This is Elvis: Available from Warner Bros. Home Video

This Is Elvis is a documentary that offers you a little bit of everything in an attempt to show you who Elvis was on and off the stage. In This Is Elvis, you get a chance to see some of The King’s live performances, clips of him on television and in the media, and you even get to see some reenactments, as well. One of the things fans will like most about this DVD is that there are many clips and bits of footage that are not commonly found in other places, if at all.

My biggest problem comes in the form of the reenactments. There are reenactments of various childhood and “before he was a star” moments. Perhaps it is that they are reenactments, but the scenes end up feeling disjointed and unnecessary. The actual footage of Elvis proves to be far more interesting than any reenactment in this film. The reenactments only play a small part in This Is Elvis, but it feels unnecessary when they create moments such as when Elvis is reenacted going to his mother’s death bed or the reenacted last moments prior to his death.

The parts that will be truly interesting to fans will be the personal clips that made it into this documentary. You get to see moments with Elvis and his parents at Graceland, during his birthday parties, and times when he would interact with friends and family members. Television clips allow you to see Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show, The Steve Allen Show, and on other television spots. One of the best things about This Is Elvis is that it does not only focus on Elvis in his highest moments. You have a chance to see him mess up a song, even though he sounds like classic Elvis when he messes up.

You won’t just see Elvis in his perfect moments. You will see some very dramatic moments that involve weight gain, drug addiction, and a drama centering on what appears to be a shell of a performer. In that sense, nothing here is spared. You will even get to see clips that show the wear and tear on Elvis when he sat in his car or did other common things and it becomes obvious that he was affected by the drugs at the time of filming.

If you can ignore the impersonators and the reenactments you are looking at a strong documentary. The voice over work is done courtesy of Ral Donner who does well for this particular piece. However, the real beauty comes in the flawed mess that Elvis was. There is no candy coated moments in This Is Elvis. Instead you will see the truth as it happened. You will have a chance to see the good and bad, as hard as that may be for some fans, but the end result makes it worth it. By giving a birth to death documentary you will see the best and worst of Elvis’ life, which paints a powerfully interesting picture that is rarely seen in documentaries of this kind.

This Is Elvis comes with a few extras that might be of interest to the typical fan. The longest extra is a featurette, “Behind The Gates Of Graceland.” Trailers for this documentary and Elvis: That’s The Way It Is also are available as extras.

Like him or not Elvis is a legend. This DVD came out at the perfect time to coincide with the anniversary of his death. Due to the subject nature and the raw honesty this DVD has the ability to be popular with fans and non-fans alike. However, if you’re new to Elvis you might want to rent this one first. Fans and interested music lovers will definitely want to add this to their collection.

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