His greatest asset was his easy empathy through that marshmallow/high-octane voice; and he's described by Rick Schmidlin (restoration producer of the Sp.Edn.) as "Truly THE greatest vocalist of the 20thCentury". Candid rehearsals reveal Elvis as a charismatic band-leader, who could jam equally well on guitar, piano, AND as a vocalist.

Especially during the studio rehearsals, he's just the textbook definition of charisma: impish, soulful, commanding, nerdy, hyper, distracted, playful…..and mesmerizing. Elvis first awes his own guitarist John Wilkinson with Westlake/Most's How_The_Web_Was_Woven, solo at the piano, then deliberately falls off his piano-stool.

MGM filmed Elvis in August 1970 launching his 2nd year of live Vegas performances. Practising, he's adolescently naughty; by the 2nd/3rd day he gets rather phallic trying to "resurrect" his floppy mic, and inserts some salacious lyrics into Leiber/Stoller's The_Next_Step_Is_Love. He wears his chunky glasses upside down, and mocks the film director; yet he clearly took singing seriously, after a decade of career-killing Hal Wallis flicks. He often performs full-out during these rehearsals, managing to split his pants. This Elvis is 35, fit as an athlete and agile as a panther. He just "eats everything up".

There's none of his legendary temper, although he's always musically in charge. Instead, he mocks his "Memphis Mafia'"--some 9 bodyguards credited as "Technical Assistants"--for interfering with his ballroom rehearsal. Joe Esposito throws smoldering cigarette-butts at him, and a giggling cigarette fight ensues.

Surprisingly, he's got opening night jitters (a perfectionist, he suffered stage-fright his whole career). While he sweats through his shirt backstage, he cheekily reads congratulatory telegrams, including one from Tom Jones wishing him to "break both legs" (Elvis adapted Jones' 1969 stage moves to reinvent himself for Vegas, so they became friends). Another telegram supposedly reads "My God, why hath thou forsaken me?....signed, The Pope". Chuck-D of Public Enemy now calls this scene "a brief glimpse of the natural showman beneath the crass Vegas glitter".

The show portion is spliced together from 6 nights at the International Hotel.

In one classic scene, an overenthusiastic blonde leaps into his arms on stage. By Vegas, he'd learned to avoid being pulled into the crowd, yet maintained a compassion for his fans that no other performer knew how far to take. He takes impromptu walks through the audience, and dispenses real kisses, delighting everyone (one happy onlooker mouths "Look at that"). He even joke-threatens to kiss a hapless guy offering him only a handshake! Reportedly, he never let cameras stop him doing anything.

Throughout his "punk lounge"(Jerry Scheff) -period he continued performing his 1950s hits, but often gave them short shrift, preferring killer covers, or presenting heartbreaking love-gone-wrong songs best exemplified by the plaintive strings-and-oboe-driven I've_Lost_You, tragically only on the 1970 version @0:45mins. First performed at Vegas, a month later it charted to No.32.

Nervous at first, he tries anything/everything to distance himself from "performing": he psyches out the band ('Ready?....I'm not') and interjects "shove it up your nose" into Suspicious_Minds. During the intro to Love_Me_Tender, impishly planning his kissing-spree, he sings a self-mocking limerick in falsetto: "Toreadoro toreador, who dat was wi'choo onda floor'" He famously never performed a song the same way twice. As "stand-in band-leader'" he'd physically punctuate whatever musical element caught his attention on the night. His perfectly timed chest-action to Ronnie Tutt's drum-fills is just one high-point of many.

Elvis didn't so much perform, as communed with his music. His communing with audiences often took the form of monologues about his career. During one he claims this concert film will be called "Elvis Shakes Off His Excess". Having lost his shyness, he now couldn't be shut up.

Discipline and talent allowed him to take happy risks with his set-list. When he preempts the orchestra, snapping from All_Shook_Up into the correct tempo/key of You_Don't_Have_To Say_You_Love_Me, he's flying without a net. This necessitated that oft-quoted eye-contact with his band. He said he "liked to mix things up".

When he springs One_Night on the band while sipping yellow Gatorade (on CD he accused it of looking "used"), his lead guitarist hesitates, so Elvis prompts him: 'Tawdala-tawdala-tawdala--Remember?'. As they rip into the song, Elvis and the Sweet Inspirations start to-ing-and-fro-ing, the ladies yelling back between beats. Elvis reacts as if machine-gunned, admitting afterwards, "If we start doin' those, man, we'll be here all night"....We wish.

Sadly he may've been (ab)using uppers, and allegedly cocaine, by this time: one leg often hyper-beats his ballad tempos.

At times his self-distancing looks like self-parody....or boredom. His on-stage guitar technique is a rare low-point; and his virile Jonesesque, pumped-up delivery with feet planted wide might seem awkward to some--but his audiences weren't looking for polish. They wanted to connect with him in the moment, so a few flaws ultimately work for him.

The show is/was a phenomenal success, but there is one mistake. Near the end, after Elvis jackhammers Suspicious_Minds, and as he and his drummer explode in triumph, they're left in the dark by the lighting guy! NB: the 2 versions of E-TTWII offer rather different content. The Sp.Edn., while 0:13mins shorter than the original, still features extended rehearsal scenes, music credits, different on-the-night performances (Schmidlin's culling choices are sometimes dubious), and a different ending to the cigarette fight (the 1970 version reveals Elvis had set some of his 'Mafia' on fire).

Watch both versions to enjoy him as he really was. So real that it hurts. Elvis died exactly 7yrs later (8/16/1977) in "privacy" in his own bathroom, with a houseful of oblivious minders.

E-TTWII(1970/2001) is the very best of Elvis concert-films; testimony to the fact that he Never_Lost_That_Lovin'_Feeling.(10/10).

Unmissable for fans of The King of Rock and Roll

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 21 May 2017]

Elvis Presley was a hugely influential performer with one of the most distinctive singing voices of anybody. 'Elvis: That's the Way It Is' is an acclaimed documentary film for good reason, and better than all of his films he made during the mid-50s-late-60s.

His film career was highly variable as an overall film career with some good ones, some decent ones, some mediocre ones and some bad ones. Elvis' performances in them ranged from good, great even in a few, to clearly disinterested and embarrassed (and in some of his later films who could blame him), even the best ones.

Simply put, for fans of the justly named The King of Rock and Roll, 'Elvis: That's the Way It Is' is unmissable, and even non-fans may find themselves converted. It's cohesively shot and edited, where one gets to properly know Elvis, the band and the audience.

With Elvis himself, he looks great and sounds even better. He looks like a natural on stage, electric with the band and while with a couple of awkward moments which one puts down to nervous energy fun with the audience. The energy levels seen are immense. The backstage stuff is fascinating too and is seeing Elvis in rehearsal.

The quality of the music can't be faulted either, with a mix of his greatest and iconic hits and his newer music. No forgettable at best ones here and no career-low ones either. It's all brilliantly performed all round and there is a real atmosphere with the audience, everybody clearly having a great time without being over the top.

In conclusion, unmissable to sum it up in one word. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Elvis Presley is the best and he proves it here!

[Joe-290 · 8/10 · 31 December 2000]

It was a heart - pounding, pulse racing, mind blowing, fast moving, breathtaking, exhilarating, overwhelming, thrilling and exciting, sensational and tremendous, wonderful and superb show with all the TCB band playing terrific along to the one and only great Elvis Presley. Elvis' 3rd Las Vegas season since he made his live concert comeback in 1969 a year after his TV comeback.

Candid footage of Elvis behind the scenes gets you closer to this really down to earth wonderful human being and this is the real Elvis looking his best. 7 years before he died and extremely thin and fit and powerful. Dominating the film this is a great show for all people and it is certainly something to watch if you want to learn something about The one true King - Elvis Presley.

I NEVER liked Elvis...

[brucevodka-524-18597 · 10/10 · 9 November 2012]

Never understood his music, hated his movies and never even liked the mocking of him by the media. I went my whole life thinking this TILL one night (2003) this came on cable and I happened to watch it...Thank god I did, now I can't get enough!! I finally got it, he was perhaps the greatest entertainer of all time. (Non- band) They say before him only Jolson evoked that kind of energy during a live show. This film captures him at his best, the other live shows, (black leather, Hawaii, 50 shows 50 days) do not and can make a person cry when seeing what he did to himself and how tragic it all was.

The way he always had time to shake hands and acknowledge other people is poignant, the film captures this and his kid-like affection to his buddies, and band-mates and back-up singers. I can watch it over and over and only love it more and more.

Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970) **

[JoeKarlosi · 6/10 · 16 August 2004]

I'm an Elvis fan. No, honestly -- I really am. Not a fanatical completist or collector, perhaps, but I am a fan. I even enjoy quite a few of Presley's maligned movies from the '60s. I recently sat down with the "new" restored DVD version of this documentary and was seriously underwhelmed. If you're only casually acquainted with The King and wish to sample some of his best performances, do yourself a favor and check out the superior 1968 "Comeback" TV Special or "Aloha From Hawaii" of 1973 instead of this one.

I've always enjoyed peeps backstage into the studios, watching my favorite artists rehearsing and so forth; but aside from some intimate clowning from Elvis, his backstage musical footage that's incorporated herein is quite dull. It's mostly aimless jamming, and your mileage may vary as to how excited you'll get over sitting through it.

After a surprisingly lackluster 30 minutes or so, the 1970 concert mercifully begins. Elvis does appear trim and healthy, but it's a shame he seems more intent on having a laugh than executing some intense singing. He laughs in the middle of his old classics, fumbles the words all over the place, takes the time to kiss all the girls in the audience while the musicians play silently alone behind him without a vocal upfront.

He fares better doing some newer songs, like "Suspicious Minds" and "Patch It Up", but he comes across not as that professional crooner from the previous '68 TV Special nor the ultimate performer soon to mesmerize at the "Hawaii Concert" as he does the court jester. Granted, some of it is actually funny -- like when he confuses a male audience member by shaking his hand and then pretending he's about to give him a great big kiss -- but it mostly gets in the way of the music.

Even liking Elvis' music and personality as much as I do, I was still bored by most of this documentary; I wouldn't recommend it to novices who might be looking for the best place to start for evaluating Elvis at his finest. This one is more for the diehards. I'm sorry, but That's The Way It Is.

There is only one Elvis......

[rbrb · 8/10 · 31 January 2010]

Make no mistake this film is compelling.

It is a documentary.

Set in 1970 with Elvis preparing for his forthcoming Los Vegas shows. There can be no doubt that he is one of the most sexually appealing and charismatic performers in history.

Elvis is an Icon and what impresses me is that he had so much talent and that is revealed in this movie.Talented too are the band and backing singers and the others who aided his performances.

The sexual chemistry which connected him to his fans is unparalleled in show business history and this movie shows why.

8/10

One "movie" you can relax with

[Gandalf-64 · 7/10 · 19 March 2001]

Strictly speaking this is of course not a movie, but a documentary and a live recording of Elvis Presley in Vegas.

No, I never was an Elvis fan. In the seventies Elvis was almost history and I went for Uriah Heep and other loud loud bands. I did not buy Elvis records and I hardly watched his movies, saw his concerts etc.

Then this movie appears on the main screens. My curiosity wins...I am older now, my musical taste is much broader. So, I wanted to see it. I wanted to see the movie, to see what kind of guy Elvis was, or at least catch a glimpse of who he was. And I was pleasantly surprised.

Then came the recording of his live concerts in Vegas in 1970. I sat, watched, listened, enjoyed....and almost became an Elvis fan myself...wooohhhh.......

8/10

Superb rockumentary

[JohnSeal · 9/10 · 18 January 2000]

Elvis' Vegas period is constantly sneered at, but here's the proof that the King could still deliver the goods at this stage in his career. A few of the ballads are ill-advised but there are barnstorming versions of That's All Right Mama, You've Lost That Loving Feeling, and many others. Try it...you'll like it!

Elvis in 1970

[johno-21 · 7/10 · 13 July 2006]

Here's Elvis performing live at the International Hotel in Las Vegas over a period of six nights in 1970. He jokes and stumbles through abbreviated versions of his classics from the 50's and early 60's but gets serious and turns in great performances of songs that would be his concert staples for the rest of his career including Suspecious Minds, In The Ghetto and The wonder of You. He's backed by famed guitarist James Burton and a band that includes Chip young, Ronnie Tutt, David Briggs, Jerry Carrigan, Norbert Putnam and John Wilkerson with an orchestra led by Eddie Hinton and vocals by The Sweet Inspirations and Millie Kirkham and The Imperials Quartet. Besides the concert footage taken over six consecutive nights at the hotels are also rehearsal footage from MGM studios in Culver City, California. Celebrities in the audience that came out for the shows include Cary grant, Sammy Davis Jr. and George Hamilton. Elvis' Memphis Mafia stalwarts Joe Esposito, sonny West and Red West are here too. There's even a brief overhead shot of Col. Parker. Denis Sanders who directed this documentary had a sporadic career as a screenwriter and filmmaker of feature films, television and documentaries. He followed this the next year with his second music documentary called Soul to Soul which featured some of the great R&B acts of the time. These two films were definitely the highlight of his career. They got a big name cinematographer to do the photography in Lucien Ballard. He had been a Hollywood cinematographer since the 30's and had filmed Presley in roustabout. He was involved in a string of feature film hits in the 60's with The son's of Katie Elder, The Wild Bunch, Nevada Smith, The Getaway and True Grit. This is a must for any Elvis fan and even for non-fans it serves as a fairly good documentary of Elvis in peak physical form and having a fun and energetic time as a performer. White high collared jump suits with sequence and kung fu jump kicks are all here on a Vegas stage. He's comfortable in his element. The film originally ran at 107 minutes when it debuted in theaters in December of 1970. It's not a great concert film and not very imaginatively filmed or edited but since Elvis is such a legend it's worth a look. I would give it a 7.0 out of 10.

Vegas doesn't 'do' rock'n'roll. So neither did Elvis.

[wadechurton · 3/10 · 3 October 2011]

That low rating is not so much a comment on the quality of the documentary, but how depressed the whole movie makes me feel after watching it. Just two years after his triumphant leather-clad Comeback, here is Elvis at the beginning of his fossilisation into the white-suited self-parody he became during the 1970s. The superior 2001 re-edit makes the horror even keener, when at first Elvis and the band are seen at length rehearsing in an charmingly informal atmosphere (musically the movie peaks with the excellent "Little Sister"/"Get Back" medley). Next come the seven (!) backing singers, the middle-aged, middle class audience and the tacky Vegas ambiance, and by the end Elvis is slamming through a set which dispatches his 1950s hits with obscene haste in order to concentrate on the schmaltzy ballads and overblown bombast. He was dead just seven years later. If only he'd done the '68 Special and then fired Colonel Tom, booted the freeloading Memphis Mafia to the kerb and hired a hotshot young manager with some good ideas. There was a big rock'n'roll revival just around the corner and Europe (especially the UK) would have been Elvis' for the taking. Imagine if he'd survived to receive the same sort of multi-generational accord Johnny Cash did during the 1990s. Ah, if only. The 30-something Elvis of 1970's "That's The Way It Is" was a little wider in the face but still lean and vital and capable of so much more. Watching this movie is like seeing Elvis shrug, smile and wave goodbye as he turns to walk down a long, dark tunnel...

Re-vamped 2001 edition is good...

[gazzo-2 · 3 March 2001]

They cleaned up the print and soundtrack, got ridda interviews with the Velvet Elvis fan-clubs(the types who claim their Cats listen to the King), the array of Sammy Davis Jr. types in attendence, and put in more lost footage of Elvis jamming/rehearsing in LA with the band. There is a version of 'Get Back' that has to be heard-it medleys into 'Little Sister' and works great.

As for the Hotel Casino concert that follows-it's great, of course. He trots out the expected hits-'Heartbreak Hotel', 'Can't Help Falling in Love', 'Suspicious Minds', etc. the last a highlight along with 'In the Ghetto' and 'Polk Salad Annie'.

He is great form, both vocally, in front of the audience and with the band. Enjoyable also is the interplay between Elvis and Hardin, Scheff and Burton, a primo guitarist if there ever was one. You can also see Cissy Houston(Whitney's mom) as one of the Sweet Inspirations backing him up.

Too often Elvis the musician, singer and regular guy-as reg as he could ever be-gets shoved aside by the nightmarish late period stereotype we all know and dread. This goes a good deal towards correcting that.

*** outta ****-good show.

Time capsule greatness

[pmtelefon · 9/10 · 10 March 2019]

"Elvis: That's the Way It Is" is truly a joy to watch. Elvis' charisma is off the charts. The man's showmanship is also off the charts. It's amazing how the rehearsals are as interesting as the actual show. Even non-fans (if there is any such thing) will find something in "Elvis:That's the Way It Is" to like. Elvis' charm will wear them down. The 1970 original film is really something to behold. The 2001 "Special Edition" is good but not as good. Don't ask me why. It's just not as satisfying to watch.

Elvis showing that He Is KING

[ebiros2 · 9/10 · 19 June 2008]

I'm commenting from the two DVD set one containing the original 1970 release version, and other the 2001 remastered version. The two movies are actually different enough to be considered two separate movies with mostly different songs, so if you play both back to back, it's like being entertained by a 3 hour long Elvis live in Las Vegas movie. By the time I was growing up, there was a whole generation who've never seen Elvis doing his music, and only known him from movies made in the '60s. So we had no clue why he was so famous. But when I saw the original release of this movie in theaters, for the first time I understood why he was so famous. I think I saw then for the first time what the word "entertainer" meant. He was the very embodiment of that word. This movie captures Elvis at his prime. Possibly the greatest entertainer in history is captured live, doing "his" thing. You would not be disappointed seeing this movie, with some of the best musicians in business playing along his side. Elvis was probably the first to pioneer having white male gospel singers (The Imperials), and black female blues singers (The Sweet Inspirations) to be his backing vocals. The combination of their harmony is spot on for his music. You'll also see the famous TCB band in action with James Burton on lead guitar putting out rainbow of tonal colors from his guitar. To me the 1970 version told a more complete story of Elvis and the culture surrounding him, and had better selection of songs, but that's just my opinion. Having both versions you can choose, and pick your favorite version. The remastered version have better color and sound. Take a tour back to 1970 with this movie, and see the KING in all his splendor. Guaranteed to be one of the best entertainment you've had in your life.

Fascinating and memorable - even for general music fans.

[Pedro_H · 8/10 · 8 January 2007]

Elvis rehearses/jokes with his pickup band and then hits the low rise super club stage in Las Vegas. This review refers to the re-cut version (a big improvement), although I have seen both.

Since America revoked its monarchist past and went republican they have had only one "King." Rightly put there by popular demand rather than by being born in the right bed. Maybe the only democratically elected king of all time!

It would be foolish to try and summate the man, but chew on this - he made more people dip in to their pocket and pay for his recordings/products/museum and home than any other artist in the history the world. No critic, however skilled, can take that away from him.

(That is not to agree with some of them that his films were bad and at times so camp that only a dyed-in-the-wool fan could sit through them.)

In reply to other reviews - Elvis's weight yo-yoed throughout his life. Between movies/tours he blow up and he went on crash diets aided by more of those strange pills. Here - in 1970 - he looks slim enough and young enough to be of sexual interest to any woman of any age (although the surgeons knife had already helped), although good natured and warm he never looks "straight" for a second.

The early rehearsals are worthwhile in that he knows what he wants, although his guitar doesn't seen to switched on (although it is plugged in). He is backed by talented musicians, but they are still - when all is said and done - only session men. Capable of playing anything, but probably couldn't come up with a song of their own. The musical 9 to 5'er. Not that anybody could take the limelight away from the king.

(The backing singers are too many in number and could almost take the gig over if Elvis passed out on stage.)

The audience is older too - some middle-aged - with lots of collars and ties. In the main, the usual Vegas mug punter minus their cup of dimes. The place didn't really have the resident population it has now. The theatre is large and the seats well padded - but would you really want to eat a full meal before Elvis? I couldn't or wouldn't. He even play two shows a night - two shows! Amazing really.

The tunes are well known and all inclusive - from his early hits (cut short) to the hit pop songs of the day. Even Bridge Over Troubled Water. They play - on film - better than you might think because Elvis made every tune his own: although he was a strange singer, ad-libbing and often stopping to kiss the girls and take gifts. A moment to remember all your life for those on the receiving end - tedious to us watching. Never mind the diseases you can pick up from sticking your tongue (and he is clearly is!) down the throat of a complete stranger. Even in 1970!

You can't live your life like Elvis did and live long. Food, drugs and hangers-on were soon to get the better of the guy and he lay in his grave at the age of 42. A stupid age to leave, but the product of stupid living. "No one said 'no" to Elvis", said wife Priscilla once. I couldn't say "no" to walking down a time tunnel and seeing all this in the flesh myself - even if it did cost an arm and a leg.

The King before the drugs kicked in.

[castielminion1 · 9/10 · 18 August 2009]

This is the movie to see if you want to know what the deal is about Elvis. Forget the movies, which were mostly rubbish. This is the king at his on stage best. The only reason I never rated this movie as a 10 is that it came hot on the heels of the 68 Comeback Special and that cannot be beaten. This film shows Elvis backstage in Las Vegas before one of the Elvis summer festivals organised by Col. Parker. There is also footage of Elvis in rehearsals for his shows. You get a glimpse of the man behind the image at certain points. For us ladies there is also the bonus of seeing Elvis at his sexy best! The only thing to remember is this was made in the 70's so there are flares everywhere.

Elvis without the mask

[Ed-Shullivan · 7/10 · 19 May 2021]

I was actually surprised that Elvis allowed a film crew to tape so freely while he and his team were in the process of auditioning with a number of songs written and originally released by other artists. We also get to see Elvis on the stage performing a number of his own hit songs as well as other artists songs, and as usual Elvis has his fans gasping for breath and flinging objects on to his stage at his feet.

Since Elvis has passed away over forty (40) years ago, those Millennial babies may be wondering what the hype was all about when compared to todays heart throbs such as Justine Bieber, Justin Timberlake, and/or Drake, but don't be fooled by those swiveling hips, and gyrations, Elvis's smooth voice and pouty lips made him the biggest star both on film and on stage at the height of his fame in the 1960s and 1970s even into the 1980s when he had already passed away.

I give this documentary a respectable 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.

Special Two Disc DVD version

[alex_mcewan · 8/10 · 13 August 2007]

Pre-release information on the content of this two disc set was difficult to obtain, but there was a boast of over forty minutes of never-seen footage. This is also stated on the cover of the set. In actual fact it is just over thirty five minutes worth of material and most of it has been seen before.

Disc 1 is the revised 2001 version of the film, exactly as previously released, with the 'Patch It Up' restoration feature. Disc 2 is a DVD release of the 1970 theatrical original plus the extras. The original movie has been shown on TV many times in various edits. This is the most complete version I have seen, but that just means it has all of the non-Elvis sequences. It is in the original mono and very poor mono at that. The sound has been much better on broadcast versions, and you may find you have to crank the volume up much higher than your normal setting to watch this disc.

I was very disappointed with the extras which were the main reason for purchase. When the 2001 version premiered on TCM in the US they also ran a bonus sequence showing the four main songs that had featured in the original but had been dropped from the restored version – I've Lost You, Sweet Caroline, I Just Can't Help Believing, and Bridge Over Troubled Water. (They didn't show the concert opener That's All Right which was replaced with 'I Got A Woman in the restoration.) On this set we get the first three but not Bridge Over Troubled Water. However it seems a bit dumb to have these on Disc 2 as they are the same versions as shown in the main movie on the disc only in much lower quality, which looks like a VHS to DVD transfer.

The complete list of extras is – rehearsals of You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, Eating Sequence (lunch break), Cattle Call/Baby Lets Play House/Don't, Farther Along, Oh Happy Day, and full stage show versions of I Just Can't Help Believing, Walk A Mile In My Shoes, I've Lost You, Sweet Caroline, Little Sister (Elvis seated with his Gretsch guitar), Stranger In The Crowd (suit with red leather trim and collar), and the After Show Party. The last named is what plays as the credits roll on the restored version of the movie, as I said three of the songs were shown on TCM and came straight from the movie, and a couple of the other items 'Little Sister and Oh Happy Day, have been doing the rounds for some time on bootlegs and web pages, so there it falls far short of the forty minutes of 'new material.

Nice to have, but a chance missed to gather all of the available material in one place, why couldn't the songs that been on tape releases e.g. Make The World Go Away, have been included?

"If the songs don't go over, we can do a medley of costumes".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 19 March 2016]

I can't let my appreciation of Elvis Presley's music and career get in the way of this review. The first twenty five minutes or so of rehearsals, fooling around and Elvis falling off his chair a few times seemed a frivolous waste of time. You couldn't even call the rehearsals anything serious because what was shown didn't have Elvis deliver anything in it's entirety, except perhaps his dual rendition of 'Little Sister' riffing into a refrain of the Beatles' 'Get Back'. When the documentary finally got to the actual concert things picked up considerably, but maybe for all the wrong reasons. Looking tanned, healthy and fit, and clad in his signature white jumpsuit, Presley was energized beyond the requirements of his considerable song list, with rushed arrangements of classics like "Hound Dog' and 'Heartbreak Hotel', with his martial art persona very much in evidence and striking an almost embarrassing posture for much of the latter portion of the film. Granted, the concert footage consists of six separate performances over a three day span, so I'm thinking that actually being there one might have experienced a more natural delivery from The King; on screen it just looks like the adrenaline kicked in and Presley had to work off his considerable energy. What was definitely cool was catching some celebrity faces in Las Vegas on hand to catch the opening show, names like Joey Bishop, Cary Grant, Sammy Davis Jr., Juliet Prowse and Norm Crosby. The after show credits showed Elvis greeting some of them and for anyone in attendance I'm sure it had to feel special. But of all the Elvis Presley specials, documentaries and concert films out there, this one doesn't qualify as the definitive one.

Prime Elvis Before His Downfall

[lisa-kevin3531 · 9/10 · 5 May 2009]

This is classic Presley during the peak of his all too short comeback. This was filmed mostly in Las Vegas before his emotional problems and drug abuse had taken their toll. His talents as a showman are evident throughout, and he has enough charisma and sexuality for ten men. For those of you not fortunate enough to see Elvis live, this is probably the next best thing. The special edition DVD eliminates the sometimes embarrassing fan comments of the original film and replaces them with additional performances and some extra backstage material, which is, after all, the main reason to see this movie. It's a shame Elvis wasted so many years in Hollywood making cut-rate films when he could have been performing live or at least producing quality movies like this. If you're just one of those people who knows Elvis simply because he is an icon who is an integral part of our society, then watch this film. Afterwards you'll see why they call him The King!

Fascinating, yes; but also cringe-inducing and glutinous...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 23 May 2008]

Documentary on Elvis Presley the singer, directed by Denis Sanders and photographed by Lucien Ballard, chronicling the King's 1969 comeback tour as he prepares for a show in Las Vegas. Either you're entranced by Presley's megalomaniacal antics or you're not--he certainly is!--while Ballard's camera trails right behind E.P. as if were the two were somehow attached. Ballard's solid work really puts this one over, even more so than the music; capturing every star-twitch and running bead of sweat, we're offered a shamefacedly fascinating look at a star and his onstage/offstage rituals. Sanders keeps the songs coming, although most of the soundtrack is made up of cover tunes. Questions such as why Elvis felt the need to sing music already made popular by other artists are never addressed, which is why this film is mainly for devotees. The fans we see are quirky and interesting (probably more so than Elvis himself), while the movie provides some brief razzle-dazzle and tacky backstage glamour. **1/2 from ****

Lost and Found in Las Vegas

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 17 August 2007]

Since this captures Elvis at the beginning of his white jump-suited Vegas years, it's valuable. The song performances range from great to rushed, depending on what kind of effort Elvis wants to put into a particular song. As a total performance, it is good - but, it doesn't tell the whole musical story that is Elvis Presley. As a documentary, it's no great shakes.

Since we knew Elvis was an extraordinary vocalist, what else doe the film show? I was surprised by the backstage "banter" sessions - it looked, to me, like some of Elvis' friends and personnel were confused about their own relationships with "The King". They seemed, at times, more like idol-worshiping fans than real friends - laughing at bad jokes and demonstrating random subservience. Elvis' fame must have been difficult all those concerned.

***** Elvis - That's the Way It Is (11/11/70) Denis Sanders ~ Elvis Presley, James Burton, Red West