Karry
Best movie of this year hands down!
Matrixston
Wow! Such a good movie.
Matcollis
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
MARIO GAUCI
The unassailable reputation of this legendary TV special prompted me to acquire it regardless of the fact that I have little more than a passing interest in its subject; actually, a conversation I had on "Facebook" with the top local Elvis fan I know on the day that would have been "The King"'s 76th birthday is what made me watch it immediately! Although the IMDb gives the show a slim 50-minute duration, the copy I acquired ran for around 73 and, indeed, looking up some information on it after the fact, I realized that there are several versions available out there, culminating in the exhaustive 7½-hour "Deluxe Edition" released in 2004 spread over 3 DVDs! Presley's fans must have drawn a great sigh of relief watching their idol get back to his true métier of performing live in front of swooning audiences; what really impresses the 'infidels', however, is the sheer energy and magnetism that a totally black-clad Elvis is able to transmit in this up-close-and-personal/back-to-basics rendition of his decade old classic hits that, surely, must have been the precursor to the "MTV Unplugged" fad that proliferated a quarter-of-a-century later. And so it is that we have Presley belting out full-length or medley versions of "All Shook Up", "Don't Be Cruel", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Jailhouse Rock", "That's All Right" and even a tongue-in-cheek "Love Me Tender"(!) – performed either while barely containing himself in a chair (and accompanied by a handful of seasoned musicians) or standing up with guitar in hand as he interacts with the fans sitting literally at arm's length away from him! In spite of the stripped-down nature of the songs themselves, the show was captured on camera for posterity in as slick and flashy a manner as was possible at the time; in fact, we have here any number of suggestive camera angles and cleverly worked-out shots which, in their evident attempt to highlight the older but perfectly matured figure of its 33-year old star (a far cry from the bloated, all-white image of his later Las Vegas days), are par for the course. However, it was hard for me to accept the incongruity of a couple of truly elaborate musical numbers which, for all their intrinsically enjoyable kitsch elements (not the least of which is seeing Elvis felling his foes with karate chops!), reeked of the blandly exotic Hollywood musical vehicles that one hoped Presley wanted to fully leave behind with this startling image revamp and, basically, only served to stretch the show to feature-length standards. At any rate, his acclaimed album "From Elvis In Memphis" (which I have yet to listen to) was just around the corner...
val321
Recently purchased the deluxe box set of Elvis' 68 Comeback Special and must say there are not enough superlatives to describe it's magnificence as a quality piece of Elvis history, and contemporary music history. Elvis, simply put is Elvis at his best, loose, playful, sizzling, simmering and engaging. That's not to mention the stellar performance. His voice is strong, his moves magic and he has never played the guitar so passionately and vigorously. The performance engages from the opening lines of "If you're looking for trouble, you've come to the right place," through the playful musical nuances and partying of Good Lawdy Miss Clawdy, to the memorable closing performance of "If I Can Dream." This is musical entertainment at it's best. Some of the production numbers are less entertaining than the concert performances, but demonstrate an important part of Elvis' legacy. He is having a great time. Watching it, nearly 40 years later, you will too. Just when the world thought Elvis has left the stage, once again he demonstrates why he is still rock n roll's King. No one can hold a candle to this.
IronSo8
"Mah man, mah man," he says while prowling about after one song. Black leather, lean and singing great. Elvis was the greatest, no one can touch him not even close. What he had came from the inside out, just a gut instict performer with a lifetime of showmanship skill. This is one of my favorite videos. If I find it on DVD, it's mine!
Michael O'Keefe
After much convincing, Elvis Presley does something about his career teetering on the brink of stagnation. During the last week of June 1968, the man who almost single handedly led a musical revolution in the mid '50s made use of "Western Recorders" and the "NBC Studios", Burbank, California to put on tape a TV special. The Elvis NBC Special came to be known as "The '68 Comeback Special". It was originally aired on the night of Dec 3, 1968 and slaughtered the competition: 'The Red Skelton Show', 'It Takes a Thief' and 'The Doris Day Show'. Made up of production numbers and mini-concerts in front of live audiences, this TV special afforded a lost man to find his way home. Elvis Presley was back and once again his career would regain meteoric flight.Producer/director Steve Binder would be swamped with accolades. NBC took the chance and came out looking like a champ. Elvis' fan base would swell. The lp "Elvis(TV Special)" would rapidly peak at #8 on the Billboard Top Albums chart. This 76 minute video is highlighted with a Gospel Medley, the Guitar Man Medley, and songs like 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy','Jailhouse Rock', 'Tiger Man', 'One Night', 'Memories' and the great finale number, 'If I Can Dream'.
Even non Elvis fans will appreciate watching this. In a way it is like watching musical history...hell it is musical history.
