Rating: 
Summary: A Man Of Few Words
Review: The following is a true story. It does NOT constitute a paid endorsement on behalf of any of the participants.On May 1, 2001 I was in Las Vegas on vacation. That night, I happened to see Trent Carlini's show at the Hilton entitled "The Dream King." Mr. Carlini impersonates Elvis, from his start in the 50's up to the 70's Vegas years. On the stage after the concert was Mr. Joe Espisito, Elvis Presley's best friend and head of the so-called Memphis Mafia. I made my way from the showroom to the front of the hotel to get a cab. The man standing in front of me, waiting for his cab, was none other than Joe Espisito. Hesitating at first, I finally worked up the nerve to speak to him. "Excuse me sir, but you're Joe Espisito, aren't you?" He turned to face me, and replied "Yes, I am." I went on, talking hurriedly before the next cab appeared. "I recognized you from the interview segment in that new DVD, Elvis: That's The Way It Is. THAT'S GOT THE BEST CONCERT FOOTAGE OF ELVIS I'VE EVER SEEN!" He agreed, "Yes, it does." I managed to add, "It's a real honor to meet you sir." "Thanks" he replied, shaking my hand and getting into his cab, which soon sped away into the neon Vegas night.
Rating:
Summary: Elvis: that's the way you should be remembered !!
Review: Buy the DVD, sit down, close your eyes, listen....!! Pure joy !! The sound quality is close to perfect (especially the concert) as is the video footage. This is Elvis at his best and he is in nearly every scene (and in his best form ever). I cannot recommend this enough, especially if you want a true account of what it was like to be at an Elvis concert. Just buy it !!
Rating:
Summary: Movie Catches Elvis in His Prime
Review: This is the "special" version of the early 70s film about Elvis' August 1970 appearance in Las Vegas, including rehearsals. As other reviewers have noted, the original release was good but had very irritating commentary by a frankly bizarre group of fans. This version cuts out the inanities entirely, and what we have during the last hour or so is nothing but footage from six different Vegas concerts. These songs are so well-edited that one almost thinks this is one complete concert (it is still unfortunate that a complete, unedited concert from this period is still not available) as it flows beautifully. Elvis is in his prime here as a live entertainer. There is little doubt he was the greatest live performer of the second half of the twentieth century and possibly the best ever. His performances here were almost as great as the so-called "Burbank sessions" of the 1968 television special (which I consider to be the greatest live performances of all time). He looked fantastic here, full of energy, full of humor, and dripping with charm and charisma. Even if you are not a fan you can't help but be pulled into his very special world. There are numerous highlights and no dull moments at all on this film. The best numbers in this reviewer's opinion are "Patch It Up," "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," an electrifying "Polk Salad Annie," and the great "Suspicious Minds" (the best version I have seen to date). Furthermore, the transfer to DVD is outstanding. Don't miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: Prime Presley indeed!
Review: For my money, Elvis was at his peak in 1970. Not only had his voice taken on a very satisfying richness, but there was plenty of power there as well, with none of the tiredness and wobbly vibrato that marred some of his later moments. Furthermore, he was singing with real commitment, proving that the '68 Comeback Special and '69 Nashville sessions were no mere flukes. This is popular singing in the best sense of the word, as Elvis pours everything he has into making each song a memorable event. What a treat, then, to have this beautifully restored documentary on DVD. I bought the videotape of the original film over ten years ago, and in many respects it has dated badly. The original fan interviews ARE ghastly, and the impact of the original is muted compared with this fresh look at a unique singer. This is Elvis unleashed, and his energy, passion, and excitement will thrill the most jaded of viewers. I've been playing this DVD to friends who had previously been dismissive of Elvis, and in every case they reacted with astonishment at the raw power of the man. The picture and sound quality are, for the most part, outstanding. A fuzzy veil has been lifted from the original visuals, and the sound will thrill new listeners used to the synthetic whinings of today's boybands and other "stars". My only gripe, in common with a number of other reviewers, is that certain songs have been removed from the original. The concert performances of I Can't Help Believing and Bridge Over Troubled Water were beautifully sung in the earlier version, and they would have given this film a larger degree of balance, showing the reflective, balladeer side of Elvis as opposed to the over-represented rocker. (We do, however, have the powerful and mature Just Pretend, which redeems things slightly.) Eliminating repetition seems to have been the aim of the producers, and while I understand this, it would still have been nice to see both the rehearsals and concert performances of these songs. But these are minor flaws in an otherwise first-rate representation of the greatest pop performer of the 20th Century. Buy it, and be dazzled by the man's sheer interpretive genius.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the Best!
Review: I first saw this recently as the movie (large screen, dolby stereo) and it was awesome. So, I HAD to have the video, the CD and all. I think this is arguably the best filmed performance of Elvis Presley's concerts when he was simply at his best. He is lean, mean and super fit and singing superbly. It didn't come much better than this!! By the 1972 Tour (video) you can see more of everything, the weight, longer hair, sideburns, more rhinestones on the costumes. The tide was turning in his life. If you see this concert first, you'll know you have seen the best. But if you're an Elvis fan the others will all be great because Elvis was great...., but this WAS the best. (PS It is hard to look at this and know he was dead 7 years later, what really struck me was what a tragic shame it all was.....) ENJOY!!
Rating: 
Summary: The ultimate Elvis Presley concert
Review: This great new version of the 1970 concert film, 'Elvis: That's The Way It Is'
will hopefully help to redress the balance of critical opinion concerning the
final phase of Elvis Presley's career. Those who only remember the
caricature will be surprised at how good Elvis looks and by the sheer power
and magnetism of his performances. Vocally, he was at his absolute peak.
Fans will be delighted to see new footage and some great new camera
angles (it feels like you're actually on the front row sometimes). Gone are the
irritating interviews and sideshows - this version focuses firmly on the man
himself. On the negative side, some of the songs from the original film have
been sacrificed - I Just Can't Help Believin being the most glaring omission.
The rehearsal section lacks the momentum of the original and the sound mix
is quite poor in places. That said, the special edition includes a great
rendition of Santa Claus Is Back In Town, demonstrating Elvis' ability as a blues singer. The concert performances themselves are simply superb.
Everyone will have their favourites, but for me the lesser known Elvis songs
are the highlights. I Can't Stop Loving You is fantastic. Just Pretend really
shows off Elvis' vocal range. Patch It Up is a real rocker. This is Elvis at his
best. Sit back - and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Why was Elvis called the King? Here's the answer!!
Review: I've been hearing a lot about how they've butchered the original movie with this bastardised version but I must say that there's really not that much of difference and, in fact, is in many ways a better movie as a result. The intro has been recut along with a lot of the boring crowd reactions but lets face facts here folks what we want to see and hear is the man singing and clowning around both on and off the stage and that's exactly what you get here. I'll admit that I wasn't exactly a huge Elvis fan before I invested in this dvd, (I'm more of a Metallica / Alice in Chains man myself) and my memories of the King were mostly of the god-awful movies he made in the late 60s and 70's. However as soon as the movie intro kicked in I knew I was about to experience something very special indeed. I'm lucky in that I have a pretty decent home cinema setup with a widescreen t.v., DD amp and 6 speakers and to be honest listening to this movie with anything less in almost criminal. The sound, while it doesn't quite reach the peaks of more recent releases like Metallica's S&M, is simply superb especially when you consider it was shot and recorded over 30 years ago - I was 1 year old then. I noticed a few reviews were complaining about the sound quality and I'm afraid those people are either talking out of their arses or they were listening to it through a single speaker 12inch black and white portable t.v. set. Trust me, the sound is more than adequate. Kudos must also go to the restoration team on the excellent image quality of the movie - the correctly matted anamorphic transfer, while not 100% perfect, looks like it might have been shot last week. As for Elvis' performance: well I can't say in this short review about the range of emotions experienced while watching it. I have to say that I was completely in awe of the man as he strutted his stuff, acted the clown, sang like a God, danced like a demon and made out with the entire female audience. If you are in any way unsure about getting this disc I urge you to just go and get it - you most definitely won't regret it. And make sure you TURN IT UP.
Rating:
Summary: DVD Elvis Thats The Way It Is
Review: I was very impressed by the quality of the recordings and the picture was so crystal clear that it was like he had been flimed yesturday....it has a great song list....BUT....I actually sent it back because the bonus 15 tracks that where supposed to be extra footage where actually not included..and allot of the song that where in the supposed bonus footage are teh songs that I like most....it was a real shame that they missed out the bonus footage as it would of made an excellent addition to your collection...also one thing that really annoyed me was that It came in one of those cheap card board covers, instead of the standard plastic sleve covers, which is really annoying as it easly gets wrecked and torn...in conclusion I would probably wait till they re-release it with the bonus footage!!
Rating:
Summary: True Magic
Review: The re-editing of this feature film on the King left me wanting more, the sound, the colour are so much improved of the televised movie I saw some years ago. This dvd demonstrates how a movie can be improved with today's technology. It felt like being at the show live!
Rating:
Summary: Elvis at his peak
Review: Sit back and enjoy the finest ever testament to the King! Picture and sound on this DVD are as perfect as we are ever likely to get from 1970. Yes, we are deprived of several wonderful performances from the original movie (most notably "I just can't help believin'"), but this special edition focuses on showing Elvis the man as well as the most dynamic performer of the 20th century. Enjoy the rapport of Elvis and his band rehearsing, the thrill of his fans when he jumps into the audience, then watch the cat move in "Suspicious Minds"! The charisma shines through like a searchlight. This movie should have been the greatest Elvis movie when it was first released. Now - IT IS!
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