Elvis - That's the Way It Is (Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: That's the Way It's NOT!
Review: In another classic example of RCA/MGM's attempts to give fans only portions of songs and performances, this DVD, while adding new concert footage, also cuts several songs from the original film. Why? You have to feel somewhat insulted by the fact that the DVD version still features a nervous Elvis talking about forgetting the lyrics to "I Just Can't Help Believin'," and then doesn't include the song! It's almost insulting.

We all know DVD is capable of much longer footage, yet this release barely outruns the original. Even songs that are included in the original are cut for this version, such as the shortened and sadly missing "Hut-two-three-four, I learned that in the army" seque in "Polk Salad Annie." They could have included everything here, they simply chose not to. Probably so that a "special, special edition" can be released later, or for a new product named "Elvis Live In Las Vegas," for which we'll all have to shell out another $...

Put this together with the original concert footage, include the original version on Side 2 of the DVD (which they're perfectly capable of doing) and you've got something. But why do that when they figure no one will know the difference?

Rating:
Summary: This Restoration should've won an Oscar.
Review: YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS RESTORATION.

For all of my 30 years of life, I have longed for the day when the manufacturers of Elvis' image (his estate and the various copyright holders of his product) would quit pandering to the least common denominator of his fans and give the world the essence(s) of what he was: the best communicator of song and the best performer/entertainer in the history of the world. As I got older I began to realize that, aside from the early Elvis, Col. Tom never allowed Elvis to associate himself with product that would showcase this fact. I always thought that the '68 comeback special was a fluke in the system because of what it captured of Elvis.

Until now.

The restorer of this film, either through intentions that he sought to get approval of or through the agenda that was handed to him, has successfully re-edited and reformatted this concert film to be just that: an incredible and masterful concert movie production.

From the very beginning it is clear what the agenda is going to be: to show the world just how powerful, charismatic, and complete of an entertainer Elvis was during this time.

Let me take you through a brief tour of the film:

The opening credits have been re-edited to be very cinematic. Even in watching these it's obvious that you're about to witness something that you have never seen before.

True to the original version we spend time with Elvis and band as they rehearse on the MGM lot. But it's different this time. This entire section has been re-edited to make you realize why they are rehearsing and the completeness of it. You don't feel like you're watching a goofball act stupid during rehearsals (like the original made you feel). Now, entire songs are carefully edited that show a band of great session players growing tight and close as a musical structure and to Elvis as his BAND. As a viewer, you don't feel like you're seeing a series of snapshots from the rehearsal (like the original showed you). Instead, when this portion is over, you feel like a much privileged fly-on-the-wall who has just witnessed a great behind-the-scenes synergy being created.

This portion is over and you get in and get out and you're on to Vegas. We're still shown images of Vegas (thank God without the redundant interviews of fans and hotel employees) but they are "sped up" to rush the experience and to show, it seems, the hurried pace and frenetic energy of "needing" to get there. ALL WITH NEW FOOTAGE.

We spend a little time with Elvis and band rehearsing on the stage of the International and then we're on to his backstage jitters and even that's for a brief time, because the intent of this restoration is to show what this man was ON STAGE.

Aside from the band rehearsal that appears first in the movie, it's the on-stage performance that benefits the most from the restoration. New camera angles have been added (a dolly camera to introduce movement to the movie) and footage from a Phoenix performance (part of a mini-tour at the time) have been included.

And in doing so, a spectacle is delivered to you that shows why Elvis was so revered in the world of entertainment. Gone is the sentiment of just a man returning to a stage in Vegas. The producers of this restoration have crafted a movie that puts us in a seat in the venue to witness the man's stage prowess, power, and magnetism. For the first time, this movie doesn't merely document Elvis on stage, it showcases what he WAS on stage; what he BROUGHT to the stage. But more importantly, you feel like the cameras started up as he walked on stage and captured the man's every move and every emotion. That's how complete the re-edit is. It seems seamless.

During the restoration, the original 16 track masters to this movie were found and re-mastered to incredible brilliance. Things show up in the mix that were never heard before. During the rehearsals, Glen Hardin's piano is finally heard. Jerry Scheff's bass is remixed to Ronnie Tutt's drums to create the low-end rhythms that, to the viewer, were never before realized.

Additional bonus material added is a featurette on the making of the restoration (complete with interviews with the producer, and Elvis' original band members, and the always-showing-up-somewhere Joe Esposito).

Even if you aren't an Elvis fan, you have to witness this restoration on DVD. It's contribution to concert-movie-cinema is that significant.

In one of the few times in my life I feel encouraged and proud to say that I am an Elvis fan.

Rating:
Summary: This Is The Best Elvis Video To Date.
Review: The only reason I give this version four stars instead of 5 is because many of the original songs are missing. I assume at some point after the legal hassels that there will be a part two to this. I can't believe that many of the reviewers like the original version better, it contained interviews with completely unknown (not to mention strange and weird) people, the overall quality was poor and grainy, angle shots were bad and the sound sucked. Sorry guys, this new versions is by far the best!

Rating:
Summary: I want my money back from Time Warner
Review: I just can't help believing! (Actually, this is one of the songs that is not included on this DVD. Can you believe it?) I have no idea how to access to those "Bonus Selections" that are listed. I think there must be something wrong with the production line. Read the other reviews, they are all true: all the great songs you like from the original version are gone! To all disappointed fans, send a complaint to Turner Entertainment/Time Warner Home Video and ask them to get things right and replace the ones we have bought.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely great, but doesn't replace the original
Review: This SPECIAL EDITION of ``Elvis - That's The Way It Is'' is really something! It blows you away! Great picture quality, real digital 5.1 Sound, lots of new camera angles, and all done with a lot of love. I was surprised how many scenes and live takes are in there witch where not in the original movie. It's certainly a must have DVD. No doubt about it. But it does not replace the original movie in my eyes. And that is the down side of it all. Yes, useless things are gone, like stupid interviews with fans and things like that, but also a couple of great things are edited out. Small things like Elvis shooting the Hollywood Camera with his Guitar. And very important stuff like the On Stage rehearsal of POLK SALAD ANNIE (where Elvis is wearing the red shirt), Elvis fooling around with the four microphones on stage, and the great live performances of: I'VE LOST YOU, SWEET CAROLINE and BRIDGE OVER TROUBLE WATERS are gone too; witch is a crime! Also many version of performances are takes from different nights... So here's my question! Why not leaving everything in there that was great in the original movie AND put in the extras??? There's a lot of space on a DVD! And 95 Minutes is not very long at all when it comes to Elvis Presley. I think those cuts take away a lot! IT REALLY HURTS! - This really is a great DVD guys - don't get me wrong here - but it could actually hold the title: ``That's The Way It Is, part two'' or something, because it holds so much new material. - The first DVD release of the original movie had such a bad sound and picture quality that I could cry about the fact that this SPECIAL EDITION is missing so many of the original things. I am affright there will be no re-release of the original movie on DVD anymore, and that means the edited out stuff will never be available in up to date sound and picture quality for us. That's why I can't give this DVD the highest rating. - In my world Elvis was the best performer and singer in popular music ever. I never heard a singer again after him with that much soul and power. THAT'S WHY EVERY CUT ON FOOTAGE ABOUT THIS MAN IS A BIG, BIG, BIG CRIME!

Rating:
Summary: Elvis is great but this DVD is BAD, very very BAD
Review: I LOVED the original movie and had the original VHS. So I bought the dvd for my collection. Imagine my shocking disappointment when I found the dvd is missing songs ! MISSING SONGS !!! They have removed some of the best songs e.g. Sweet Caroline, Bridge over troubled waters etc. And the sound is EXTREMELY POOR! You cannot hear Elvis unless you turn the volume way up and when you do that there are other distortions. And this does not happen in the original VHS which is many years old now. Please compare this DVD with the original VHS (not the VHS version released alongwith this dvd) before agreeing with me. I cannot believe that in 2001, with all the available technology they have put out such a mediocre version of a great movie. I have a big collection of dvds (bought from AMAZON) and most are awesome and some not so, but believe me, this one stinks. I am sorry to have to write such a negative review about a DVD that has one of my favorite performers - ELVIS.

Rating:
Summary: Look for the original version instead
Review: The remastering is excellent, but I prefer the original film. Some of my favorite performances are missing (like BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER) as well as ALL the interviews. And how do you access all the extra songs that are supposedly included? I can't find them anywhere! Try to find the original version before it disappears!

Rating:
Summary: That's The Way We Want To Remember The Post-Comeback Elvis!
Review: In the original version of this movie, the plot seemed to be that of a one-time teen-idol/rock star attempting to reinvent himself as a mainstream-friendly, Tom Jones-like lounge singer, with an unwelcome emphasis on Vegas gaudiness and too much screen-time dedicated to the shallow end of his legion of fans. Even so, once Elvis hit the stage and the focus turned to the music, Presley was in a sufficiently inspired musical mind-set to reveal that he had so much more to offer than to be placed in such a miscast role. Elvis' gradual decline to this level would subsequently undercut and overwhelm his vibrant, multi-cultural musical instincts. At this point it hadn't yet, although the warning signs are certainly visible from time to time.

This new edition cannot entirely escape the superficial trappings of Presley's superstardom. Nonetheless, the movie does reveal that in 1970, Elvis was a) in great physical shape, b) consistently inspired as a vocalist, and c) taking active control of his musical presentation (as seen in the revealing rehearsal segments that open this movie). As Presley takes the stage, there develops an intriguing tension between Elvis the artist and "ELVIS" the entertainer. On the one hand, Presley's vocals quite consistently recapture the inspiration of his most powerful performances--MUCH moreso than the ALOHA FROM HAWAII concerts (1973). On the other hand, he can hardly get through a song without some degree of clowning around (fortunately, this bad habit is a minor albeit recurrent distraction). One gets the sense that the audience would be no less satisfied if Elvis goofed his way through the entire show, as long as the tunes stayed familiar and he tossed out kisses and sweat-drenched towels to them. I don't mean to pick on these fans, only to express regret that Elvis' musical talents would increasingly become obscured by his preoccupation to give them what he thought they wanted.

The DVD has a nine-minute mini-documentary highlighted by interviews from surviving sidemen, plus excellent 5.1 sound that enables Presley to be heard in a manner as close as possible to actually being in the audience at that time. Fans will want to keep their old versions of this movie, because a number of the performances are substituted here. I give the new version a musical edge...it seems like the new producers generally chose to focus on Elvis at his most musically inspired. Overall, THAT'S THE WAY IT IS doesn't show a musically-flawless Elvis, but it does show an extraordinary talent at a time when that talent was still in consistently satisfying focus. I consider this recut, remixed version to be one of the best music documentaries available in any genre, despite any stated reservations.

Rating:
Summary: Hail to The King, Baby!
Review: My alternate title to this review was: "My husband almost had to throw a bucket of cold water on me". Sorry, but I'm not made of cardboard. In fact, I should probably give sort of disclaimer right off the bat 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 scorchingly sexy in this footage. I'm not exaggerating, nor am I alone in my opinion here. By 1969 "E" had 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, "(bad word), I'm one good-lookin' sonofagun!". Watching this movie, it's kind of hard to blame him. I better just move on to the actual movie here before I start really embarrassing myself, but I think the point I'm trying to make is that it's probably impossible for anyone to watch this DVD and not see why Elvis caused women to completely go out of their minds around him.

OK, uh, anyway, this new edition is a must-see for anyone who enjoyed the first film. 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. We got WAY more than we had expected. 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 fan interviews, and footage 'setting the scene' from the original film, there's plenty of rehearsal/behind the scenes 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, ("Get Back/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-words fail me, corny as it sounds. 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.

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.

Rating:
Summary: ELVIS - THAT'S THE WAY IT IS (SPECIAL EDITION)
Review: Being an ELVIS fan practically from birth, I just have to say this is the video I've been waiting for! I own all of ELVIS' recorded concerts, and this one, is by far already my favorite! I do I love them all, however, this is the absolute best of ELVIS the Man! His humor, charm, and talent is so evident in this video concert! The concert portion is live from Las Vegas, which reveals Elvis the true entertainer. Like most fans, I just want to get to know the Man behind the legend, and this video has helped to achieve that. If you are a fan, then you MUST see this!! If not, maybe by viewing this one you'll understand why SO MANY of us are FANS! Either way it's just great entertainment for(early)Rock N'Roll fans. Check it out!