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Elvis – The Ultimate Film Collection

By ElvisNews.com / Kees, October 26, 2006 | Video
Released through Elvis Presley Enterprises is the box set “Elvis – The Ultimate Film Collection”, is the box filled with new goodies?

Design
The set comes in a cardboard box with a suitcase look. Inside two multi DVD boxes, two 16-page collector booklets with film synopses, photographs, trivia and behind-the-scenes stories, a copy of Elvis's script from the movie “Jailhouse Rock”. And from the Graceland Archives: “The Elvis Movie Files”, a collection of duplicates of vintage news clippings and confidential documents relating to Elvis's film career from the files of his illustrious longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker. This “old” material is always fun to read, it are reactions and reviews from the original time of release, and not looking back knowing the outcome as we do today. The goodies end with a collection of six 8"x10" photographs of Elvis from the production of some of his films and a collection of 5"x7" reprints of the original movie posters for all 9 MGM films and for the “Elvis: Black Leather” disc.

Content

The main content of this movie collection are of course the movies. We’ll skip the movies “Jailhouse Rock”, ”It Happened at the World's Fair”, ”Viva Las Vegas”, ”Harum Scarum”, ”Spinout”, ”Double Trouble”, ”Speedway”, ”The Trouble With Girls”, and ”Elvis: That's The Way It Is, Special Edition” because we all have or know them. At first glance it are the same versions as we already have in our collection when we bought these when they were released on DVD for the first time.

The most interesting movie is “Elvis: Black Leather” with highlights form the “’68 Comeback Special”. This special edit of the show was created for distribution to European television stations starting in 2005. It contains the traditional Trouble/Guitar Man show opener and a special white suit/black leather suit combination of the If I Can Dream show closer. The balance of the disc contains highlights of Elvis's "black leather stand-up" and "black leather sit-down jam session" performances that were shot as a source of core content for the original TV special. Always a joy to watch, but again, nothing really new.

The most fun to watch is the second bonus DVD with “Elvis Movie Music Performances”. A compilation with musical performances was available on bootleg, and finally it is available officially. This release contains two performances, "Bridge Over Trouble Water" and "I've Lost You" which were on the original "TTWII" but not on the "Special Edition" release. For the disc itself goes why not release this worldwide? The problem with this and the “Black Leather” discs is that they don’t come in surround sound.

For the collectors in us the most interesting part is the unreleased material. Well there isn’t any. The “unreleased” audio is taken from the Follow That Dream series, so most of us will have this in their collection. But still, it is a nice compilation of some of the better movie performances in an alternate version, giving this compilation a different sound than the standard compilation.

Conclusion

It is a well designed package for collectors, with some nice goodies, but unfortunately nothing “new” besides compilations of material we already have several times.

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Dave Wyatt wrote on October 26, 2006
I want this set. Unfortunately I understand from EPE that the DVD's will only play in USA. I'm just waiting fot it to be released in UK.
Deke Rivers 6 wrote on October 26, 2006
What we really want is out take's of the film's and the different ending to "Loving You" that nobody has ever seen, apart from the priviledged few, now that would be interesting. But alas I fear I will be going to my grave having never seen it !
elbo51 wrote on October 27, 2006
I was quite excited about the dvd “Elvis Movie Music Performances" until I started watching it. The film clip for the song One Broken Heart For Sale and part of the next song on the dvd is out of sync with the audio. This really spoiled the enjoyment of this dvd for me. How could they let this mastering glitch through is beyond me. I wonder if they'll offer a replacement dvd???
Jth wrote on October 27, 2006
elbo51, I wouldn't hold my breath! EPE is know to mess around dvd's they release, then issue "Special Edition", that are also of varing quality (where's the voice-over from the living members of the "Blue Moon Boys"band, that was recorded, on the '68 Special "Special Edition" DVD?). I'll wait for the "Ultimate Extra Deluxe Special Edition" in 2956 of "Elvis - The Ultimate Film Collection" (which isn't even complete as it is!!!!), but I will not touch this release with a ten foot pole
gbalaban wrote on October 27, 2006
I agree with Deke, I have said it before that they should release his films with "Outtakes" just like any video today would be released. Just having things like the trailer is not enough!
Wiebe wrote on October 28, 2006
I'm surprised that the reviewer didn't say anything about the songs from TTWII, it's the songs that were left out of the s.e. What's sound and picture like? Should be good, since they broadcast the songs with new camera angles in 2000. Another thing about the NTSC format. I only buy NTSC, because the PAL format runs (way) too fast. I'm surprised that nobody noticed that. Put on the European TTWII and run the CD at the same time, you will notice. Plus the sound is much and much better on the US releases. So I'm definately going to buy this one. Of course you have to have a DVD player that plays all region codes.
Mystery Rider wrote on October 29, 2006
Hurry..Hurry..Hurry the shows about to begin they two tons of junk and thats no bull. Colonel parker would be proud of how we fleece the suckers and sell them the same thing again.come one come all little egypt is going to do her same dance again
tigerman_22000 wrote on October 29, 2006
i got this the other day frist thing i had to do was clean the discs about 4 discs had light scrapes and heavy finger prints on them still have some to watch to make sure they all right not impressed with quality verry flimsy. nere better goin to hmv and getting seprate disc as hmv are nere giveing them away in sale
Mystery Rider wrote on October 29, 2006
Step right up folks who will be the next one to be taken, they got tigerman to buy a copy, will you be the next sucker. Step right into the midway watch little egypt do her dance and slip her fingers right into your wallet, and on the midway BMG will take your credit card, hurry hurry dont miss the show...they want your money (while you still got it)
PTCJones wrote on October 30, 2006
I have to agree with Mystery Rider . Apart from some glossy photos and 5 minutes of home footage there's nothing to get me spending this kind of money. Wiebe, are you saying that this set has the omitted tracks from TTWII or is it simply the SE? With regards to PAL & NTSC, as a Brit living in the U.S. I can't tell any difference in the speed. I know that if you played 2 movies at approx 1 1/2 hours side to side, PAL is actually slower by around 4 minutes. The reason I believe is to do with the fact that PAL has more lines of resolution totalling 625 running at 50Hz, where NTSC runs only 525 lines, but on a faster frequency at 60 Hz. Of course with HD-DVD or Blu-ray it's totally different.
JerryNodak wrote on October 30, 2006
The "Colonel" is dead. Long live the "Colonel". Somewhere he's smiling.
Roy M wrote on October 31, 2006
An Anthology set like the Beatles had done would be great. This set might be nice but wish to see something more creative from EPE.
Steve V wrote on October 31, 2006
An ultimate dvd set would be the Elvis Anthology just like the set The Beatles had out which was a huge seller. This dvd set offers nothing except to make us poorer. The movies have all been out, released 100 different ways already. Elvis in my opinion, has been given very shabby DVD treatment except for the deluxe editions of the TV specials. Looking forward to The Ed Sullivan Shows. That'll hold me for a while till the estate/Turner/MGM or whoever else can get their act together and release it all.
Wiebe wrote on November 01, 2006
PJones, I was talking about the compilation DVD with songs from his movies on it. Apparantly I've Lost You, Bridge Over Troubled Water and other songs from TTWII that were not on SE are on it. About the speed thing, I'm pretty sure. NTSC runs 29.9 frames per second and Pal has 25, maybe that has something to do with it. It's only with the movies, though, the TV specials run at the same speed. Here in Europe we're used to a more hyper and tenor like Elvis when it comes to the movies. And tigerman2000, I hope the quality is not worse than the separate releases. And finally, I think it's good to have the oportunity to buy this release (nobody is forcing us) and at least it's an opportunity to get Elvis back on the #1 income spot of dead artists (knock Cobain off). I think they will release a wonderful anthology next year.
PTCJones wrote on November 02, 2006
Thank you for the clarification Wiebe. Sorry to bore everyone, but back to the PAL, NTSC argument. I think you may be talking about when a movie is converted to video from a theatrical release. What you gain on the one hand though, you lose with other in the form of telecine judder and tint correction. There's a lot more manipulation of the picture on NTSC to convert a movie to 29fps from 24fps, which is generally what movies are filmed at. There is a piece of equipment called a pitch shifter which reduces the pitch on PAL transfers.
Narek wrote on November 03, 2006
Guys that We-already-have-it-find-something-new position of many people here seems pretty unhealthy at times. OK you got this movies (records) I get the message. Don't call this Colonel's tricks or fooling or robbing. Do you really think you guys are the only Elvis fans in the world and there is not going to be any new fans except you? Well here's the news there are new fans appearing every day and guess what they may not have these movies in their previous releases, so they are going to be extremely happy with this or any other release which you call repackaging. Some of the older releases may be sold out and not available at some places, that is the MAIN purpose of repackaging, making you pay extra may be among those purposes but surely it's not the first. Strategically repackaging is more important for promoting Elvis. Aren't we all eager to see Elvis as much as possible? Of course we wait for more sophisticated releases but those who are newbie Elvis fans do not.