This biopic traces Elvis Presley’s life from his impoverished childhood to his meteoric rise to stardom to his triumphant conquering of Las Vegas.
Acting
Kurt Russell's physical transformation is genuinely unsettling in its precision
Direction
Carpenter's restraint proves he understands more than just synth and shadows
Director
John Carpenter
Kurt Russell
Elvis Presley
Shelley Winters
Gladys Presley
Bing Russell
Vernon Presley
Robert Gray
Red West
Pat Hingle
Colonel Tom Parker
Season Hubley
Priscilla Presley
Melody Anderson
Bonnie
Ed Begley Jr.
D.J. Fontana
Charles Cyphers
Sam Phillips
Peter Hobbs
Jim Denny
Les Lannom
Sonny West
Elliott Street
Bill Black
Will Jordan
Ed Sullivan
Joe Mantegna
Joe Esposito
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bing Russell, who plays Vernon Presley, is Kurt Russell's actual father. The uncomfortable father-son tension? Method casting.
This aired mere months after Elvis's actual death, making it less tribute than immediate mythologizing—American grief processed as television event.
US
