Review: Kid Galahad DVD
Technical Specifications: PAL Region 2 (England/Europe); 1.85:1 with widescreen 16:9; Dolby digital sound
Features: Soundtrack in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. Subtitles in French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew and for the hard of hearing: English and German. There is also the original theatrical trailer, interactive screen menus and chapter selection.
The Film: After the relative failures of the dramatic vehicles, Flaming Star and Wild In The Country, and Elvis' expressed desire for more dramatic challenges, his management took the 'middle road' with Kid Galahad. With six boppy musical selections, a strong plot and reasonable dramatic angst, they strived for the best of both the 'musical' and 'dramatic' worlds. And they succeeded very well, with the film moving along at a nice pace and enough music to keep fans happy.
Unfortunately, this would be the last time for several years that Elvis was presented with a reasonable script and dramatic challenge.
The fight scenes in Kid Galahad have never impressed me but given the time they were filmed they probably looked effective on the big screen. On the small screen they suffer somewhat, but there again so do the 'over the top' fight scenes in Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" movies!
Under the steady direction of Phil Karlson, Kid Galahad is a thoroughly enjoyable one and a half hours of entertainment. There are no real flat spots and the dramatic tension is well executed.
The Cast: Kid Galahad features one of the strongest casts for any of Elvis' films made in the 1960s. It is a cut above others with Oscar winner, Gig Young, "tough guy" screen legend, Charles Bronson (sadly it is well documented that Bronson and Elvis simply didn't "click" during filming), Lola Albright and Elvis' lovely co-star from Blue Hawaii, Joan Blackman.
Young and Bronson are both very effective as the essentially good hearted but somewhat shady boxing camp owner and boxing trainer respectively. Not surprisingly, in the company of such a distinguished cast, Elvis acquits his role most admirably as the young man with granite jaw and fists of steel, the oddly named Walter Gulick.
Trivia: Kid Galahad had been filmed twice previously, in 1937 starring Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart, and in 1941 with a circus theme and the title, The Wagons Roll At Night. The 1941 film again starred the legendary Humphrey Bogart.
The Picture: It's hard to fault a very strong picture transfer to DVD. The colors are vibrant with minimal imperfections.
The Soundtrack: Six very pleasant ("happy") songs punctuate the film, including Home Is Where The Heart Is, This Is Living, King Of The Whole Wide World and I Got Lucky.
The Audio: Similarly, the audio is spot on with no discernable rumble or distortion.
Verdict: A very solid audio track and strong visual transfer make Kid Galahad a treat to watch on DVD.
Buy Kid Galahad DVD
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Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.