That's more like it.
In my Kennedy review the other day, I lamented the lack of interesting talking heads to help tell the story. Well, you don't have that problem with "Elvis Presley: The Searcher." While you don't see them on screen, there are many voiceovers from many different Elvis associates and admirers, including the likes of Bruce Springsteen and the recently late Tom Petty. Plus there are lots and lots of sound bites from Elvis himself and the enigmatic manager Colonel Tom Parker. The range of these contributors should not surprise me as one of the executive producers of this project is Elvis' ex-wife Priscilla, whose voice is also heard a lot.
The end result of all those voices is a much, much fuller story than the Bobby Kennedy effort on Netflix. Plus there are lots and lots of clips of Elvis actually performing, which is pure gold. That means you get to hear large portions of most of Elvis' hits and also learn how they came to be. There was tons of new information imparted and I came away after four hours being much less than bored.
This documentary essentially comes in two parts and the first one takes you up to his Army induction. Admittedly, Part Two which covers his movie and concert years was incredibly more interesting, but that's a minor quibble. The folks behind this program really knew what they were doing and their love for Elvis came shining through.
I knew he spent his latter years playing concerts in Vegas and around the country but I had no idea to what level. The closing credits reveal that Presley indeed performed over 1,600 concerts over a six or seven year stretch. No wonder he wound up addicted to uppers and downers. No wonder he was dead by the time he was 42.
All in all, this documentary brought back some solid memories and gave me new information. A total winner.
And much, much better than the Bobby Kennedy yarn.
LEN'S RATING: Three-and-a-half stars.
Dinner last night: Roast chicken at Westside Tavern.
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