Show Notes
WNUR News' Catherine Odom attended an advanced screening of the Elvis trailer as part of a Warner Brothers press junket for college journalists.
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Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:06 Oh, this question is, is a giant of American pop culture. Took the world by storm with his rock and roll music and bedazzled outfits. Elvis has been remembered through countless tribute, artists, biographies, and now a new movie directed by basil Herman. The first official trailer for the movie was released on February 17th and the movie is scheduled to come out on June 24th, 2022. The film simply called Elvis. So it was Austin Butler's Presley and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, Presley's manager
Speaker 1 00:00:42 I was invited to attend a virtual advanced screening of the trailer through a Warner brothers program for college journalists.
Speaker 3 00:00:47 This modern era, the life of Elvis Presley could not be a better canvas on which to explore America in the fifties, the sixties and the seventies. I mean, it's, it's a mythical life that he lived.
Speaker 1 00:01:02 That's director Bassler, man at the trailer screening Lurman has also directed films, including the great Gatsby will on Rouge and the 1996, Romeo and Juliet Nelson, George, a journalist author and culture and music critic interviewed both Lurman and Butler at the screening. Lurman said he approached this story as an outsider
Speaker 3 00:01:20 And the ultimate outsider. I mean, I come from a very small country town. So the greatest joy for me is to be an outsider. And
Speaker 1 00:01:28 Lurman said this movie deals extensively with Elvis's relationship with black culture in America and the trailer, a young Presley is shown in a tent with gospel singers. The trailer also touches on Elvis's response to the assassination of Martin Luther king,
Speaker 0 00:01:47 But it has nothing to do with us.
Speaker 2 00:01:51 I mean, what are they going to be questions about his relationship to black culture? How did you deal with that in the film?
Speaker 3 00:01:56 The number one thing about Elvis Presley's journey, is it black music and culture? Isn't a side note or a footnote or a bit it's absolutely the canvas on which the story is RIT. Meaning if you take that out of the obvious presently story, there's no story
Speaker 1 00:02:27 In addition to playing the role on screen Butler also saying, is all this for this movie, Lurman said this was essential to make sure the music didn't sound like nostalgic jukebox songs, Butler added that he gave up on trying to completely impersonate all this.
Speaker 2 00:02:43 Ultimately the life is what is important is what we sort of realized is you can, you can impersonate some buddy, okay. But to find the life within and the passion and the heart, ultimately, I had to release myself from the constraints of that and, and try to live the life.
Speaker 1 00:03:06 Letterman said, this film also discusses Elvis and the complicated subject of sexual liberation. The trailer shows Presley's provocative dance moves as well as crowds of screaming, women reaching for him.
Speaker 3 00:03:16 It's really interesting actually, how that liberation for that younger generation was so terrifying, but it was also terrifying because of its complex relationship to race in America. We have to be really honest about that.
Speaker 1 00:03:33 The trailer is available to watch on YouTube now, and the movie will be in theaters on June 24th. Lurman said he was excited to share this trailer because
Speaker 3 00:03:42 They're really an invitation to come into the process of a movie
Speaker 1 00:03:46 Pwn. You are news.
