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The King of Rock Wanted to be an
Actor
“We were surprised
with the receptivity we got,” Célia Carvalho, one of the fan club’s
founders, tells Correio da Manhã. “They called us saying that they were
interested in organizing the cycle – they had inclusively already
received letters from their regular customers asking the same.” The
mini-cycle starts next Saturday, 27th, with “King Creole”,
which is considered by most people as the best Presley movie. “Critics praised
this movie went it premiered. It is an adaptation of a known novel to the
big screen and initially was
to be starred by James Dean. As he died, the part was offered to Elvis,
who felt delighted. He loved Dean.” Directed by Michael Curtiz, “King
Creole” also presents Walter Mathau who, at the time, praised his
partner’s performance. “Mathau said that Elvis was a natural actor,
very intelligent and sophisticated, and I think the movie shows what he
could have been, if only he had been given a chance.” The second movie of
the mini-cycle, on the 29th, is “Spinout”, and it’s a
light comedy, in which the singer gets involved in the racing cars’
world. “Generally speaking, critics applauded the most dramatic roles of
Elvis’ career, but the public always preferred comedies. People wanted
to have fun and, above all, they wanted to hear him sing. As in the 60’s
the tradition of making tours hadn’t been quite established yet, the
movies served as a vehicle to promote his career worldwide.” Elvis
Presley starred on his first movie when he was 21 and on his last when he
was 35. At 40, he received an “unrefusable proposal”: Barbra Streisand
invited him to portrait the males main role of the legendary “A Star Is
Born”, which ended up on Kris Kristofferson’s hands, making him win an
Oscar for Best Actor. Elvis had wanted to make the movie, but his manager
– who controlled his career very strictly – didn’t allow it. “It was a big
frustration for Elvis. It could have been the beginning of a new phase on
his life, the renewal of his career as an actor, now with other
perspectives. But it didn’t happen. I think he died frustrated for
having been able to prove his talent as an actor.” In Portugal, the last
time Presley’s face was seen on the big screen was in 1981, some years
after he died, in a documentary titled “This Is Elvis”. Now his fans
and the public can see him again, on the Sessions Room of Cinemateca, at
Palácio Foz in Restauradores, on the 27th and 29th,
always at 09.30pm. Célia Carvalho says it is even possible that, if
things turn out okay, something similar might be done next year. “We
hope so. As for us, we will be present in both sessions, available for any
explanation that the public might need. We’re going to hang a few Elvis
posters at Palácio Foz and, eventually, manage to get more members to the
fan club. We’ll see.” The contact of the Elvis 100% - Still Rockin’! Fan Club is: Apartado 930, 2795-996 Queijas, the phone number is 21 417 32 40. The fan club hopes to put its web site on the Internet still during this year and, from January onwards, its magazine will have an English edition. The goal is that the fan club might grow beyond our frontiers. A.M.R. |
