Elvis: His Best Friend Remembers (2002)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written, Produced, Edited, and Directed by Terry Moloney
Narrated by Gina Tuttle

Features:

• Germany, 1959
  
• Elvis Buys a Chimp
  
• A Kiss from Don Ho
  
• Touring Memphis
  
• The World Mourns Elvis' Passing
  
• The Impersonators
  
• World's Biggest Fan?
  
• World's Nuttiest Fan?
  
• Candlelight Vigil
  
• Memorabilia Auctions
  
• Elvis Has Left the Building
  

Anamorphic: No.

My Advice: Fans of the King should rent it.

Elvis: His Best Friend Remembers is essentially a documentary on the life of Elvis Presley, as seen through the eyes of one of Elvis' best friends in life, Diamond Joe Esposito. Feeling that the public has long been soaked in the bad side of Elvis and the more gruesome aspects of the King's death, Esposito here tries to balance the sugary light side with the tabloid bad side, without going to either extreme. Keep in mind that Esposito was there from the beginning, including having been both best man at Elvis' wedding to a pallbearer at his funeral.

The disc attempts to cover Elvis' entire life, focusing on the "important" or most salient events, such as his highly-publicized stint in the Army and his marriage to Priscilla. The time spent on his return to performing is well-spent, including new and/or rarely-seen press conferences and other media clips. The disc also includes information about Elvis' relationship with Linda Thompson, Colonel Tom Parker, and his daughter Lisa Marie, among other things. In addition, the viewer gets news footage, home movies, photographs, segments from movies, interviews and more.

The sound and video quality are all quite good. Some of the older films are obviously aged, but all voices are clear and all colors are sufficient. There aren't any obvious problems with the digital transfer, and that's what matters most: no blinking, shifting, crackling, pixelation, or annoying flickers.

The extras on this DVD are top notch. There are some photos that have never been released before to the public, mostly from Esposito's own personal collections. There is also an interview with one of Elvis' back-up singers, Kitty Westmoreland--an interesting look at what it was like to actually work with Elvis musically. Conspicuously absent, however, is input from the surviving members of Elvis' first family, Priscilla and Lisa Marie. One can't help but wonder why they were not part of this effort and what they would have had to say had they provided materials or statements themselves.

All in all, every Elvis fan will want to see this disc. The sheer wealth of information alone is worth the cover price, but add to that the respect with which Esposito treats his old friend, the way the documentary seems very balanced, and the non-tabloid-like overall feel, and you've got yourself a winner. If you're not a huge Elvis fan, then you might find something to sway you in this disc.