Baz Luhrmann’s first feature film since 2013’s The Great Gatsby announced its presence yesterday with a three and half minute trailer, as the opulent Australian auteur returns to the showbiz scene he loves.
Elvis is Luhrmann’s first biopic, and the trailer hits many familiar beats of the genre (the unglamorous childhood, the uncertain debut, the international sensation that follows, and of course hints that such extreme celebrity cannot be sustainable). It appears, however, that Luhrmann will bring his signature style to these rote beats. Biopic-sceptics may be proven wrong by the master of Maximalism’s creative take on a legendary life.
Tom Hanks provides the star power, almost unrecognisable under facial prosthetics and a Dutch accent as Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker. While Austin Butler has been acting for a decade and a half, his relatively low profile lets him disappear into the King of Rock‘n’Roll. Butler is a canny casting decision on Luhrmann’s part, and his vocals—reported to be truly his—are appropriately pitched and powerful for the soulful baritone.
Despite its luxurious three-minute length, the trailer speeds through locations, performances, and world events with a wide eye for tone and only hints of topic. Among these are the Kennedy and King Jr. assassinations and a clear nod to Elvis’ inspiration in Black jazz and soul music—first encountered as a wide-eyed child when he stumbles onto a congregation in what appears to be a fairground tent. Later, he muses that people are threatening him with jail for his scandalous dancing and B.B. King (Kelvin Harrison, Jr) reminds him that as a “famous white boy” he will be fine.
Elvis’ legacy today is complicated by his liberal “borrowing” from Black American culture, which brought him meteoric fame while Black artists remained side-lined and often segregated; it will be interesting if the film’s approach to its central character is more hagiographic or human.
Words by Carmen Paddock
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