“There are some that will set out to make me the villain of this story.”
Tom Hanks’ voice is the perfect overture to the ominous opening of the “Elvis” trailer. Baz Luhrman, director of smash hits such as “Moulin Rouge!” and “The Great Gatsby,” returns to the director’s chair to tell the story of Elvis Presley. In a trailer premier event with Warner Brothers on Monday, Feb. 7th, Austin Butler, who portrays the title character, and Baz Luhrman discussed this project. “In truth,” says Luhrman, “when it comes to a historical character, there is only ever somebody’s telling of that story.” Through the eyes of Presley’s notorious manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks, this biopic acts as a “canvas on which to explore America in the 50s and 60s.”
As he introduces the new trailer, Luhrman explains to the audience that “This is, number one, a movie for theaters.” Luhrman set out to create a cinematic experience that one may only be fully immersed in sitting in a cinema. Classic of Luhrman’s projects, this large-scale, colorful film fulfills that goal. Audiences are effectively included in this experience as Luhrman explains, “Trailers, they’re not movies, they’re like an invitation to the movie. They’re like a door opening to the movie.” The trailer begins, and we are invited in.
Poppy ambience and a technicolor carnival set the opening to this electric trailer. Our first images of Austin Butler as Elvis are breathtaking and exciting. “I think fundamentally getting to explore the humanity of someone that has become the wallpaper of society in a way and he’s such an icon and held up to a superhuman status,” Butler said of why he chose to take on this role. “To get to explore that for years now and learn why he was the way that he was and find the human within that icon… I could do it for the rest of my life probably.” Butler captures the essence of Elvis Presley in more ways than one. The iconic dance moves are as perfect as the hair. Butler even worked tirelessly to create his own version of Presley’s voice in speech and in song. Butler had “To work and work and work for a year before we started shooting. Six to seven days a week of voice coaching and working with different experts.” Butler perfectly captures Presely’s stage presence and disposition in the glimpses we get in this trailer.
While this is the story of an icon, superstar, and an American tragedy, it is told within the framework of race and religion. As I learned during the trailer release and subsequent interview, Elvis grew up in a predominantly Black neighborhood during the Civil Rights Era. As such, he was closely involved in the Civil Rights Movement, much to the chagrin of his problematic manager. Songs like “Blue Suede Shoes” and “In the Ghetto” were inspired by his upbringing and will no doubt be featured in this film. As Luhrman teases, “Black music and culture isn’t a side note or a bit, it is the canvas on which his story is written.”
Be sure to watch the full trailer for “Elvis” here, and take a peek at this epic teaser for the film! Don’t miss “Elvis” in theaters everywhere on June 6, 2022.