Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ Fact Check
Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ Fact Check When it comes to figures of American myths, Elvis Presley was right up there with others like young George Washington “cannot tell a lie.”
The truth about Elvis’ life and death has always been shrouded in conspiracy theories by both admirers and non-admirers alike.
Now, given Baz Luhrmann’s reputation, one might expect him to dig into the myth, spinning a dramatic tale of the legend, not the man.
Baz Luhrmann is well known for his flair for the dramatic and hardly focusing on historical accuracy.
He is the director who relocated Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” from Verona to South Beach Miami, filmed “Moulin Rouge!” with Parisians circa 1900 singing MTV-era pop songs, and much more. So, reputation precedes, but let’s take the time to separate fiction from fact in this biopic.
What to know (remember)
Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ had Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as his controversial manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The director also began work on the film 8 years ago, researching extensively the singer’s life. 
Fact or Fiction
- The Louisiana Hayride
In an early scene from the film, soon-to-be manager Colonel Parker watches Elvis kill his performance of “That’s All Right”.
He saw the star blossom before his very eyes and then proceeded to meet Presley.
Now, Colonel Parker did watch Presley perform at the Louisiana Hayride event in Texarkana, Arkansas, on January 15, 1955, on the recommendation of Oscar Davis. But Parker and Presley didn’t meet that night, but Colonel Parker did reach out to his manager at the time.
The film shows none of this which leads us to believe that Parker discovered the star himself and had no actual manager then.
If we also look at the film’s depiction of Elvis’ first show, Elvis killed his performance, whereas, in reality, Elvis didn’t do well in his first performance. He made up for it in the second, where Colonel Parker was present.
- Colonel Parker
According to the film, Colonel Parker was born in the Netherlands and was in the U.S illegally. He also had a weird accent.
The reality? His real name was Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, born in the Netherlands. He did come to the United States at the age of 20 without documentation.
To hide his illegal status, he claimed to be from Huntington, West Virginia and tried to pass off his accent as Southern. This accent is very different from what Hanks depicts in the film.
- Priscilla and Elvis
In the film, Elvis met Priscilla in Germany when she was 14 years old. That much is true, although Pricilla was 21 years old and Elvis 32 when they later got married.
- Elvis, a Twin
As shown in the film, Elvis did have a twin brother who died at birth. Jesse Garon Presley was stillborn and buried in an unmarked grave at a cemetery in Tupelo.
- Lead Role in A Star Is Born
Elvis starred in over 30 films in his lifetime and in Luhrmann’s Elvis, there is little focus on this. But towards the end of the film, Presley and Parker discuss the possibility of his lead role in the remake of A Star Is Born.
Although Presley was excited about this, Parker wasn’t and, in the end, the role was offered to Kris Kristofferson instead.
Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ is a great “Hollywood” biopic.
Read more from I On The Scene: HERE
