The movie Elvis Presley called his best
The impact of Elvis Presley on the face of popular music was tremendous. The king of rock ‘n’ roll is undoubtedly one of the most iconic musicians of all time, popularising the genre and inspiring countless artists to follow in his footsteps. In addition to his extensive musical career, The King is also noted for his numerous movie roles over the course of his career. Out of his 31 feature films, Elvis always had a special place for one in particular.
First appearing on the silver screen in 1956’s Love Me Tender, Elvis hoped to become as prominent in his acting career as Marlon Brando or James Dean. Although his lacklustre acting ability prevented him from reaching Brando’s notoriety, Elvis had a good go at it. From 1956 to 1969, he appeared in over 30 feature films of varying quality. His movie career paled in comparison to the success of his musical work, but Elvis’ films remain popular with fans of the musician.
Presley’s films helped popularise musical drama flicks, paving the way for future artists like The Beatles to make their mark on cinema screens. Although many of his films were fairly low-budget and somewhat lacklustre, in 1958, he starred in King Creole, which is widely accepted as one of his greatest films.
In the film, Elvis stars as a high school dropout who is exposed to a criminal underworld when he begins singing in a nightclub to make a living. The film owes a great deal of its success to the director, Michael Curtiz. Without a doubt the most prolific and well-respected director Elvis ever worked with, the multiple Academy Award-winning Curtiz is noted for his work on classic films such as Casablanca, Mildred Pierce, and Angels With Dirty Faces.
Perhaps Curtiz’s influence made King Creole Elvis’ favourite film to work on. The musician’s performance in the role has been noted as one of his best, owing to Curtiz’s direction for him not to overplay his character. Shot in New Orleans, the film is widely accepted to be a highlight of the singer’s filmography and the one that Elvis himself thought was the best.
King Creole was released at a pivotal time in Elvis’s life. Although he began to release music back in 1954, it was the period between 1956 and 1958 that cemented him as a star. After a run of hits including ‘Hound Dog’, ‘All Shook Up’, and ‘Jailhouse Rock’, the Curtiz-directed film was released at the peak of Elvis hysteria. This period also marks the point before Elvis’ work became formulaic – both in music and film. On King Creole Elvis was allowed to experiment more with his performance and acting, whereas his later appearances on the big screen felt incredibly satisfied and safe.
Overall, the film acts as a very solid example of why Elvis became such an icon towards the end of the 1950s. King Creole, whilst not groundbreaking cinema, is exciting, and the songs performed in it are the classic Elvis that everybody knows and loves. Anybody who has watched the film would surely agree with Elvis himself that King Creole was one of his best.
