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List Price: $24.98 | | Label: Bmg Marketing
Salesrank: 21030
Released: May 17, 2005 |
| Our Price: $15.88 |
| Used Price: $9.99 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
ELVIS BY THE PRESLEYS, a new entertainment special that will feature a collection of new, intimate interviews with his former wife, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, and their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, includes exclusive, never-before-seen television performances, photographs from the Presley Estate archives and Presley family home movies.
In the special, Priscilla and Lisa Marie speak with unguarded candor about their lives with the legendary Elvis Presley and offer an intimate look at their family and private life. Rare interviews with Elvis's first cousin, Patsy Presley Geranen, and Priscilla's parents, Ann and Paul Beaulieu, are also featured.
Vintage, never-before-seen performance footage will be interwoven with photographs from the Presley Estate archives and press coverage of Elvis over the years. Private home movies of the Presley family illustrate and illuminate his story with vivid detail, honest insight and great warmth. Different aspects of Elvis's life, including his tours, his time in Hollywood and his home life, are depicted with the insight that only his family can bring. His career ups and downs, his kindness and generosity and his human frailties are all brought to light as well as a reflection on his place in entertainment history and his enduring legacy.
Description of Elvis by the Presleys:
The King of Rock and Roll would have turned 70 in 2005, the same year Elvis by the Presleys was released. An impressive number, but it's a pea in the ocean compared to the amount of posthumous products bearing his name; and the really amazing part is that some of them actually manage to shed new light on this much-studied icon. Assuming one has the time, stamina, and interest to wade through the enormous amount of material presented on Elvis by the Presleys, this ambitious, well-made documentary-reminiscence certainly falls into that category.
The presence and participation of Presley's ex-wife, Priscilla, and daughter Lisa Marie, as well as Priscilla's parents and sister, Elvis' first cousin, and "Memphis Mafia" member Jerry Schilling, lend an air of authenticity to the project. There isn't a lot here about Elvis' music, although the interpolation of many clips from his TV appearances, movies, concert performances, and recordings more than adequately convey the singer's ineffable (and apparently eternal) appeal. Elvis by the Presleys is more specifically designed to provide an inside look at the day-to-day life of Presley, his family, and those in his immediate orbit, and on that level it succeeds rather well.
There is a lot of talk here--nearly four and half hours' worth (including bonus material), spread out over two discs. Some of the territory covered is yawn-inducingly familiar: Elvis was well-mannered but moody, he was exceedingly generous, he loved Christmas, he appreciated his fans, and on and on. But there are more surprising (at least to the casual fan) revelations as well: Presley was an accomplished horseman; he was not only a good Christian but a voracious reader with an interest in spiritual as well as purely religious matters (he even joined the Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles); and he suffered mightily from insomnia. Moreover, while this is a loving tribute, it's not hagiography. Priscilla makes it clear that she and everyone else around Elvis were expected to surrender their own lives to suit his needs and whims, a demand she eventually found unendurable. Nor do they gloss over Elvis' final years, when he was fat, drug-ridden, and disillusioned. Little matter that Elvis Presley is dead. Long live the King! --Sam Graham
Elvis by the Presleys Reviews:
Great Experience 
2009-08-14 - Not only was the transaction FAST and I received my purchase before the date given, but the product itself was great. Couldn't have asked for a better experience than going through Amazon.com.
Elvis will live forever in our hearts.
2009-05-24 - I believe we have all been touched by the King of Rock and Roll at some point in time. My trip into his life began in the 50's with my aunt being so crazy over Elvis. She was allowed to take me with her to the movie theater and she kind of rubbed her love for Elvis on to me. I finally got to visit Graceland to experience parts of his life. The DVD, "Elvis by the Presley's" brings me full circle into his personal life where we meet all his friends and learn from his wife and daughter more about the private moments that defined Elvis' life and his stroll through music history. The DVD is a must buy for those of you that lived the years with him and those of you who are much younger and are now discovering the importance of his music. At Graceland, I took over one hundred photos and enjoy watching the DVD while I keep up with the story on the screen as well as my own personal look into his life. If you are an Elvis fan, you need to watch "Elvis by the Presley's".
Buyer beware 
2007-12-13 - I recieved this DVD in hopes of giving it as a Christmas present. However, to my dismay, I discovered that it is encoded for PAL which is a standard not used in the United States. Also, the product arrived unwrapped, and the case was broken. So, my review relates more the product, and less about the show itself (which is great).
will cure insomnia
2007-07-13 - Having crossed the country twice to visit Graceland, I certainly love the King. However, I can only recommend this DVD to those who suffer from "incurable" insomnia. When my friend and I watched it, we were out cold....and we weren't even tired! The documentary is too long, too one-sided, and monothematic. How many times can the interviewees say the same thing? How many different people can say the same thing? Elvis was a great guy, generous, insulated with the "Memphis Mafia", etc. The producers of this DVD were too close to the subject to give it any objectivity. The only saving grace of this work is that we get to hear from Priscilla's parents, and they attempt to give their side of the story of Elvis dating their 14-year old daughter, then whisking her away to the U.S. (to finish high school) from Germany. I'm afraid that they didn't really explain how that could make any sense. I'm sure that are a slew of Elvis documentaries which do the King more justice.
Entertaining, but........ 
2007-04-19 - This is a very entertaining, honest documentary and very beautifully done. However, it is blatantly obvious that this was made by Priscilla for Priscilla. She must have needed needed another Elvis cash injection. It should have been called the Beaulieau's and Jerry Schilling on Elvis.
