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Almost Elvis
Ventura // Unrated // April 1, 2002
List Price: $22.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE STRAIGHT DOPE:
According to Almost Elvis, there are over 30,000 Elvis impersonators in the world. That's an amazing number, although I'd imagine that a very small percentage of them take the concept as far as the folk profiled in this thoughtful (if sometimes messy) documentary. Loosely charting the round of Elvis impersonation contests leading up to the big "Images of Elvis" extravaganza held in Memphis every year, Almost Elvis is a good introduction to the world of Elvis impersonation. "Images of Elvis," described as both the Super Bowl and the Miss America of Elvis impersonator contests, features the best performers in the country. Almost Elvis profiles a few of them before and during the big show: Irv Kass, a professional Elvis with a terrific voice and an obsession with his weight, Quentin Flagg, a paper-boy Elvis who is actually younger than the real deal was when he got started, and Robert Washington, a black Elvis who apparently is only prevented from taking the top prize by the color of his skin. By talking to these fellas (and others) Almost Elvis is able to paint a pretty vivid picture of the mentality that it takes to get into this strange business. Some of the main points are a bit surprising: Elvis impersonators are under no impression that they actually are Elvis or that they are taking up his life's work. They all talk about bringing a little bit of that old magic back to long-time Elvis fans in addition to their tremendous love for the King.
The 2.0 soundtrack is occasionally below par. There is a slight crackle of static in some sequences. Other than that it sounds fine. The music isn't recorded too carefully, particularly the live portions, but it does communicate the energy of the musicians. EXTRAS:
Almost Elvis bills itself as a special edition and it does deliver a large number of additional features. While the "making of" feature is just a text screen, the disc does include a number of deleted sequences, including profiles on El Vez (the amazing Mexican Elvis), The Green E (the somewhat sad environmental Elvis), and the senior citizen Elvis, who cuts a dashing figure in his jumpsuit, but whose vocals may or may not be dubbed over with someone else's. There is also a commentary from director John Paget along with other crew members in which we learn a little bit more about our favorite Elvis impersonators (the commentary, by the way, is one of the worst recorded sessions I've ever heard), as well as a trailer and some other tidbits, like an endless clip of Paget and Kass appearing on the Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" morning show with the frightening E.D. Donahey and Steve Doocy. FINAL THOUGHTS:
Almost Elvis is a bit rough around the edges and does take a little while to get rolling, but some of the folks in it are fascinating and the concert scenes are fun. Fans of Elvis (or kitsch in general) should definitely check it out. Email Gil Jawetz at [email protected]
According to Almost Elvis, there are over 30,000 Elvis impersonators in the world. That's an amazing number, although I'd imagine that a very small percentage of them take the concept as far as the folk profiled in this thoughtful (if sometimes messy) documentary. Loosely charting the round of Elvis impersonation contests leading up to the big "Images of Elvis" extravaganza held in Memphis every year, Almost Elvis is a good introduction to the world of Elvis impersonation. "Images of Elvis," described as both the Super Bowl and the Miss America of Elvis impersonator contests, features the best performers in the country. Almost Elvis profiles a few of them before and during the big show: Irv Kass, a professional Elvis with a terrific voice and an obsession with his weight, Quentin Flagg, a paper-boy Elvis who is actually younger than the real deal was when he got started, and Robert Washington, a black Elvis who apparently is only prevented from taking the top prize by the color of his skin. By talking to these fellas (and others) Almost Elvis is able to paint a pretty vivid picture of the mentality that it takes to get into this strange business. Some of the main points are a bit surprising: Elvis impersonators are under no impression that they actually are Elvis or that they are taking up his life's work. They all talk about bringing a little bit of that old magic back to long-time Elvis fans in addition to their tremendous love for the King.
But don't think for a second that these are sappy guys. Being an Elvis impersonator takes a certain amount of wackiness; most of the guys have bizarre senses of humor and they're very competitive (Kass in particular is interviewed deconstructing virtually all of his peers).
Some of the peripheral characters are equally interesting. Butch Polston, president of B & K Enterprises, a company that makes reproductions of Elvis' intricate beaded outfits for impersonators, describes how Elvis' music can bring peace to the Middle East in what has to be one of the funniest bits I've seen in quite some time.
VIDEO:
The widescreen anamorphic video is pretty weak. Shot on video, it often looks like a home movie. There are a few nicely shot sequences but mostly the footage is standard stuff. Some compression artifacting is evident. This is not a beautiful looking movie.
The 2.0 soundtrack is occasionally below par. There is a slight crackle of static in some sequences. Other than that it sounds fine. The music isn't recorded too carefully, particularly the live portions, but it does communicate the energy of the musicians. EXTRAS:
Almost Elvis bills itself as a special edition and it does deliver a large number of additional features. While the "making of" feature is just a text screen, the disc does include a number of deleted sequences, including profiles on El Vez (the amazing Mexican Elvis), The Green E (the somewhat sad environmental Elvis), and the senior citizen Elvis, who cuts a dashing figure in his jumpsuit, but whose vocals may or may not be dubbed over with someone else's. There is also a commentary from director John Paget along with other crew members in which we learn a little bit more about our favorite Elvis impersonators (the commentary, by the way, is one of the worst recorded sessions I've ever heard), as well as a trailer and some other tidbits, like an endless clip of Paget and Kass appearing on the Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" morning show with the frightening E.D. Donahey and Steve Doocy. FINAL THOUGHTS:
Almost Elvis is a bit rough around the edges and does take a little while to get rolling, but some of the folks in it are fascinating and the concert scenes are fun. Fans of Elvis (or kitsch in general) should definitely check it out. Email Gil Jawetz at [email protected]
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