summary
- Luhrmann’s biopic portrays Elvis and B.B. King as friends and musical confidants, a relationship that King himself maintained throughout his life.
- Some claim that the film misrepresents Elvis’ role as a civil rights advocate and overstates his ties to the black community, but King has rejected criticism of Elvis stealing black music.
- The accuracy of the friendship between Elvis and B.B. King is still debated, with differing opinions on the extent of their relationship, but King’s words suggest that they maintained a friendship throughout Elvis’ career.
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Young shows ““King of Rock and Roll” hang out with blues legend B.B. King, and the film has sparked debate over the true story of the relationship between Elvis and B.B. King. In Luhrmann’s trademark style, Elvis It’s two and a half hours of bangs and bangs that weave together the old and the new. However, many have claimed that the film misrepresents Elvis’ role as a civil rights advocate and exaggerates his ties to the black community, such as B.B. King. In fact, some lesser-known details reveal just how close they were, including the words of Bibi King himself.
As shown in Luhrmann’s biopic, Elvis grew up in a poor, predominantly black community in Tupelo, Mississippi, where he found his musical inspiration in a local gospel church. Elvis and his family then moved to an apartment complex near Beale Street in Memphis in 1948 where Elvis and Bibi King met Luhrmann. Elvis. The pair joked and marveled around the incredible music before King gave Elvis advice about the music industry. Elvis Elvis and King are undoubtedly shown as friends, a relationship that King himself tested many times during his life, but the actual history is disputed.
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The Elvis True Story: How Accurate It Is and What the Movie Changes
Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis plays fast and loose with the truth. However, there are some ways that the movie remains historically accurate.
What BB King has previously said about Elvis
King revealed Elvis booked him on his show
Born in a river cabin in Burclair, Mississippi, B.B. King played in ( Elvis by Calvin Harrison Jr.) told a reporter in 2010 San Antonio Examiner), that he felt a kinship to Elvis because they both ““We were born poor in Mississippi, had poor childhoods, and we learned and earned through music.” That kinship and mutual conflict fostered a friendship between Elvis and B.B. King, along with The pair often talk about music together. In the interview, King discusses how he and Elvis came to terms “Music belongs to the entire universe. It is not exclusive to a black man or a white man or any other color. It is shared in and through our souls…”
In King’s Autobiography, All the blues around meKing also recalls how Elvis arranged a show for him at the Hilton Hotel in 1972.. Despite Elvis being under the thumb of his tyrannical manager Colonel Tom Parker, King claimed (via San Antonio Examiner) that Elvis ““make a call” and booked King’s show in the lounge while Elvis was playing in the hotel’s main theater. This Elvis did many times throughout his career. King spoke fondly of their shows together, saying they often went to Elvis’ suite after the show, talking and playing music:
“I would play Lucille (her guitar) and Elvis would sing along, or we would take turns. It was his way of relaxing…’We were the original Blues Brothers because the man knew more blues songs than most in the business – and some nights later it felt like we each sang one.”
Elvis Ending Explained (Detailed)
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic ends before Elvis Presley’s death, instead ending with The King performing Unchained Melody in Vegas. Here’s why.
Why Elvis and B.B. King’s friendship is up for debate
King also rejected criticism of Elvis stealing black music
Despite the King’s repeated claims, the Elvis The movie’s accuracy regarding the friendship between Elvis and B.B. King is still hotly contested. Author Elana Nash, who has written several books about Elvis, claims (via USA Today) K King and Elvis were the only onesAcquaintances And their connection was nothing more than a brief interaction, a view that King’s writings and numerous interviews strongly refute. Meanwhile, others, such as the former music editor Pride Magazine, Helen Kolawole claims that Elvis appropriated the songs of black artists who became rich and famous from the work of others. On that idea, King also spoke in his autobiography Vanity Fair):
“Elvis did not steal any music from anyone. He had his own interpretation of the music he grew up on, the same is true for everyone. I think Elvis had integrity.“
So, while criticism for Baz Luhrmann can hold elvis, The film seems to depict a version of Elvis and B.B. King’s friendship that is at least as accurate as the latter’s portrayal of the situation. Although it is unclear whether the pair ever toured Beale Street together as in the film, King’s words and writings suggest that the two legends maintained a friendship throughout Elvis’ career. Furthermore, King’s depiction of the mutual respect between him and Elvis, and Elvis’ undying love of black music, support many aspects of the larger-than-life yet poignant character Luhrmann portrays. Elvis.
Elvis: 10 Things Faked for the Movie
The Baz Luhrmann biopic took some creative liberties when it came to portraying Elvis. In fact, many things were made in this adaptation.
The relationship between Elvis and the black artist was always going to be challenging for Luhrmann to portray
The biopic chose a version of history to follow despite the controversy surrounding it
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Elvis’ association with black music and sympathy for the civil rights movement was chosen in a way that would be controversial. While such an approach, which includes the use of modern black music Elvis, furthering the critique of cultural appropriation, could also be interpreted as overly flattering to Elvis and his fans by portraying the artist as more progressive than he actually was. As a white Australian director, Luhrmann also doesn’t have an insider’s view on the issue.
The relationship between Elvis and B.B. King epitomizes this difficulty. The extent of King and Elvis’ relationship is historically disputed, even by those who were there at the time, meaning that no matter how Luhrmann portrayed it, It will conflict with at least one version of events. Had he chosen to leave B.B. King out of the movie, Luhrmann could have been accused of ignoring the inspiration Elvis drew from black musicians. As it is, a Beale Street meeting between B.B. King and Austin Butler Elvis The movie may not have the most historically grounded scenes, but it serves as a way to acknowledge Elvis’ connection to the black musical culture that grew up around him.
Elvis
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis tells the story of the musician’s meteoric rise to superstardom. Following Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) as a young up-and-coming musician of his time, it chronicles how Elvis met his infamous agent and business partner, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). Elvis documents the king’s rise to the top, his subsequent career decline, his triumphant return and his tragic end.
- Publication date
- June 24, 2022
- cast
- Austin Butler, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Calvin Harrison Jr., Cody Smit-McPhee, Natasha Bassett, Tom Hanks, David Wenham, Luke Bracey, Olivia DeJong, Xavier Samuel
- rating
- PG-13
- runtime
- 159 minutes
- The authors
- Jeremy Donner, Craig Pearce, Sam Bromell, Baz Luhrmann
- Budget
- $85 million
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
