Review of Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970) by Tonypolito — 16 Jul 2011

This is late Elvis at his best, still thin, still wildly gyrating, smiling, tanned, and clearly loving every moment of what he's doing - just a year or two before the monkey of addiction began to dig its claws in so deep.

Filmed over six shows at the Las Vegas International (now the LV Hilton) in 1970. One of the 20th Century's greatest musical legends at the top of his game, making Vegas all his own.

Move directly to "GO" and collect $200 by watching the 2001 Special Edition - rather than the 1970 Original Theatrical Release version. The 2001 upgrade is serious restoration work. Gone are the nearly thirty minutes of tediously dull observations and interviews of/with Elvii fans, replaced by a generous amount of footage that in 1970 was tossed to the cutting room floor. The L.A. studio and Vegas rehearsals are vastly extended. Also dealt back into the deck are many alternate angle cuts, probably set aside for being thought too pelvic and provocative for 1970 theater-goers. Now almost every frame of the film caresses the character and talent of Elvis.

In addition to the high-quality outright resto of celluloid and sound, there's a good bit of thoughtful sprucing-up throughout the film (eg, captioning, establishing shots) that improves the overall viewer experience a great deal.

[The 2001 version is issued standalone but can also be found inside WB's 2007 DVD "Elvis: That's The Way It Is: Two-Disc Special Edition."].

RECOMMENDATION: The "Aloha" special may be better known, may have been watched live by 1 billion people, may be better costumed - but in Aloha the weight, the exhaustion and the monkey are all painfully on display. Here in this disc is the performance by which The King would want to be remembered.