This 1970 concert documentary captures Elvis Presley midway through a fateful transition, seeking to reclaim his musical primacy after a decade of self-imposed exile from concert stages. Sidelined by his big-screen career, eclipsed by rock's mid-'60s transformations, the King had begun his return two years earlier with the relatively lean attack of his fabled network television appearance, '68 Comeback Special. Now the Memphis legend was poised to reposition his performing profile by pursuing the top rungs of headliner status in Las Vegas, a career choice that seems even more ephemeral in hindsight than it already did at the time.
Elvis: That's the Way It Is follows the show's genesis from rehearsal to stage, with the performance footage that provides its inevitable climax shot over six nights. The rehearsal footage, expanded for this special edition, offers further proof that Presley's band was simply superb: stripped of the orchestrations and lush choral arrangements that would be grafted onto the stage show, the sextet sounds both tough and nimble. In performance, we're treated to a mostly riveting glimpse of Presley in top vocal form, poised at the brink of bombast. This is Elvis before the onset of portentous Richard Strauss overtures, karate kicks, and tossed scarves, kicking off the show with the classic "That's All Right." If he risks undercutting the punch of his early songs with self-deprecating clowning, he attacks two Ray Charles classics with gusto. The special edition also boasts digitally remastered visuals, crisply remixed Dolby audio, alternate versions that replace the original performances of several tracks (including the extended vamp of "Suspicious Minds"), a theatrical trailer, and a new documentary on the restoration of the film.
Format: Color, Closed-captioned

Aspect Ratio(s): 2.35:1

Audio Encoding: Dolby Digital 5.1

Rated:
Studio: Warner Studios
DVD Release Date: August 3, 2004
Run Time: 109

DVD Features:
Available subtitles: English, French
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Behind-the-scenes documentary: "Patch It Up: The Restoration of Elvis: That's the Way It Is" (9 minutes)

Elvis Presley career highlights

Director/restorer filmographies
Elvis Presley, wearing a flashy new jumpsuit, has pre-show jitters. "If the songs don't go over", he quips, "we can do a medley of costumes". The songs go over big - thanks to a remastered picture and remixed dolby digital from restored elements - in this special edition of the legendary Las Vegas concert movie shot in summer 1970. Film archivist/restorer Rick Schmidlin has recovered more incomparable music - over thirty minutes of rare performances - from studio vaults in this dazzling rejuvenation. Added footage includes a get-down rehearsal of "Get back" plus "Suspicious minds, One night" and more from the original release now appear in different versions.

Scene index: 1.Mystery train/Tiger man (credits) 2.In the studio 3.Rehearsals (thats all right) 4.Little sister/Get back 5.Horseplay (words, my baby left me, crying time, love me) 6.Twenty days and twenty nights 7.Las Vegas: Bridge over troubled water 8.Cattle call, Chime bells, Santa claus is back in town 9.Words, you can say that 10.Mary in the morning 11.Countdown to showtime 12.That's all right 13.I got a woman 14.Hound dog 15.Heartbreak hotel 16.Love me tender 17.I can't stop loving you 18.Just pretend 19.The wonder of you 20.In the ghetto 21.Patch it up 22.You've lost that lovin' feeling 23.Polk salad annie 24.One night 25.Don't be cruel 26.Blue suede shoes 27.All shook up 28.You don't have to say you love me 29.Suspicious minds 30.Can't help falling in love 31.End credits.

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