Rock Cellar Magazine - Baz Luhrmann’s New ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert’ Documentary in IMAX Feb 20; Preview Film and Soundtrack Album

Elvis Presley 'EPIC: Elvis Presley In Concert'

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert is a new music documentary from filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, focusing on the 1970s era that saw “The King” play a lengthy residency in Las Vegas.

The project was announced recently, with the film scheduled to land in IMAX theaters for a one-week engagement starting Feb. 20, followed by a worldwide theatrical release on Feb. 27.

Anyone who saw Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic ELVIS starring Austin Butler — or simply knows details of Presley’s later years — is familiar with the context in which the famed singer found himself in Sin City for a yearslong residency. It’s at the heart of the biopic’s retelling of Elvis’ story, as well as this doc.

This new film, per its official description, features long-lost footage from Presley’s legendary Vegas residency in the 1970s, woven together with rare 16mm footage from Elvis on Tour and treasured 8mm film from the Graceland archive, along with rediscovered recordings of Elvis telling ‘his side of the story,.’

Here’s a new teaser trailer, which turned up online Thursday:

The film’s official soundtrack album will also arrive on Feb. 20 on CD/digital, with a 2-LP edition to follow on April 10. It will feature “recordings heard in the upcoming film, featuring updated mixes of iconic live performances alongside new remixes and medleys of classic Elvis recordings,” per press materials.

Per a news release: Coupled with remixes and medleys that blend, reimagine and interpret Presley in bold new directions, the resulting film and soundtrack are a testament to Elvis’ 1970s performances as “startlingly ahead of their time” (Variety) and “the singer at his most mesmerizing” (The Guardian). The soundtrack album is executive produced by GRAMMY-nominated Luhrmann.

As a preview, here’s “Wearin’ That Night Life Look,” blending four Elvis recordings (“Wearin’ That Loved On Look,” “Night Life,” “I, John,” “Let Yourself Go”) into one new creative statement:

Said Luhrmann of the inspiration behind the soundtrack album:“We were constantly asking ourselves, what would Elvis do if he were around? How might he experiment, where might he go? He was always a musical searcher, looking for different flavors and sounds.”

Click here to shop Elvis in our Rock Cellar Store (soundtrack pre-order expected soon)

Said Luhrmann to Deadline earlier this year about this project’s undertaking:

“There has always been talk amongst Elvis’ fans, both longtime fans and newer fans brought in by our film Elvis, of missing reels and never-before-seen concert footage. During the making of Elvis, from very early on in my process I had the privilege to access the studio’s vaults deep in the salt mines of Kansas, where troves of old film negatives are stored. We were astonished by the sheer volume of unused footage from Elvis: That’s the Way It Is, the film of Elvis’ legendary 1970 Summer Festival in Las Vegas – all shot on anamorphic 35mm – and also from Elvis’ road concert film from two years later, Elvis on Tour.”

Rock Cellar Magazine – Baz Luhrmann’s New ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert’ Documentary in IMAX Feb 20; Preview Film and Soundtrack Album

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