Gushy biography of ‘The King’

Press, 22 July 1988, Page 24

Gushy biography of ‘The King’

A gushy, 50-minute biography of Elvis “The King” Presley has been released by Vestron Video. The video, seemingly made as a television special, includes some film that has never been released before. It includes clips of Presley performing several of his songs, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight” and “C.C. Ryder.” There are also comments and reminiscences from just about everybody. “Elvis Memories — A Keepsake of the King” is fronted by George Klein,

a longtime friend of Presley. Klein includes footage of television appearances, stage shows, Presley’s time in the army, and the 1967 wedding to Priscilla Beaulieu. The big gap in the biography is that it includes no clips from the 33 films that Presley made in 16 years. The video works hard to propagate the “legend.” A selection of the anecdotes: ® “Once Elvis touched your life, you were never the same again.” ® “It was like meeting a pop psychology pheno-

menon” — David Frost. © An observation that Elvis was .the greatest singer of all time. The video carries a rating for general audiences. It would be of significant interest to fans, as well as to those who wish to set 50 minutes aside to ponder the man as a phenomenon. Vestron has also released MTV’s “Closet Classics,” an hour-long rock retrospective that also features footage that has not screened before. Unlike the Presley tape, this one is not a documentary. It is all music clips, remastered in

stereo in their original uncut versions. The tracks range from 1967 to 1972, with some in black and white and some in colour. They include: “Nights in White Satin,” by the Moody Blues. “Surfin’ U.5.A.,” by the Beach Boys, “Born to be Wild,” by Steppenwolf, “Wild Thing,” by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, “In the Summertime,” by Mungo Jerry, and “Proud Mary,” by Ike and Tina Turner. The video has a general rating. Both videos are being distributed in New Zealand by Videocorp International, Ltd.