I thought the new documentary, Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis, was well presented.
I always enjoy seeing archival footage from earlier decades. I loved how the critics questioned whether or not Elvis still “had it.” We all knew he did. It was a God given talent. No one could take it away from him.
The doc shows clearly how Elvis was fed up and I enjoyed watching our friends Priscilla and Jerry telling it like it was.
Sometimes it is easy to forget that celebrities are human beings with real emotions as well. Elvis was super nervous before going out on stage, especially for the 68 Comeback Special. My favorite quote from the doc was from Conan O’Brien when he said, “the thing I wish for Elvis Presley, it’s a weird thing to wish, but I do wish people would have some empathy for him. We turn celebrities into objects. This was a person. A person who was terrified, but putting it all out there. I’m joyous when I see that special, because it’s him standing up for himself.”
The only negative is that many acted like this was Elvis’ last hurrah. What about That’s The Way It Is and especially Aloha From Hawaii? Elvis still had years of great performances after 1968.
Of course, my favorite part was seeing all my friends like Billy, Red, Sonny, Charlie, DJ, Scotty, Jerry, Priscilla and of course Richard. It’s always extra special for me when I spot our Richard and I did a couple of times.
I would definitely watch this doc again. It’s one of the few that sheds a great light on our man Elvis.
