“I Need Somebody to Lean On” Elvis’(Viva Las Vegas)

Check out Elvis here.

 Here you get a glimpse not of the life he led but of the things he felt and the movies he might have made.

There is nothing like it in any of his other films – certainly not in anything since “King Creole.” There is a moment of interiority, however stylized, a moody dreamscape to which Elvis lends himself as if he had somehow found his way into a Gene Kelly musical. But it is only when he actually begins to sing (after a minute-and-a-half of voice-over mood shots), that we sense the quiet, earnest sincerity that belies the stagy showiness of the rest of the film. Just listen to what Elvis brings to this beautiful Doc Pomus-Mort Shuman composition if you want to experience the core of vulnerability that lies at the heart of his music.

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If you want to spend the day with Elvis, both Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love are Now Available as e-books.

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