Top 5 Elvis Movies
In honor of what would have been The King’s 82nd birthday, here’s a quick top 5 list of Elvis’ best feature films.
5. Loving You
The young king rises in this semi-autobiographical star vehicle from 1957, Elvis’ second screen appearance and first leading role (he had a supporting role in his screen debut, Love Me Tender). Slowly paced at times, but the dreamy Technicolor, the 1950s innocence, and the fun musical sequences will win you over.
Song Highlights: “Got a Lot o’ Livin’ to Do!,” “Teddy Bear,” “Loving You”
4. Blue Hawaii
Elvis returns from the Army in the movies as well as real life (the film was released a year after his discharge from the service in 1960) to a tropical paradise in this lighthearted romp. The exotic backdrops, lovely ladies, silly musical numbers, and paper-thin plot would set the formula for many a Presley picture to come, but none of those later imitations could ever match the carefree charm of Blue Hawaii.
Song Highlights: “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Rock-A-Hula Baby”
3. Jailhouse Rock
To quote Quentin Tarantino (by way of Clarence Worley) in the screenplay to True Romance:
In “Jailhouse Rock” he’s everything rockabilly’s about. I mean he is rockabilly: mean, surly, nasty, rude. In that movie he couldn’t give a fuck about anything except rockin’ and rollin’, livin’ fast, dyin’ young, and leaving a good-looking corpse … I’d watch that hillbilly and I’d want to be him so bad.
Song Highlights: “Jailhouse Rock,” “Young and Beautiful”
2. Viva Las Vegas
An outlier among The King’s many cheesy location-themed cash grabs in the ‘60s, Viva Las Vegas broke the mold by pairing Elvis with a female lead who could match him in terms of star power as well as screen presence. Elvis and Ann-Margret had a notorious love affair behind the scenes of this production, and their natural chemistry shines through onscreen, especially in the joy-filled song-and-dance numbers.
Song Highlights: “The Lady Loves Me,” “Viva Las Vegas,” “C’mon Everybody”
1. King Creole
King Creole was Elivs’ own favorite of all his movies, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. Directed by Casablanca’s Michael Curtiz, this gritty, noir-style drama managed to marry rock and roll music with a coming-of-age tale set on the mean streets of New Orleans. The movie offers a glimpse as to what Elvis’ film career could have been if he had stuck to more dramatic roles.
Song Highlights: “Trouble,” “King Creole,” “As Long As I Have You”
This list originally appeared on Letterboxd, the social network for sharing your taste in film. If you love movies as much as I do, let’s connect.
