Elvis Presley: The Searcher

Thom Zimny's 2018 documentary treats Elvis Presley as a musician. The narrative does not enter his stage persona or the rumours about his private life; what records he listened to, what he took from whom and how he worked in the studio are the subject. The method is separating image from sound. Those speaking do not appear on screen; their voices are laid over archive footage and that keeps the flow unbroken. Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty are among those speaking. The narrative also takes up Presley's relationship with Black musical traditions and how that relationship has been argued. In the final section the decline of his health and the end of his career are given measuredly. Who it's for: those interested in popular music history. Who it's not for: viewers expecting an account of his private life; the documentary deliberately leaves it out.