All shook up: how accurate is Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic?
The Wonder of You
Austin Butler sparkles in the lead role, but perhaps Baz Luhrmann’s high-octane, live-action graphic novel should not be called a “biopic” at all. For a start, if you want to talk about the life of Presley, there are plenty of omissions: his time at Humes high school, most of his Sun Records career, his rockabilly peers, studio sessions, personal interest in mystic literature, Lake Tahoe residences, and, of course, the sorry descent of his final years.
Other things, such as his love of martial arts, get only a brief mention. What biographic with arrest. Equally, when in the film Presley meets 1968 ComebackSpecial director Steve Binder, he sits in the “O” of the Hollywood sign rather than merely visiting Binder’s LA office. This movie plays fast and loose with the facts.
