Signature Collection
Added 2/8/2010
Very good price for the six videos in this collection. Viva Las Vegas is by far my all time favorite Elvis video. It is in regular format but the other videos are all in wide screen format. They are all entertaining movies. I would say Harem Scraem is the worst of the bunch. I had never seen it and wanted it in my collection but it's probably not one I will watch that often. I like the auto racing movies so speedway and spinout aren't too bad. Spinout is kinda wierd. When they finally get into the race, the idiot next door races better than Elvis and his rival who are supposed to be expert race car drivers. It's still a fairly entertaining race though. Not a bad buy if you get the collection for uner $20 like I did.
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Review of Elvis DVDs
Added 1/9/2010
The DVEs tapes were bought as a Christmas present and am well satified witht the product. However shipping seemed to take quite a long time. That was probably because of the time of year [Christmas with all the extra mail etc.] The product did not get here until the middle of the first week in Jan.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Dvd's are much enjoyed!
Added 9/16/2009
I ordered these for my seven year old son who is a huge Elvis fan and we have definitely gotten our money's worth.
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"Hey, kid, how would you like to kick me in the shin?"
Added 8/17/2009
Never expecting too much from an Elvis Presley movie occasionally pays off. And sometimes all it takes to elevate a Presley flick is a switching up of venue or premise. Cases in point: the N'Awleans-set KING CREOLE, the straight-up westerns FLAMING STAR and CHARRO!, and the ghetto doctor drama CHANGE OF HABIT, which co-stars Mary Tyler Moore as a nun. And for some reason I find FOLLOW THAT DREAM to be a surprisingly engaging film. IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR happens to also fall on my list of preferred Elvis Presley screenings.
In his film career, Elvis longed to branch out to more demanding roles and be perceived as a serious actor. But he seldom landed those dramatic parts. IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR is regarded as one of his formulaic musical comedy romps, but it presents its own easy-going charm. The character in this film may not have been that challenging for Elvis to play, but I think this is one of the most likeable parts he's ever taken on.
There are several cool things about the picture. First, the story is set in the backdrop of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. Director Norman Taurog actually shot the film on location, lending it an authenticity and a sort of fun, wide-eyed wonder feel. Sights like the Space Needle, the monorail, and the Dream Car exhibit are featured, and, let's not forget, most of the story takes place in a friggin' fair! Granted, there's probably a bit of imprinting that went down when I first saw this movie when I was a kid, because nowadays those sights don't come off near as neat. But I still like the atmosphere.
Freelance charter pilots Mike Edwards (Presley) and his chum Danny (Gary Lockwood) lose their crop-duster plane due to Danny's gambling debts, and they hitchhike to the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. It's a skimpy story, bolstered by ten songs. The core of the plot has Mike taking in an abandoned seven-year-old girl and falling for an attractive but standoffish nurse (Joan O'Brien). And, somewhere along the way, a criminal element is introduced to spice things up, giving a reason for Elvis to engage in manly scuffle, the second one in this film. I'll say this for the King, he really throws himself into his fight scenes. It all ends with Elvis submitting his application to NASA (I kid you not!) and singing "Happy Ending."
Presley is fairly effortless in this one, his role well within the comforts of the cinematic niche he'd fallen into. He again does that thing where he's simultaneously a relentless skirt chaser and a good guy at heart. There are ten songs, most of which are bland. The ones I do like are the suggestive "Relax" (he croons to Yvonne Craig), the mild rocker "One Broken Heart for Sale," and the bouncy bedtime lullaby "Cotton Candy Land."
Elvis is particularly terrific and sweet when he's sharing screen time with young scene-stealer Vicky Tiu, who I think is the film's secret weapon. Vicky Tiu plays the waif Sue-Lin, and she brings a certain irrepressible energy and oodles of cuteness. For triviaheads out there, there's a sexy pre-Batgirl Yvonne Craig canoodling with Elvis, a pre-2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY Gary Lockwood as the gambling addicted pal, and, last but not least, there is Kurt Russell's uncredited film debut (he's the kid who kicks Elvis in the shin - twice!).
3.5 out of 5 stars for IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR. I like this movie enough that I choose to overlook the fact that Uncle Walter leaves his seven-year-old niece Sue-Lin in the care of a stranger he'd only met that same day. But then maybe he was aware that he was in an Elvis Presley vehicle, where all is sunshine, romance, and song. Ah-huh-huh!
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Elvis at the Space Needle
Added 4/3/2009
One of Elvis Presley's better musicals, "It Happened at the World's Fair" benefits from its Seattle locations, some decent songs (notably "One Broken Heart for Sale" and "They Remind Me Too Much of You") and a terrific fight scene. Elvis delivers a good-natured performance in this entertaining travelogue. Directed by Hollywood veteran Norman Taurog, the 1963 production was Presley's first post-Army assignment for MGM - followed by the dazzling "Viva Las Vegas."
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Signature Collection
Added 2/8/2010
Very good price for the six videos in this collection. Viva Las Vegas is by far my all time favorite Elvis video. It is in regular format but the other videos are all in wide screen format. They are all entertaining movies. I would say Harem Scraem is the worst of the bunch. I had never seen it and wanted it in my collection but it's probably not one I will watch that often. I like the auto racing movies so speedway and spinout aren't too bad. Spinout is kinda wierd. When they finally get into the race, the idiot next door races better than Elvis and his rival who are supposed to be expert race car drivers. It's still a fairly entertaining race though. Not a bad buy if you get the collection for uner $20 like I did.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Review of Elvis DVDs
Added 1/9/2010
The DVEs tapes were bought as a Christmas present and am well satified witht the product. However shipping seemed to take quite a long time. That was probably because of the time of year [Christmas with all the extra mail etc.] The product did not get here until the middle of the first week in Jan.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Dvd's are much enjoyed!
Added 9/16/2009
I ordered these for my seven year old son who is a huge Elvis fan and we have definitely gotten our money's worth.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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