With his 91^st birthday on 8^th January, there couldn’t be a better way of celebrating the occasion than with this 1970 documentary, directed by Denis Sanders that captures singer Elvis Presley as he gets into rehearsal mode ahead of his performance in Las Vegas.

Housed in a hardcover book package, the film is a fascinating piece of Elvis Presley, and one of the few times you get to see the King behind the scenes – his creative process and his perspectives – aside from some of his most outstanding performances. 

Elvis was riding a major wave of success in 1970 and had just finished all his movie work when he returned to live performances in 1969. He had also released his strongest album in years with ‘From Elvis in Memphis’ and had what would be his last number-one single in the U.S. with Suspicious Minds. It was good to be the King and the time was ripe for a documentary of this rebirth. Filmed over several shows in August 1970, ‘Elvis: That's The Way It Is - Special Edition’ is a brilliant snapshot of this period.

The film starts with Presley and his band in rehearsals listening to recordings of their performances. Presley directs the band on how he wants the arrangements to sound and they run through hot versions of songs like That's All Right (Mama), Blue Suede Shoes and a medley of Little Sister and Get Back with Presley on guitar. It must be mentioned here that he does a mash-up of Little Sister morphing into a cover of Let it Be, working with the backing singers on the choir-style crescendo for the beautifully moving Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Presley is in his physical and vocal peak.

You also get to see him working on vocal arrangements with his backing singers, while he was not a songwriter, he understood music and the sound he wanted to hear from his band. That aside, you cannot miss out on his outfits, one better than the other. His shirt prints on display here are awesome, especially Elvis’s psychedelic purple, orange and chocolate-brown crushed velvet number that he wears for a rehearsal of That’s All Right Mama, with a white towel draped round his neck to soak up the sweat.

Opening the night with That's All Right, Presley flies off with a run of classic 1950s hits including I Got a Woman and Hound Dog and goes into the crowd during an extended Love Me Tender. He also brings his newer hits released around that time, namely, In the Ghetto and Just Pretend and definitive versions of Polk Salad Annie and Suspicious Minds.

The DVD also includes the featurette "Patch it Up: The Restoration of Elvis: That's The Way It Is”, career highlights and the theatrical trailer. This is a must-own for fans of Elvis.

This is one of those “must see” music films for an artist who is for all time. What can you say about The King since his passing away 48 years ago?  Nothing new, but there’s always something to marvel at as Elvis Presley was truly one of the most electrifying performers to ever appear in history.  You cannot argue nor deny it.  He was, is and will forever be the one and ONLY King of Rock & Roll.

Rating: *****

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira