Elvis: That's the Way It is: Special Ed (Dbl DVD) (Remastered)

Having been born in the last year that Mr. Crosby worked for Paul Whiteman and the year before he began his sensational career on radio and in the Coconut Grove and Paramount Theater in NYC, where he was Emcee, kibitzing on stage with a vaudevillian named Bob Hope, during the latter's act; being only a five year old, listening, no doubt, to the Major Bowes Amateur Hour (everybody's family favorite) when the singing group, which included Frank Sinatra, did not win the first prize; I took Elvis Presley in stride and, so far as I can recall, saw only a few of his TV appearances and concerts, and a couple of his movies (one because it co-starred everyone's favorite of the day, Mary Tyler Moore), I approached this DVD, with no nostalgia and very little acquaintance with its Star. Naturally, I had heard of his meteoric rise, his being drafted, his successful film career and, what else, the hysterical females, but I came to it without the sense of nostalgia and ' those guys from my time' which a Crosby or Sinatra show would elicit. I was surprised and pleased. What I got was a straight club act by a professional singer and entertainer, who skillfully held the audience in his hand, through the appeal of his singing and the strength of his accompaniment. There was almost nothing of the glitz one sees in the massive, glittering, technologically explosive acts, in which a contemporary Star, plays his/her Central Role. I cannot tell, as I can immediately for Crosby and Sinatra, at what stage of his career he has arrived by the sound of his voice and his physical manner, but, it is apparent that this guy is in good voice and in control of his stage and his audience. It was quite enjoyable, although most of the songs were new to me (or had made no particular impression on me at the time). So speaking only to those who are not fans, old or new, of this very important figure in popular music of the 20th Century, take a look, don't come with preconceptions built on what you might have heard or read from your elders, sit back and, I think, there is a good chance this guy will please you, whomsoever your real favorites are: the performers of today, your day.

When I first saw this as a theater release I made note of this exciting backstage close-up look of this Memphis legend rehearsal followed by his first year of live concerts of the King (this acts as one evening)of rock n roll that enthralled the Vegas strip at that time. The split-screen camera work made the front-row look of Elvis from all sides so personal. Having seen all the live concerts of rock n roll groups from the 50s on, I knew this would be in the top 2 (the other: The T.A.M.I. Show in black and white) After seeing this again years later I realize beyond a doubt that this is tops in excitement. It shows Presley in his most exciting, athletic condition with his voice in top flight before he tossed aside his early rock nuggets like "Little Sister" and "One Night with you" for schmaltzy middle-of-the-road fare. You are also treated to rehearsals of songs that don't make it to the night's set list like the surprising Bee Gees "Words," which shows how shrewd Elvis was about songs. A heart-breaking scene occurs during "Love Me Tender" when Elvis walks into the audience boldly accepting the affection of his female admirers without missing a line, extending that moment that probably could only occur for a few shows without considerable risk, extending that ballad longer. I think more than anything that single bold act of his showed that Elvis gave more to his fans than they could possibly give him in his short life that would end in less than 7 remaining years. The inter-cutting shots of audience members' reaction to Elvis was even more revealing. Middle-aged moms became teenagers again and adoring girls longed to be grown ups under his charm in just 4 minute snatches. To possess this concert is to have Elvis unchained from his tame movie persona exhibiting all his raw talent, exciting persona and undimmed power to enjoy over and over.

What a treat it is to finally have this amazing concert film captured on High Definition Blu-ray with 1080 visual quality and Dts Lossless sound, which enables the audio portion to virtually match the master recording without losing quality or depth when played on the proper HD television and Blu-ray machine. This is Elvis Presley at his absolute prime in Las Vegas at the largest casino showroom in the world, The Showroom Internationale. Elvis is in amazing shape and looks and sounds fantastic as months of Karate and the previous two month long engagements at the International have put him in the best physical shape of his life. He has the bronze of a greek god and the moves of a tiger on stage. His setlist for the Nash-Vegas crowds is staggering in its scope, range and diversity. Is there another singer in the world that could pull of singing Bridge Over Troubled Water, Just Pretend, The Wonder of You, You've Lost That Loving Feeling, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, One Night and Suspicious Minds with such virtuosity and ease? Watch the King in amazement as he puts his own amazing choreography with Karate moves to Polk Salad Annie, Patch It Up ( co-written by the late great Eddie Rabbit) and Suspicious Minds. Elvis Thats The Way It Is also captures Elvis in candid rehearsal scenes and you will see how there is no doubt he is in charge of the arrangements and the band. Elvis wanted to capture the full sound and range of the American Popular music he had exposed himself to his entire life including opera, country, soul, gospel, pop and rhythm and blues. No other artist in history has ever so successfully captured such a diverse repertoire in studio and in a live concert setting and at such a high artistic level.

Finally someone with heart has realized that both versions were valid. Which one is your favorite? It depends on the individual who watches them. When it originally was released, some of us, especially those who could not dish up the money to see the King on Stage in Las Vegas, were already elated to watch him in the original documentary, which also reflected a moment in the phenomenon that was Elvis in 1970 and how it touched its fans back then. But those who were born much later may have considered such interpolations between a song and another as disturbing and distracting, this is why it was wise to prepare a newer version of the documentary, omitting those passages and instead fill these gaps with additional songs in Elvis' repertory to make it more enticing. I must say that personally, even though I appreciated the old documentary when it came out, I really do prefer the newer version because it gives me the full spectrum of the showman Elvis without unnecessary interruptions. But as I have already said, this is a matter of perspective. One is a historical document, the other shows Elvis in all his glory. Both have their independent value. This is why I was a bit disappointed when with the first release of the newer version, they decided to simply discard the older one. In my view they both belong together, if just as a comparison. Now we have this new splendid release in Blu-Ray, and what a release it is. Granted, there is nothing truly new here, except maybe for an additional nice booklet, but both versions are finally together and both have been cleaned up quite considerably. Colors now are clearer and vivid, the sound is simply astounding and well, the King? Well, the King sounds better than ever. For all the fans and aficionados of Elvis and his songs it is simply a must have. There is no doubt about. My only regret is that there is no filmed broadcast of his splendid Memphis concert in 1974. This with the "NBC 1968 Special", "Elvis on Tour", "Aloha from Hawaii", and alas, his last public Concert broadcast by CBS in 1977, remain to date, the only clearly filmed live appearances of Elvis. Well worth as a Christmas gift, but also valid as a gift for any other Season of the year.

Best version of Elvis that's the way it is

I love Elvis. What more can I say? This shows Elvis at the peak of his sexiness; healthy and oh-so-talented. Over forty years ago and the material is still entertaining and fresh. I have seen many many concerts. It has always amazed me how Elvis could hold an audience's attention with just himself on stage and only minimal backup from his backup singers and band. Other entertainers needed flamboyant fireworks, glitzy backdrops, scantily clad dancers, etc. I was blessed to have attended two of his concerts in the early 70's and there was a reason why the announcer always said at the end of his shows " Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis has left the building. Thank you and Good Night." Otherwise there would have been a stampede of people climbing up onto the stage to go after him. Let me try and explain. Elvis always gave his all at his performances, often going over the expected amount of time. At one of the concerts, as much as I was enjoying it, I noticed that the performance was going well over thirty five minutes over the allotted time. I glanced over at some of his backup singers to see how they were faring wondering if maybe they may be in need of a pee break or something. Elvis was still going strong. But no, they were intent on focusing their complete attention on their boss who was single handedly orchestrating the entire show. Elvis commandeered the show, setting the pace and tempo throughout. He decided how long the show was and when it was over. Elvis had a way of noticing things like when an audience member (myself) might be in a little bit of danger of being crushed by other over exuberant fans trying to clamor over her in an effort to get closer to see Elvis. Elvis was not above stopping singing and effectively stopping the entire show to gently and humorously admonish the offenders. It left me in awe that he noticed and he cared and he actually did something about it. I still think of that day. It was things like this that made him more than an entertainer. By the end of the show, when I and the rest of the audience realized that he had left the stage and wasn't coming back out, I had a sudden urge to go after him and drag, pull or coax him back out. It was as if "No, he can't just leave. He was just getting started." Then just when I'm preparing to get my purse and go after him, the announcer makes that announcement and I suddenly realize he's already gone so therefore there is nothing I can do. So I sit in stunned disbelief and try to concentrate on my clapping.

I was never a big Elvis fan. Having grown up on classic rock I had to laugh when I heard him referred to as the king of rock and roll. I was turned off by the outfits which I thought were hokey and the music didn't engage me. I bought this on a whim because it was a new blu-ray release and in 5.1. This film has instilled in me a great deal of respect for both Elvis the man and the artist. I popped the disc in planning to preview only ten minutes or so, but I could not stop watching. The guy is extraordinarily captivating and mesmerizing. You begin by getting a behind the scenes look at several rehearsal sessions. There are a few spontaneous moments and idle banter which make you feel like a fly on the wall. Later you are at the desert venue before the show where you can feel the build-up to what is coming. Nerves appear on edge as other celebrities and the Vegas crowd begin to assemble with all of their late 60's era fashion and hairstyles. Elvis's interactions both with those around him and his audience are simply rare and electrifying (I never thought I would see anyone kiss more women in public than Richard Dawson). It's easy to see here why he had achieved the level of success that he did in his time, captured the hearts of so many and has become an enduring legend. The audio here is fabulous with a quality more like a studio recording than a live concert. There is so much energy in the performance and it comes right through. If you crank it up you are right there in the audience. The video quality is equally amazing. The discs are packed within a quality book style case with premium glossy photos within. As a new fan, I think I am entitled to say that I think Elvis would have been proud of this release.

You'll have Elvis in your building every time you play this great restored version of the 1970 classic "Elvis: That's the Way It Is." First of all, I want to say that film archivist and restorer Rick Schmidin (who restored Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil") did a FANTASTIC job of reworking this film and adding footage from hours of film shot during Elvis' Vegas concerts and not used in the original release. Most of the fan comments were taken out and more Elvis was put back in. The picture and sound are outstanding. The viewer gets to see Elvis in his prime: a lean, mean, rock and roll machine. They don't call the country boy from Tupelo, Mississippi the King of Rock and Roll for nothing. My only complaint is that Warner Brothers did not do a double-sided disc with the restored version on one side and the original movie on the other. After recently touring Graceland, I noticed in the "Forever Elvis" museum that they were showing the original version of this movie on the monitors. There I saw many fans expressing their love for the King. Actually, it was quite touching to listen to the comments from young and old and people of all races. So it's really somewhat sad that the original version of this film was not deemed worthy by Warner Brothers to be included on the DVD. Hopefully, when this film is released again, it will contain the original and the restored version. Aside from that, the restored verion is great and well worth buying. In fact, put a round table with a red tablecloth in front of your TV, add a few drinks, and pretend you are in Vegas in the summer of 1970 enjoying one heck of an Elvis show.