The
Documentary :
While 'Elvis - Adrenaline '70'
saw itself as Making Of 'That's
The Way It Is' and was stylistically
treated that way by the producers, there
was a considerably bigger range in this
new production.
So
the creativity also had more range,
but again original color elements, writings,
logos and sound samples from 1971 were
used to continue the ideology of the
outfit. The
first time you put the DVD into the
player you will recognize after clicking
through the interactive menu that it
is a 'sister' production.
Like with the 'Behind The Image'
series you recognize from the first
second on where this production is from. Anyway,
the producers can't act on the assumption
that the viewer owns the first DVD or
that he will buy it first. So you have
to document Elvis' life story again
diversified to lead the fan factually
and thrillingly to the year 1971. You
also have to consider that not only
the interested Super8 fan buys the DVD
but also a none-expert, a normal Elvis
fan whom you have to offer enough knowledge
in the documentary.
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Like
on the first DVD it should be
shown in the documentary how Elvis
came to this period of his career,
here especially his experiences
in 1971.
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This challenge was resolved in a quite
uncommon manner.
With the help of Nadine Schwenk and
modern CGI technology a never before
touched terrain was introduced into
the Elvis DVD world: The first minutes
were created as complex 3D animations
whereas Elvis' career (until 1971)
is shown.
Afterwards the actual status, that means
Elvis' meaning nowadays with his successful
chart entries in the CD and DVD area
is being documented to get afterwards
with the help of a spectacular time
warp to the year 1971. That's where
the actual documentary starts.
The year 1971 is highlighted detailed
as never before, whereas the topic Las
Vegas, which is also main topic of this
DVD, doesn't get a raw deal. From the
Jaycee's Award to a Christmas session
in May, to the first Lake Tahoe Engagement,
to secret marketing and promotion strategies
of Colonel Tom Parker, which are documented
here with never before seen original
documents and contracts, to the Summer
Festival 1971 until the concert tour
which brought the year finally to an
end for Elvis.
Like other products of 'Praytome
Publishing' & 'Bud Glass
Productions' this DVD proves a
lot of clichés and lies about
Elvis Presley which established over
the years wrong. Watching this informative
documentary the viewer learns impressively
how thrilling and diversified Elvis
Presley's life really was.
The several stations in Elvis' life
are fascinating like a thriller, so
that the several pieces appearing during
a detailed research fit together like
a big puzzle at the end. That means
reverse that lies and gossip are totally
needless to tell an exciting story about
the king.
According to 'Adrenaline '70'
where Elvis tells his own life story
the producers turned their attention
to using a lot of rare and unreleased
sound documents. In this connection
statements of J.D. Sumner, Col. Parker,
Jessie Presley and of course Elvis himself
were used.
Concert Footage
Las Vegas, Nevada - 1969 & 1971 |
While
'Elvis - Adrenaline '70' shows
only one concert and Elvis in only one
jumpsuit, you can see in this release
a handful of several stage costumes
of Elvis in moving pictures. The viewer
gets the complete available material
just like in all other products, themed
'all there is'.
Despite the amount of the several concerts
it's not short clips. In consideration
of the fact that it is about 8mm footage
the shown material is even exceptionally
long and documents the several concerts
in a comprehensive way. |
Original DVD - Screenshot
'Black Herringbone Suit' |
Original DVD - Screenshots of 'Elvis
- Adrenaline'
Elvis during his legendary stage comeback
1969
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Jumpsuit junkies will appreciate the background
information to the particular suits and concerts,
however you get the complete recordings unedited
and in full length.
The
shown costumes are legendary. Legendary because
there are only few information and few pictures
of them. These rarities are therefore precious
jewels, which come together for the first
time on this Adrenaline DVD. |
To these mega rare outfits belong the
several 'Cisco-Kid' jumpsuit
variations.
You all know this costume from the cover
of the 'He Touched Me' - LP.
Besides the 'Cisco Kid - suit with
sleeveless shirt and red yokes' there
is the 'Green Cisco Kid - suit',
as well as the modified version the 'white
two piece sleeveless Cisco Kid - suit
with black yokes'.
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This
version is so special because it is a jacket-
trouser combination.
The
outfit that is known in the fan scene as the
'English Lord - suit' is so rare
that all pictures that have appeared in books
until now were only screenshots of the here
shown footage.
Really unique in the fanworld is the 'Elvis
Now' outfit. |
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This jumpsuit was not only on the homonymous
LP cover but another photo was used as cover
shot for 'Elvis sings Hits from his Movies,
Vol. 1'. This footage shows again how
unbiasedly Elvis acted on stage. The big difference
between the 'That's The Way It Is'
- Elvis, who was aware that he was filmed
and the Elvis that is shown you here, is enormous.
Elvis leans easy-going against the piano,
swirls over the stage the next second and
throws some teddy bears for his fans into
the crowd. His lascivious moves and the moments
when the v-neck allows us to see Elvis' belly
button, are surely the scenes which especially
the female fans will love. |
Hastily
he rushes through the songs. Wild moves,
a microphone stand, where the word stand
is already out of place because Elvis
jerks so hard on it like he would fight
against it.
The world has never seen something like
this before. You wouldn't recognize
the Elvis of 1969. After his 8 years
of stage abstinence he appeared live
again. And already in this period you
can see the influence Karate had on
Elvis. So in this footage are moves
and 'special moves', which
let Elvis appear in his 'Black
Herringbone' like a real karate
fighter.
For the first time excerpts were used
in the 'Adrenaline '70' documentary
in a never before seen quality. By request
and due to the lot of demands the producers
have decided to release the uncut material
of the legendary comeback engagement
1969 on this DVD as a special bonus.
Especially valuable historically are
the recordings due to this event not
being documented by professional recordings
yet.
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The
fans should thank Jean-Marc Gargiulo because
due to him we have this unique and irrecoverable
recordings. The 'Praytome Publishing'
- Team therefore is glad to be able to work
together with Jean-Marc again, who was already
contributing on 'Adrenaline '70'.
The original reels were used in the known
manner , and were scanned in the Bavaria Studios
in Munich with the most modern laser technology.
Only in this way it can be guaranteed that
the complete information is being transferred
on the DVD, and remains there forever without
quality loss. The result of this expensive
method is the legendary 'Praytome Publishing'
- quality: digitally transferred and crystal
clear. |
Due
to the fans having to set bonus features
aside in the official DVD releases,
the producers have decided to work against
this trend.
They
got a lot of encouragement for the 'Making
Of' - Creation of Dreams from the
first Adrenaline - DVD. In this bonus
feature the technological operations
in the Bavaria Studios were explained,
so the producers decided to make a 'Creation
of Dreams 2' Special.
Experience in this 'Making Of'
what the secret meeting in Paris is
all about and which meaning this meeting
had for the Elvis world. As additional
feature this DVD offers the viewer an
exclusive interview with the title 'Jean-Marc
Remembers', the person we owe this
sensational recordings and a contemporary
witness who was present live, when Elvis
lined up in 1969 to revolutionize the
Las Vegas Entertainment scene.
But there are even more bonus features.
More surprises like for example the
'Medley of Costumes' top the
DVD off. Please understand that we don't
go into the several bonus highlights
detailed, but otherwise the surprise
effect is gone. |
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Adrenaline
'71 and other trailers of 'Praytome
Publishing' products
The trailers all give an insight
into the other products. They shall
not only entertain but also top the
DVD off. Because the producers have
to act on the assumption that there
are costumers, who explore the Praytome
Publishing products later, it is appropriate
to put all available trailers on the
DVD. The trailer, which are very popular
are not only giving a little insight
into other products, but they shall
also be fun watching.
Of course the trailer for 'Elvis
- Adrenaline '71' is on this DVD.
But also the trailer of the book 'Elvis:
Behind The Image - Welcome to His World'
Vol.2, which was until now only available
on the website is on this DVD for the
first time in high quality.
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A
Comment on the Soundtrack:
All of the amateur recordings of this
film material were recorded in 1970
without sound. Cameras with sound were
not available to the general public
before the end of 1974/ beginning of
1975.
It also not possible to add original
Elvis music to the film material because
of the legal situation. Even if you
would be allowed to add it, this possibility
would not be the right solution for
most of the recordings. This results
from the fact that a reel had a capacity
of 3 minutes. The person filming wanted
to capture as much impressions as possible
of the concert, so he or she filmed
as much sequences as possible, which,
however, only last a few seconds, due
to the running time of the reel. If
you tried to add music in lip synchronisation
the resulting material would sound like
a broken LP. Apart from that, y you
could only use a small amount of the
amateurish recorded live appearances
for a so called 'overdubbing'.
Even if the person filmed 3 or 4 reels
per concert at that time, you would
have to cut the concert of one hour
down to 9 or rather 12 minutes what
brings us back to the 'effect of
the broken LP.
If you eclipse the lip synchronisation,
you could use Elvis songs as background
music but then Elvis' moves totally
wouldn't fit the music. It would all
seem out of tempo and pretty strange
to the fans and would make the pleasure
smaller.
You have to see Super8 recordings as
what they actually are:
They enable us to experience Elvis in
situations of different years, which
wouldn't be available for us otherwise,
because from the official side it was
failed to make movie documents for the
posterity. To cite only one example
: if amateurs didn't film any footage
of Elvis in 1975 we wouldn't even be
able to see the star 'live'
in the according year.
We did not want to expect of the fan
to watch a silent movie, so Bud Glass
Productions decided for a different
way. Instead of using barely fitting
karaoke tracks or some kind of elevator
music, like its common in cheap productions,
the team used especially for this DVD
composed songs, recorded in a studio
by real musicians. For the first time
ever you can find such a high quality
music on a Elvis-collectors-DVD, which
underlines the recordings stylishly
and enjoyably.
During this production the 'Drum-Roll'
of Ronnie Tutt from 'That's The
Way It Is' was the musical guideline.
Abutted at this musical theme the complete
DVD and also the menu was designed.
Whereas at the actual concert shots
on Super 8 there was chosen complete
different high quality music, which
doesn't sound like typical Elvis music.
Here an atmosphere should be created,
which gives the viewer the opportunity,
to lean back and relax a little and
get caught and amazed by the visual.
The effect that the viewer who knows
the series immediately feels at home,
which was already achieved with the
DVD 'Behind The Image 2',
was reproduced here. So
the producers have several important
songs from the first volume of Adrenaline
adopted and complemented with more high
quality songs. Especially for the background
music of Adrenaline 70 we have received
a lot of praise. |
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