Elvis Presley made over thirty movies in his career. The bulk of his movies were made between 1961 and 1969. During this time, the majority of his movies were made based on a formula to maximize profits. That formula was Elvis, and Elvis singing! There was some movies though that showed his skill as an actor.
Number five is Flaming Star. A western released in 1960, it was his second movie released after his stint in the Army. Being a non-musical, one of two in his career, the film showed Elvis’ talents in a dramatic role. Elvis’ acting in the movie had lead some critics to call the film one of his best roles. It also gives credence that Elvis wanted to be taken serious as an actor. Unfortunately, the film did not do good at the box office, leading his management to conclude that Elvis would only make musicals from now on.
Number four is Blue Hawaii. One of Elvis’ most popular films, it was released in 1961. The film was one of the first to use the “Elvis and Elvis performing” formula. The movie called for Elvis to portray someone just getting out of the service, who does not want to get a steady job for fear it would interfere with his social time with his friends. Although the film would be the start of the “Elvis formula”, it was actually one of the rare, decent scripts of his career as an actor.
Number three is Viva Las Vegas. The romantic comedy was released in 1964. The film is regarded as one of Elvis’ very best performances, both movie and music wise. The film was unique for several reasons. It would be the first film in a couple of years that had a good script, a good soundtrack, and a good co-star. The onscreen chemistry between Elvis and Ann-Margret was electrifying. So much so, that it was rumored to have been carried off-screen between the two as well, and it carried over onto the soundtrack. Even though the movie had a strong soundtrack RCA mishandled it. Instead of releasing an entire soundtrack for the movie, RCA only released snippets of it through the years. It can be said that RCA missed out on a golden opportunity because they had Elvis’ best movie performance with one of his best musical performances in years. That hasn’t faded the movie from having fan interest though.
The number two movie is “King Creole“. One of Elvis’ earlier movies, released in 1958, it is widely considered to be Elvis’ finest movie role. The film actually fared less-favorably at the box-office because of its seriousness. Although the film performed less than favorably, the music proved to be the driving force behind the film. In fact, Elvis showed more of his harder vocal numbers, such as “Trouble”.
Number one is “Jailhouse Rock“. Released in 1957, the film showcased Elvis at his finest. The electricity of his performance put on display the excitement surrounding him in the fifties. The film was so significant that the United States National Film Registry deemed it for preservation. The film also showcased one of Elvis’ most successful and powerful soundtracks, and albums overall. The film has remained widely popular, not only as an Elvis film, but also as a movie overall.
These are five films that any actor would love to have in his career, but for Elvis, these were the best of his career.
