This Is Elvis is a 1981 American documentary film about the life of Elvis Presley, written and directed by Andrew Solt and Malcolm Leo. It combines archival footage with reenactments, and voice-over narration by pop singer Ral Donner, imitating Presley's speaking voice. It was screened out of competition at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival. The film grossed $2 million at the box office in the U.S. and Canada, ranking #92 for 1981.

Cast and content

For the reenactment scenes, Presley was portrayed in the film by four actors: Other narrators provided voice-over narrations for Vernon Presley, Gladys Presley, and Priscilla Presley. Presley's former road manager Joe Esposito and girlfriend Linda Thompson provided their own narrations. Presley receives credit only in the extended version prepared for cable and later home video release.

Reception

In a contemporary review, Variety wrote, "A real curiosity item, This Is Elvis is a fast-paced gloss on Presley's life and career packed with enough fine music and unusual footage to satisfy anyone with an interest in the late singing idol."

Legacy

A two-disc DVD set of the film was released on August 7, 2007 commemorating the 30th anniversary of Presley's death. Disc one features the original version shown in theaters, and disc 2 includes the extended version with 45 extra minutes of footage. This Is Elvis was the only Presley movie produced and released by Warner Brothers, until Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis in 2022. Warner Bros. also currently owns other titles with Presley via purchasing Turner Entertainment, including Presley's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films and National General Pictures' Charro!.

Soundtrack

RCA Records released the soundtrack as a double LP album from the film in March 1981, featuring the first official release of several of Presley's 1950s television appearances as well as other previously unreleased performances. The soundtrack album was certified Gold on August 6, 2002 by the RIAA.

Track listing

Disc one: Disc two:

Charts