Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley

By 1968 Elvis Presley had not performed live in seven years. He had made a run of weak films, his records had slipped down the charts, and he had drifted from the center of rock music. The television special made for NBC was his last chance. Jason Hehir's documentary is about how that special was assembled and why it worked. The first sixty of the film's ninety minutes are given to what came before: the return means nothing without the fall. The rarely seen rehearsal footage from the special is the most valuable material here. Darlene Love, Bruce Springsteen, Baz Luhrmann, Billy Corgan and Conan O'Brien speak; Robbie Robertson was recorded before his death. It went up on Netflix on 13 November 2024. Viewers who know Hehir from The Last Dance will recognise the editing rhythm. Who it's for: Anyone interested in Elvis, in 1960s music history, and in documentaries built around a single event. Who it's not for: The account is admiring, with little critical view of Presley's later years, and Elvis obsessives may find nothing new.