Customer Reviews

Elvis Presley Classics: 4 Film Favorites (Jailhouse Rock / It Happened at the World's Fair / Stay Away Joe / Charro)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This DVD includes four of Elvis Presley's movies: 1957's Jailhouse Rock, 1963's It Happened at the World's Fair, 1968's Stay Away Joe, and 1969's Charro!

Jailhouse Rock is the best out of the bunch. It was Elvis' third film and includes an outstanding collection of early rock songs such as "Jailhouse Rock", "Treat Me Nice", and "Young and Beautiful". Elvis stars as an ex-con who makes it big as a singer after his release from prison. Tragically, Elvis' co-star, Judy Tyler, was killed in an automobile accident a few weeks after the film was completed. Elvis was so upset by the loss that he refused to ever watch the completed film. In 2004, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

It Happened at the World's Fair is lighthearted musical comedy that was typical of Elvis movies.

Stay Away, Joe is a modern western, comedy-drama with Elvis staring as Navajo Indian trying to help out his family and people.

Charro! is a serious, more mature, western drama and one of Elvis' last films, and his only role that didn't feature the him singing on-screen (he does sing the theme song but it is off-screen). This is a typical late-60's western and is not a bad movie. It is my second favorite in this collection.

If you like Elvis Presley movies, you should enjoy this DVD.

With the exception of the classic Jailhouse Rock, we have what might be called Elvis' "lost" movies, meaning one quality Hollywood Musical which has been overlooked and two which deserve the overlooking.

JAILHOUSE ROCK (*****) is the 1957 must-see: Elvis' acting is a quantum leap forward from his second movie (first starring role in Loving You); the script is excellent and so is the music. We have a serious, credible drama (outside the "rock and Roll movie" genre) with songs. No breaking into a song, a la Bing Crosby, 1935.

IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR (****) along with Viva Las Vegas, a solid movie actually filmed on location, which has survived decades of opprobium from critics and fans who obviously walked away after the first 3 songs. I purchased this CD set for this movie and my newfound interest in Elvis "movie versions" of the soundtrack album.Fans, if you love Elvis' voice, then dig it on "Take Me To The Fair". Another example of what the engineers could do in drowning out his great closing long notes. There are some outstanding scenes with the child actress - she is excellent. There's no cloying sentiment - the Director was able to evoke real sympathy for the orphaned child, suddenly finding herself in the "adult" world of gambling, booze, and struggle. A very progressive little piece of film history.
Elvis really kicks up his heels here, literally in two of the best fight scenes I've ever seen - too bad someone decided to (unnecessarily) speed up the frames.
I daresay that Elvis is every bit as good in this light flick as he was in the haevy Western drama, Flaming Star. Art Direction is fine, so is the lighting, as Elvis never looked greater.
What stops me ftrom issuing a ***** is that the film has
2-3 too many songs and it does sag in the middle.

STAY AWAY, JOE (**) Here's a marginal ** only in deference to the decision to bring Elvis "up to date" as an actor...getting away from malibu Beach and placing him out in Sedona, arizona. Good Presley performance and terrific songs wasted (I know about "Dominic, The Impotent Bull"). It's been widely and accurately observed that the frivolous stereotyping of Native Americans depiction is a solid reason to....click back to Jailhouse Rock.

CHARRO (*) Sorry, fans, this is an awful movie. Elvis is very unconvincing as a former gang member who went straight only to be confronted by said aggeregate. The situation of a "pacifist" Sheriff, willing to let his town go down for the sake of Peace, is poorly realized. The well-known backstory is that the Director was told to keep things nice and light - unlike the original idea which would have Presley getting down and dirty. Gotta say it - this one *needed* some silly songs!

Jailhouse Rock and It Happened at the World's Fair are two of my favorite Elvis Presley movies. To be able to purchase these two films and get Charro and Stay Away Joe for this low price was truly a bargain. What's more, I am getting to share Elvis movies with my nine year old granddaughter.

ELVIS!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT IS THERE TOO SAY, I LOVE ELVIS, THE VALUE AND SHIPPING WAS SUCH AT GREAT DEAL THAT I COULD NOT RESIST!!! HAVE NOT WATCHED THESE YET, BUT HAVE SEEN ALL HIS MOVIES, SO GLAD TO HAVE THEM ON HAND FOR WHEN I DO WANT TO WATCH THE KING OF ROCK N ROLL IN ACTION!!!!!!!! THE DVDS ARE IN GREAT SHAPE, PACKAGEING WAS IN GOOD SHAPE ALSO, CAME IN PLENTY OF TIME OF THE DATE STATED. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

Elvis needs no introduction--- Elvis' movies are all great. I have all of the movies ELvis ever made. To think That I could have purchased FOUR in one great 4 Film Favorites collection! WOW, that would have saved me money! Oh well! Elvis lives on in all our memories...

Elvis? It Happened At The World's Fair, Jail House Rock, Stay away Joe, Charro .. Wow.. its like being a kid in a candy store. The 4 movie set program is great. I have several of them but my Elvis collection is sentimental for sure. "It Happened **" is a hard one to find on its own and when I saw this I jumped on it! Who would have thought that a kid out of Tupelo could sing, sell hundreds of millions of records and be a movie star too? Who would a thunk. Enjoy your Elvis 4's when you get them.. their fun to have.
James Banfield

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my mother in law. She loves Elvis and this collection has some of her favorites.

I got this for my dad. I know he appreciated it but I found out that he had already had two of the movies in this 4-pack...so be careful if you are buying this for someone else.

Why is it that so many movie collections like this are NOT among the best films of some actor, yet packaged as though they were? Of the four on here, only "Jailhouse Rock" is really among his better films. Look them up in a good movie guide and see what I mean. The other three have very weak scripts, and if you like hearing him sing in his films, they don't have that to recommend them either since most of the songs in them are pretty bad. "Charro" has him singing only the title song, although I think that western is a little better than the usually very negative reviews that it gets. At least "Charro" and "Stay Away, Joe" from the late-60s are a departure from the stale "beach movie" types of films Elvis was stuck in by the mid-60s, yet "Stay Away, Joe" is VERY strange, and Elvis's character in it is an insult to Native Americans. So unless you're either an Elvis completest or you already know you like these films, stick to his best: King Creole, Wild in the Country, Follow That Dream, Jailhouse Rock (Deluxe Edition), Loving You, Flaming Star, and maybe Viva Las Vegas (Deluxe Edition).

where else can you get 4 great movies and the best music of the 50's and 60's.
elvis's music alone is worth the money