28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The ultimate Elvis Presley concert, 20 Oct 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Elvis: That's The Way It Is (Special Edition) [DVD] (DVD)
This great new version of the 1970 concert film, 'Elvis: That's The Way It Is'
will hopefully help to redress the balance of critical opinion concerning the
final phase of Elvis Presley's career. Those who only remember the
caricature will be surprised at how good Elvis looks and by the sheer power
and magnetism of his performances. Vocally, he was at his absolute peak.
Fans will be delighted to see new footage and some great new camera
angles (it feels like you're actually on the front row sometimes). Gone are the
irritating interviews and sideshows - this version focuses firmly on the man
himself. On the negative side, some of the songs from the original film have
been sacrificed - I Just Can't Help Believin being the most glaring omission.
The rehearsal section lacks the momentum of the original and the sound mix
is quite poor in places. That said, the special edition includes a great
rendition of Santa Claus Is Back In Town, demonstrating Elvis' ability as a
blues singer. The concert performances themselves are simply superb.
Everyone will have their favourites, but for me the lesser known Elvis songs
are the highlights. I Can't Stop Loving You is fantastic. Just Pretend really
shows off Elvis' vocal range. Patch It Up is a real rocker. This is Elvis at his
best. Sit back - and enjoy!
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Elvis: That's not quite the way it was, 14 Jun 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Elvis: That's The Way It Is (Special Edition) [DVD] (DVD)
I've just purchased the Region 1 version of this fantastic look at a fun lovin', behind the scenes, Elvis on his way to the first of his Vegas spectacles. This new version of the movie is almost a completely NEW movie though. Having been a fan of the original film I could wait to see all my favourite songs, plus the promised extras - yes we do get more songs but we also get some glaring omissions. Most notablely NO 'I JUST CAN'T HELP BELIEVIN''- can you believe that !! This track was so popular at the time of the movie's original release the live track from the film became the definative version - and it's not there any more !! I'm sure that should be illegal!? (apparently a US copyright problem - so it may appear in the UK version...hmmm) Other ommisions include all the interviews with the Elvis fans which made the original movie so humourous. But you do get a new blinding version of Suspicious Minds!! The making of documentary is short but informative and the sound and picture quality are amazing compared to the original version. But I have mixed feelings -I'm disappointed that the original version of the movie is deleted but if you've never seen it, this movie is a fan's must have item! MGM re-release the original !!!!!!!
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Big Disappointment!, 15 Aug 2007
I am very Disappointed with this release. Disc 1 is very good and in excellent condition. But then it would be, as it was only released a few years ago. The Original Film on Disc 2, does not look like it has been cleaned up in any way at all and is no better than my old VHS copy. The extra's (less than 40 minutes) are in bad quality and even stagger here and there. And what about the 'Lost Performances' video? No sight of that footage!
The Ideal would have been a package like the 'Aloha' and '68 Special' sets a couple of years ago. I would of cut out the Elvis Impersonators and the Fan interviews Etc from the original film and gathered all existing rehearsal and concert footage from both films plus 'Lost Performances' before re-editing it all together with never before released footage in a 3dvd set in Remastered quality.
If you have not got the new 2001 version (On Disc 1) then this may be worth getting, although you can buy it as a separate DVD. If you have , then I wouldnt bother with this. I for one cant wait until they get it right. I would rather pay three times as much for the real deal!
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