The Documentary :
If you look at the cast
of the documentary it is like reading
the 'Who is Who?' of the Elvis scene.
All interview guests of this DVD deliver
insight in their life with Elvis and report
here exclusively of their private moments
with the King of Entertainment.
The Return To Live Performing
This part of the documentary deals
with the historic period between the end
of the Hollywood-era and Elvis' return
to stage in Las Vegas in August 1969.
Kathy Westmoreland - An Intimate Relationship
 |
| |
The accredited soprano singer
joined Elvis' increasing
stage crew in August 1970.
She replaced, as 'the
girl with the beautiful
high voice', Millie Kirkham
and tells on this DVD
for the first time her
personal story, how she
met Elvis and how she
became a background singer
in the group.
The viewer doesn't only
experience much about
the artist Elvis Presley,
but also about the 'Man
Behind The Image'. Kathy,
embossed by her job-related
and musical experience,
characterizes and judges
Elvis' vocal qualification
and also manages, by her
emotional kind of telling, |
|
to take the fan back to the time she spent
with Elvis.
It's incredible how open and how deep
she speaks about the human being Elvis
and her love and sexual relationship.
The interested viewer gets here not only
the usual information, readable in the
tabloids and yellow press, but learns
facts and backgrounds never before read
or heard. |
Not only in this interview but in the whole documentary
you get a lot of information and background
information concerning the fabulous Fringe-Suit
footage, which is also included on this
DVD. Due to Kathy, who has been in the
concert, the fan hears for the first time
details of this legendary appearance on
November, 14, 1970.
When this DVD was released, the experts
and fans were amazed how far Kathy had
been going in this interview. |
|
| John Wilkinson - A Perverse Sense Of
Humor |
 |
| |
The famous guitar player
and solo artist John Wilkinson
(July, You're A Woman) was already
a member of Elvis' stage band
at the legendary comeback concert
on July, 31, 1969. Besides James
Burton, John was the only musician
to be on stage with Elvis during
all the concerts from 1969 to
1977.
Their passion for music was not
the only aspect that connected
Elvis and John, but also a deep
friendship John still feels connected
to, as you can see in the interview.
Here, the depth of the documentary
continues in unrelieved intensity. |
|
Wilkinson, already as a child amazed by
Elvis, tells here for the first time about
his own musical development, how he met
Elvis several times and became a member
of the probably most famous rhythm section,
the TCB Band, which was a part of Elvis'
huge orchestra.
This tensing interview includes never
before heard background information und
stories about Elvis and attaches great
importance of the humor of Elvis the person.. |
 |
| Sandi Miller - My Friend Elvis |
 |
| |
Fans waiting in front
of the gates for hours to have
a look at their star were called
'gatepeople'.
During the 60's Elvis spent a
lot time of the year in Los Angeles,
where he had several houses, due
to his movie shootings.
At this domiciles were also gates
where the fans were waiting in
front of to have a look at Elvis
or to have a short conversation
with their idol. |
|
During the 60's Elvis wasn't yet as protected
as compared to later years, so it was
possible for some few fans to get a closer
contact to Elvis. Sandi Miller had the
huge luck to develop a friendship with
Elvis during several years. Due to that
she got insights like no other in the
private life of the star during his Hollywood
years.
In her situation she had the opportunity
to make photos and footage (together with
Sue Wiggert, known from the movie: 'Elvis
- That's The Way It Is') which are unbelievably
important time documents for the fan today.
This private photos show a completely
relaxed Elvis who doesn't have to brace
himself because the Hollywood camera is
pointed at him; an Elvis, who shows himself
as a private citizen who wears cool clothes,
and can also fool around like you and
me. The unique candid footage shines not
only because of its own rarity, but because
of the places were it was filmed: For
the first time we see the private Elvis
in front of his California houses. |
 |
| At latest now, every hardcore Elvis fan
will be stunned - the scene where Elvis
walks straight to the camera and is as
near that it seems he will soon push his
nose against the lens thrilled and titillated
every Elvis fan. |
Original
Screenshots von der DVD 'Elvis: Behind
The Image - Volume 1'
With this documentary the
fan sees for the first time the California
houses in moving pictures, the unpublished
photos illustrate the interesting stories
of the interview guests. The DVD is
filled with sensations, which are because
of the mass unseizable by the first
time of watching. |
Bonus Features:
Unedited Candid and Concert Footage
Bud Glass Productions took care for
not only the lovers of documentaries getting
their money worth but also the collectors
of Super8 material. Also here the DVD
is a novelty. You are not only getting
a tiny piece of a few seconds that's supposed
to make you beg for more, but also of
this part was taken totally care: The
footage used in the documentary is included
on the DVD in the 'Bonus Material' area
unedited and in full length. On every
'Elvis - Behind The Image' product the
Super8 material is transferred from the
original reels with the most modern laser
technology. It is unexceptional unreleased
material, which has never before circulated..
Candid Material:
If you analyze the footage of Elvis circulating
in the fan world even experts will attest
to the statement that the portion of 'candid
material' is very low compared to the
'concert footage'..
Concerning 'candid material' this DVD
is the uncrowned King on the market. You
won't find more and more interesting 'candid
material' on any other publication than
on this DVD. Places like Memphis Graceland
or Las Vegas come up in connection with
Elvis in nearly every release. But the
opulence of material, showing the private
Elvis at his domiciles in California,
is unequaled until now.
You have to cut back often, due to the
situation the person filming was in (hectic,
a lot of people, their own excitement),
and also the technological possible circumstances
and the age of the material (these recordings
for example are from 1969) play an important
role.
But here you get this sensational recordings
in a crystal clear quality. Not only because
the material was high quality in its initial
shape (no camera shakes, extremely sharp
and good lighting conditions), but the
producers didn't spare efforts to transfer
the material on Hollywood-standards.
Concert Footage:
Los Angeles, California - Forum Inglewood
November 14, 1970 - 03:00 P.M. Show
The period the movie 'Elvis - That's The
Way It Is' shows, Elvis in August 1970
on stage in Las Vegas, caused a very special
fascination on Elvis fans all over the
world.
Original
Screenshots from the DVD 'Elvis:
Behind The Image - Volume 1' |
But as is known, a Las Vegas concert
is different to a tour concert.
So a lot of fans wanted to see
Elvis, after his movie career
and his successful comeback in
Las Vegas, live on tour. This
first tour made Elvis again 'available'
for his fans and brought the time
off stage to an end.
|
With this DVD we now
get for the first time not only
crystal clear recordings of this
events, we can also watch Elvis
from the first row in one of his
most famous outfits, the fan already
knows for years from the LP cover
of 'I Got lucky'. You're an Elvis
fan for many years? You think
you know how 'the King' has moved
on stage because you saw 'That's
The Way It Is', 'Elvis On Tour',
'Aloha From Hawaii' or diverse
Super8 movies…
Let us tell you the truth…
You have seen nothing ! |
|
Here, Elvis rocks so
hard through his program, that
he competes with his famous 'NBC-Special'.
On this recordings Elvis never
stops moving and you see him nearly
without a break in action.
You're not only getting a few
minutes of this footage the whole
recordings possess for Super8
recordings an unusual length.
Los Angeles, California - Forum
Inglewood
November 14, 1970 - 08:30 P.M.
Show |
| This suit surely also
became famous because of the photo
shot by Ed Bonja, which was used
for the cover of the LP ''You'll
Never Walk Alone'. The 'Fringe
Suit' shown here, was barely worn
by Elvis, and today its not clear
why there were so many myths about
this concert and this suit. Maybe
because in several books the rumor,
that Elvis got caught in the fringes
and had to be cut out of the suit,
was spread !? We don't know. Or
was it up to that there was no
information, photo or film material
of this first tour? The myth grew
with the time and became even
stronger when Paul Lichter released
black/white pictures of this concert
in his illustrated book ('Thank
You Very Much'). |
LP-
Cover 'You'll Never Walk Alone' |
32 years later we have the opportunity
to make this surely unique footage
available for the fans. Maybe
it was really up to this film
material, that made this DVD so
extremely successful in the Elvis
world. This material was, too,
filmed from the first row. We
get an outstanding and great Elvis
concert and get the probably best
'front row ticket' of all times.
This recordings are, without understating,
historic and the experts nearly
tumbled looking for superlatives.
In connection with the documentary,
which gives you the required background
information by the interview partners
at first hand, it is an especially
great pleasure to lean back at
home with the Elvis - Behind The
Image - DVD in your home cinema
and letting this collector's dream
come true after all this years. |
|
Original Screenshots
from the DVD
Elvis:
Behind The Image
Volume 1 |
 |
San Diego, California
- Sports Arena
November 15, 1970 - 08:30 P.M.
Show |
 |
 |
Original Screenshots from the DVD
'Elvis: Behind The Image - Volume
1'
|
For decades we've been
wondering how Elvis was on stage
during his first tour in 1970.
For years you could only learn
from diverse books (Joe Tunzi,
Paul Lichter) in form of photographs.
But on this DVD you see everything
abundantly.
Again we can watch Elvis in crystal
clear quality over several days.
This footage is also filmed from
the first row and shows Elvis
with ther very famous stage suit,
we also know from the cover of
the 'That's The Way It Is' - LP
But here the aboved-named suit
comes into operation with a red
macramée-belt. All appearances
have the power in common, Elvis
lays into his performance. However,
it is striking, that Elvis moved
differently every day and has
a different impact on the viewer
every time.
That makes the recordings even
more valuable for the viewer.
Astonishingly, the appearances
are totally different to Las Vegas
and 'That's The Way It Is'. After
you've seen this recordings you
will realize that you'll have
to rethink some opinions on the
Elvis of the 70's because you
haven't seen him that way before. |
 |
Las Vegas, Nevada
- International Hotel
January & February 1971 Engagement |
The bonus material the
DVD offers, ends with a special
summit. When the Elvis collector's
label FTD wanted to release a
concert from 1971, the producers
in charge had problems to find
photo material for the cover (
The Impossible Dream ).
So it should be clear, how rare
Super8 material from that time
is. And in addition the viewer
gets footage of Elvis in the famous
'Elvis Now' suit, we have know
for years from diverse LP covers.
Filmed from the balcony, above
stage level, you have a total
view on Elvis and the stage and
you can watch the star working
in crystal clear quality.
And like with every amateur recordings
on this DVD classic, the producers
took care to make the complete
recordings available for the collector
and enthusiastic Elvis fan and
not only a short clip.
When in the auditorium there's
only a spot on Elvis' face or
a new reel of the footage starts
(remember, Super8 material exists
always only from 3 minutes reels),
and a cut would be necessary it
was taken care that no single
picture gets lost so that on this
modern medium the complete material
is archived and the collector
can rejoice in the outstanding
and lasting quality for years. |
LP
- 'Elvis sings hits from his
movies''
LP: 'Elvis - Now' |
Elvis-A-Rama Museums-Tour
In general Elvis enthusiasts like looking
at memorabilia and personal things that
once belonged to Elvis. They travel for
example thousands of miles to look in
Memphis/Tennessee, the star's head office,
at Graceland and it's museums. Other than
Graceland, the largest museum worldwide
is the 'Elvis-A-Rama museum' settled in
Las Vegas. Because not everybody has the
opportunity to travel to Las Vegas, Bud
Glass made it possible that this museum
opened for the first time its doors for
a film team. From Elvis' boat to diverse
vehicles, to the beloved 'Cisco Kid' suit
you see here many extravagant exhibits,
Elvis owned.
A comment about 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.
The emotional interpretation of the theme
song 'Behind The Image' enjoys great popularity
under the fans. Also the textual statement
of this ballad composed by Bud Glass fits
perfectly to Elvis and underlines another
time in an impressing kind the intention
of the whole production. |
|
