Austin Butler as Elvis
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
The man that brought us Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, was never going to disappoint with a biopic of the musical legend Elvis Presley. Sprinkling his magic over an already thrilling tale of fame, music and talent, Baz Luhrmann has whipped up a two-hour 39-minute feast of camp extravagance.
Austin Butler is brilliant as The King, giving a true born-for-the-part performance. From his wavy locks to his flawless movement, husky voice and melodic power, Austin embodies the star. His renditions of Suspicious Minds and Burning Love are spookily realistic, offering powerful crescendos. The singer’s early voice is sung exclusively by Butler, but as his character ages, the actor’s vocals are blended with tapes of midlife Elvis, to give as similar a tone as possible.
Butler went method for the role, becoming so committed to his craft that he stopped being able to identify his own voice. In an interview with ET, Butler revealed: ‘At this point, I keep asking people, “Is this my voice?” it’s one of those things where certain things trigger it and other times as well it’s, I don’t know. When you live with something for two years, and you do nothing else, I think that you can’t help it. It becomes a fibre of your being’.
Integral to all Luhrmann’s films is the soundtrack. The Great Gatsby includes bespoke covers of classic songs by Beyonce, Jay-Z and Lana Del Rey; in Moulin Rouge! Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman sing renditions of pop songs. Elvis welcomes the husky vocals of Doja Cat and indie band Tame Impala. Woven around vibrant costumes and decadent sets, the soundtrack compliments the musical extravaganza of Butler’s performances.
