Released in 1981, "This is Elvis" is a documentary covering the rise and fall of Presley made only 3 years after his death and released in 1981. Extensive archival footage is mixed with recreations using actors standing in for Elvis, as well as some recreations shot to look like archival footage.While some people complain about the recreations and say they "don't work," I didn't have a problem with them, at least not the ones where actors play Elvis as a youth. After all, without these sequences we wouldn't get to picture Elvis playing in front of a high school class or playing with black friends on the industrial side of Memphis, etc.The original theatrical version runs 101 minutes while the later TV version added 43 minutes. The former is less "family friendly," depicting the way it really was without censure. For instance, Elvis is shown saying a couple off-color things about his sexual escapades with women on the road. A short time later the narration depicts him lamenting his divorce from Priscilla in 1973, four years before his death in 1977. The made-up monologue makes it sound like Elvis wasn't sure what caused them to grow apart and eventually split. Gee, he might want to quit having adulterous liaisons on the road. That might help. Anyway, the 144-minute TV version cuts these types of things and homogenizes the film for family viewing. It even omits the blubbering "Lonesome Tonight" song from his final concert, which is a must-see. The shorter version is just more gritty and authentic, the way a rock n' roll documentary should be.One great scene is the interview with Elvis' former body guards who wrote a book dissin' him. They were like family for years and understandably felt betrayed. One testifies in the interview that he confronted Presley about his ongoing drug dependency and Elvis finally admitted that he "needed them." A minute later you see the ex-body guard wiping the tears from his eyes.As he aged Elvis was on a spiritual quest and was quoted saying to his hairdresser: "I mean there has to be a purpose ... there's got to be a reason ... why I was chosen to be Elvis Presley. ... I swear to God, no one knows how lonely I get. And how empty I really feel." He thus was preoccupied by such matters for much of the rest of his life, taking trunk-loads of books with him on the road.In his last performance in the documentary it shows Elvis playing for the first time after gaining weight and, for some reason, I was expecting a really fat Elvis, but that wasn't the case at all. Yes his face is bloated and sweaty, but he's clearly only about 25 pounds overweight. Maybe he was heavier before the show and got in shape a bit before the event, I don't know, but he was by no means grotesquely overweight, not at all. Last night I went to a concert and saw some middle-aged men; now they were grossly overweight.Despite Elvis' bad movies, drug addiction and adulteries, he was an amiable, fascinating and talented individual and "This is Elvis" fully demonstrates why he was and is "The King of Rock & Roll." GRADE: A-

"This is Elvis" is an interesting and fantastic documentary to watch even if you are not an Elvis fan.As an Elvis fan, I am very critical when it comes to inaccuracies about his life. I found this documentary to be very accurate and honest with the way it told the story of Elvis' life. The blend of actual Elvis footage along with very believable reenactments makes the documentary flow with continuity and excitement.In addition, the song selections that accompanied the various video sequences were always right on the money. It was like watching Elvis' life story being told through entertaining and poignant music videos.One thing I respected about the documentary, although difficult to watch, was the way the creators did not try to candy-coat the details of the sad way Elvis' life began to spiral down a self-destructive path during the 70's until his untimely death at the age of 42.All in all, "This is Elvis" is a very entertaining, empathetic, and honest look at the life of Elvis Presley; the American Icon who rightfully earned the title as the King of Rock 'n Roll.

THIS IS ELVIS follows in the footsteps of other outstanding documentaries like THE RUTLES. Until now I always looked upon Elvis Presely as the single most gifted thespian of the 1960s (see GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS!) but then I find out that he's also a musician! I was under the impression that whenever he "sang" in a film, it was dubbed in somewhere else by a professional. My God, no wonder why so many jokes have been lost on me in my lifetime. I had a late girlfriend who made me pompadour my hair with Dippity-Doo like The King so that these punks at White Castle would beat me up; she thought it was pretty funny. But, obviously, "The King" refers to his real talent, that being the head honcho of theater. Elvis, I still love you, man!

I remember when this film first appeared on HBO in the early eighties. I was never a huge Elvis fan, but found myself watching this film every time it came on. It is a fascinating portrait of a man thrust into overwhelming fame and fabulous wealth and how it eventually destroys him. The "recreations" are very well done and the film as a whole is very balanced in it's view of Elvis' life. It neither canonizes nor trashes him, but shows him as an ordinary guy dealing with extraordinary fame. The longer version now available on video is nice, but I miss the late concert performance where Elvis, sick, overweight, and bathed in sweat, forgets the lyrics of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and nervously "wings it". Maybe that was too much truth, even for this documentary.