'Elvis' arrives in theaters on Friday with a tall task at hand: It aims to reel in moviegoers by reimagining a rags-to-riches story that’s calcified into caricature, writes delucadan.
Courtesy of Warner Bros. PicturesWhen Elvis Presley died in 1977, Lester Bangs argued his death marked the end of consensus in American culture.
It’s Elvis as the dirt-poor Southern white boy in thrall of rhythm & blues, country, and gospel music who’s the answer to the prayers of Sam Phillips, the Sun Records founder. But any hopes of rendering Elvis Presley truly relevant in 2022 would mean doing far more than telling a seen-it-all before story with smart casting and the trademark razzle-dazzle that’s marked previous Lurhmann confections likeIt would mean confronting race, and allegations that Presley is offender number one when it comes to the cultural crime of reaping the rewards of white privilege to become rich and famous while worthy Black artists never received credit due or monetary compensation.
But while Elvis still has millions of fans, he’s been discredited by pop culture public opinion. For that, thank the brilliant 1989 single “Fight the Power,” in which Chuck D of Public Enemy, along with Flavor Flav, struck a blow against dominant white culture by rapping while wearing a Phillies cap: “Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant s— to me / Straight up racist, that sucker was simple and plain, motherf— him and John Wayne.”, Chuck D absolves Presley of the sin of appropriation.
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