The year 1970 opens with the July rehearsals. The sound has been magnificently converted to stereo, but the images are familiar. There are, indeed, brief passages of previously unseen footage, but they are few. The same applies to the Vegas concerts, already shown in That's the Way It Is and in many bootlegs, more comprehensively in “That's the Way It Is: The Complete Works” (2007).
Extensive audio editing is noticeable, evident in moments when we see Elvis away from the microphone yet still hear him singing. The transfer of the original audio to stereo is well done, although overdubs in the orchestra are clearly audible, introducing instruments that were not originally present. A well‑crafted sequence alternates between Elvis performing “Hound Dog” on The Ed Sullivan Show (1956) and onstage in 1970.
SEGMENT 6: "POLK SALAD ANNIE"
From the live show, we jump back a few days to the onstage rehearsals on August 7, 1970. Elvis works through “Polk Salad Annie” with his band, and here we have a completely unheard excerpt: he plays with the lyrics and, hypothetically, jokes about the song’s character using cocaine and hash. It’s easy to see why this moment was kept from the public for so long, given the unfounded associations linking Elvis to illegal drug use.
The live audio was edited from different shows and very well transferred to stereo, but hearing the audience over footage of the rehearsals can again confuse some viewers, leading them to believe it’s actually a live performance.
SEGMENT 7: "YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELIN'"
On March 30, 1972, Elvis talks about his shows and the rapport with his band. The sequence is long and offers many insights into the Elvis of that moment. “You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'” begins to play under the dialogue, and then we see a stage version without the edits used in That's the Way It Is.
SEGMENT 8: "WEARIN' THAT LOVED ON LOOK"
Elvis reflects on the burden of fame in his life and how being able to sing completely changed the way his classmates viewed him in school. This is one of the rare instances in which he discusses his first musical experience: at age ten he performed “Old Shep” at a school festival and placed third (some sources indicate fifth).
SEGMENT 9: "LITTLE SISTER / GET BACK"
Still in March 1972, Elvis continues talking about his beginnings and recalls how his father opposed the idea of him becoming a singer instead of remaining a simple electrician or truck driver. Here we have Vernon’s famous line: “You better decide whether you want to be a guitar player or an electrician. I’ve never seen a guitar player who was worth a damn.”
The footage of the “Little Sister / Get Back” medley performed during the midnight show on August 12, 1970, is officially unreleased, though it has been available through other sources since the 1990s.
SEGMENT 10: "I SHALL BE RELEASED"
While we hear Elvis improvising Bob Dylan’s song during the Nashville Marathon sessions in June 1970, the screen shows backstage footage from 1972. The King of Rock is seen giving his full attention to little Denise Sanchez, an eight‑year‑old fan suffering from leukemia, in his dressing room before the April 19 show in Albuquerque. In Elvis On Tour, she can be heard asking Elvis to sing “Teddy Bear” for her, but here that moment has been cut. There are a few previously unseen frames from the backstage of 1972 shows.
SEGMENT 11: "BURNING LOVE"
On April 5, 1972, Elvis rehearses “Burning Love” with his band in Buffalo, New York, in officially unreleased footage of high quality. The sound and image editing alternates between this rehearsal and the song’s first stage performance, while previously unseen backstage clips from several shows are shown. “Stranger in My Own Home Town”, from the July 1970 rehearsals, is heard over backstage footage from April 16, 1972 — a sequence originally featured in Elvis On Tour, but here edited to remove a small sexual joke made by Elvis.
SEGMENT 12: "(YOU'RE THE) DEVIL IN DISGUISE"
Parker takes center stage here, as we hear the 1963 recording that perfectly reflects the opinion most fans hold about Andreas Cornelis Van Kuijk: “You're the devil in disguise.” Naturally, Luhrmann’s admiration for other “devils in disguise” can give rise to a sense of hypocrisy.
As Elvis speaks about his association with Parker and subtly implies how much that man controlled him, we see images that confirm his account — the most striking being Parker, enraged, lurking in the shadows during the April 10, 1972 show in Richmond.
SEGMENT 13: "NEVER BEEN TO SPAIN"
Continuing on the same theme as the previous segment, we hear Elvis talk about his wish to travel and perform in other countries. Rare, though not entirely unseen, footage of “Never Been to Spain” performed in Hampton Roads on April 9, 1972 is shown, accompanied by an edited version of the song compiled from several performances of that period. A few previously unseen seconds from Richmond are shown at the end.
SEGMENT 14: "LOVE ME"
We see Elvis performing “Love Me”on The Milton Berle Show in 1956, while he talks about the devotion of his fans and how heavy that could be at times. Between accounts of torn clothes and bold women, we watch excerpts of the song in Hampton Roads in 1972 and in Las Vegas on August 12, 1970.
SEGMENT 15: "BLUE MOON"
Recorded at Sun Studio in 1954, the song is heard as Elvis discusses the differences in the mastering process between his early recordings and those he made at RCA in 1956. The singer is also seen reflecting on the contrast between his public image and his private life — and how one should remain separate from the other — during the press conference for the Madison Square Garden shows on June 9, 1972. A snippet from the rehearsal of “Twenty Days and Twenty Nights,” held in July 1970, is heard and shown at the end.
SEGMENT 16: "CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU"
In a 1972 interview, we hear Elvis explain the dynamic he established with his band on stage. He clarifies that everyone was prepared to play around 150 different songs, leaving it up to him to decide which would come next. In fact, Elvis often changed the order of songs or removed and reintroduced them in different shows. However, Parker maintained control over what he considered “classics” — songs that, according to the manager, would drive audiences away if not performed at every show. This imposition ultimately left Elvis dissatisfied with his concerts from 1974 onward.
At the end of his explanation, we see a rendition of “Can’t Stop Loving You” from the 8:30 p.m. show on August 13, 1970. The audio editing highlights Elvis’s tired voice after four consecutive days of performances. The excerpt is new in a context like this film, but not unreleased, as it was officially issued in 1992.
SEGMENT 17: "ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT"
While we watch 40 seconds of previously unseen backstage footage from August 1970, Elvis talks about how he felt lonely and isolated even when surrounded by crowds — a recurring solitude in his life that marked many, if not most, of the low points in his career. On stage, Elvis performs “Are You Lonesome Tonight” during the midnight show on August 12, 1970, in a segment officially unreleased until now.
SEGMENT 18: "ALWAYS ON MY MIND"
Reflecting on the meaning of love, Elvis returns to the theme of loneliness and admits that he needs someone to love and be loved by in order for his life to have meaning. Baz Luhrmann’s evident devotion to Priscilla Beaulieu is clear here, with archival footage placing her at the center of attention while we hear Elvis sing “Always on My Mind” during the March 30, 1972 rehearsal. The take used is officially unreleased, though not unknown to the public. This section also features several new photos of Lisa with her father.
SEGMENT 19: "OH HAPPY DAY"
We return to the August 7, 1970 rehearsal, where Elvis delivers a magnificent version of the song. Although the audio is not new, the complete footage is. The sound editing is very well done.
SEGMENT 20: "HOW GREAT THOU ART"
We’re talking about Elvis, and of course Gospel could not be left out. On stage in Hampton Roads in 1972, the King of Rock delivers an excellent version of his 1966 recording, the title track of the album released the following year. His vocals were almost completely isolated, and the addition of echo gives the song an ethereal quality. A previously unseen excerpt from the improvised Gospel session during the March 1972 rehearsals is shown, featuring Elvis singing “Nearer My God to Thee”, before returning to conclude “How Great Thou Art” on stage.
SEGMENT 21: "A BIG HUNK O' LOVE"
Elvis rehearses the song on April 5, 1972, and is then seen performing it live nine days later in Greensboro — a version officially released in 1992. For some unexplained reason, the close‑ups during James Burton’s solo are taken from Aloha From Hawaii (1973), which becomes evident when noting the guitarist’s outfit color: navy blue in 1972, white in 1973.
SEGMENT 22: "BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER"
Back at the MGM Studios in Culver City, in July 1970, Elvis begins rehearsing one of the songs that would become iconic in his performances and a perfect showcase of his mastery and vocal range, in footage that had never been officially released until now. On stage, we see the song performed in Las Vegas in 1970 and in Hampton Roads in 1972. While J.D. Sumner talks about how Elvis commanded the stage, previously unseen footage from the 1972 rehearsals is shown.
SEGMENT 23: "IN THE GHETTO"
The studio version of the song opens with some overdubs that sound unusual, while we hear Elvis speaking about keeping his private life opinions off the stage. It’s a short segment that ends with the live version of the song, officially released in 1992, followed by the performance of “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” in an officially unreleased version.
SEGMENT 24: "SUSPICIOUS MINDS"
Perhaps creativity was lacking, or Baz truly intended this segment to be presented as it is, but regardless of the reason, we see the most well‑known live rendition of the song: the August 11, 1970 performance featured in That’s the Way It Is. Here, the audio editing is heavy, pushing Millie Kirkham’s high notes to the forefront and creating an unnecessary distraction. When Elvis moves his head to cue Ronnie Tutt’s drum beats, the sound of those beats has been removed, leaving an odd impression.
SEGMENT 25: "CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU"
We also see an officially unreleased excerpt from the post‑show party in Elvis’s dressing room at the International Hotel on August 10, 1970, where, wearing the famous black leather outfit from the ’68 Comeback Special, he chats with celebrities. The King of Rock is then heard talking about how he is constantly sought out by fans and how much he would miss that if he ever ended his career, while the background music is provided by an edited track combining excerpts of “Are You Lonesome Tonight”, titled “Bring the Curtain Down”. The conclusion of “An American Trilogy”, begun in Segment 1, is delivered here.
Finally, we reach the end of the film, and of course it could only close with the song that ended nearly all of his more than 1,100 concerts between 1969 and 1977. We hear Elvis sing and see footage from various shows, though no previously unseen images are included. However, about 20 seconds of officially unreleased backstage footage appear before and during the credits. In this segment, edits were created from several songs, resulting in compositions titled “American David”, “A Change of Reality (Do You Miss Me?)” and “Don’t Fly Away”.
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OUR OPINION
The film is an ambivalent work. On one hand, it offers precious moments from Elvis’s career, with rare and unreleased footage, as well as well‑crafted audio editions that will certainly please fans. On the other hand, some creative choices are questionable, such as the omission of the ’68 Comeback Special and key 1969 recordings, along with edits that may confuse viewers about the periods and contexts of the performances.
Its greatest strength lies in showcasing Elvis in rehearsals and backstage moments rarely seen, revealing both his vulnerability and his energy on stage. The weaknesses, however, appear in unnecessary cuts and insertions, such as odd overdubs and the replacement of original footage with clips from other shows.
In summary, the film serves as both a historical document and a celebration of Elvis’s artistry, though it leaves the impression that it could have been more faithful and creative in its narrative. It is a work that moves audiences while also prompting reflection on how editing choices shape the memory of such an iconic artist.
