Elvis... Friend or Foe

..​I will tell you I have watched 4 of the SAG Best Male Performances Nighy, Farrell, Fraser and Butler are all amazing. Any of them could win and it would be fair. This is a Yes .. and situation tho. Fraser was amazing in The Whale, period BUT what Butler is able to do with such an iconic person. In the last live performance there was a switch from Butler to Presley and for a minute I wasn't sure who was who. Prior, to the screeners I had no desire to watch this film, I really at first wasn't clear why this film was even made, what else can you say about Elvis ? Luhrman truly has a style that is all his own which I really appreciate, At times a little ornate for me but I really love creative people who actually creative. I thought Tom Hanks was very effective but it's just Butler's film. I will say, I struggled with the film, as much as this was supposed to illustrate how he was influenced by Blk music and culture, Significant Black artists were props, just visual mediums with no voice. It was uncomfortable to watch artists like Little Richard, Rosetta Tharpe, Fats Domino and Big Mama Thorton being relegated to posters. The images of just black wailing was reductive and dismissive. It was clear Luhrman is not a man of faith because he had no greater understanding of catching the Holy spirit than Discovery channel going to Sea World. Elvis Presley was a man of faith but you would have never known that watching this film. For a images of Blk ppl like this in 2022, that was truly disappointing to watch. Conversely, with Priscilla, if you are going to show the crimes of the Colonel, don't show a 13 year old Priscilla in a 25 year old woman's body. In addition, she seems to have little to no voice at all in the film, even his mother was relegated to drinking and crying. However, with all this said... okay one more,  I should preface my mother LOVED,  LOVED LOVED Elvis Presley, on my first tour while I was in Memphis I went to Graceland to honor her. I personally struggled more with him for the obvious reasons but... again with alllllll that said... against my whole soul I have to admit. He was a force and this film does a great job of capturing that. He was sensual, he was magnetic, reflective, and prior to all the substance abuse, he was a physically beautiful man. There is a shot at the end of the film of the actual Elvis and is eyes are just.. wow. As problematic as I believe he was and at times this film, my blackity black behind had to admit, he was definitely an enigma. Lurham really honored him, in the same way that the Billie Holiday film did not honor her. #SAGAwards #elvispresley #elvis #fatsdomino #bigmamathorton #southern #rockandroll #bealestreet #bazlurhman #oscars #goldenglobes