“68 LOST FILM REELS” — Found at Last! “When I saw it, it absolutely terrified me — in the best possible way,” Riley Keough admitted. As the restoration team and Riley sat together watching the footage, they discovered raw, never-before-seen moments — candid laughter, behind-the-scenes glimpses, intimate rehearsals, and unpolished performances that fans had never witnessed before.

Watch the video at the end of this article.

Introduction

“68 REDISCOVERED FILM REELS”: A Remarkable Find Transforming the Presley Story — Riley Keough Unveils Newly Unearthed Footage of Elvis

What began as a routine examination of archived materials stored in Graceland’s secured collection has quickly turned into a revelation that many experts are calling one of the most significant discoveries in modern music history. Sixty-eight long-lost film reels, once believed to have disappeared during storage relocations in the late 1960s, have now been recovered and restored — unveiling candid, unreleased footage of Elvis Presley during one of the most pivotal eras of his career.

“When I watched the restored film for the first time, it overwhelmed me — in the most powerful way,” said Riley Keough, Elvis’s granddaughter and current overseer of the Presley estate. “It felt like witnessing someone return to life. Not as a spirit from the past, but as a vibrant, real person still breathing within the film.”

These reels were located in a mislabeled archive within a private MGM storage facility and are traced back to the era surrounding Elvis’s iconic 1968 Comeback Special — the performance that revitalized his career and reshaped the musical landscape. Yet, the newly discovered footage reveals much more than what audiences originally saw.

The material includes behind-the-scenes rehearsals, relaxed conversations, unscripted humor, and quiet personal moments shared with his musicians. Viewers will see a more personal version of Elvis: adjusting musical arrangements, sharing laughter, and, in one touching instance, softly playing a gospel melody alone in a corner of the studio.

Restoration experts were astonished by the film’s condition. “The reels were shockingly well preserved,” stated David Beavers, lead technician on the restoration project. “Once digitized, the image quality was so vivid it felt like Elvis was standing right in front of us.”

Emotions ran deep as Riley and the team watched the footage together. “There were smiles, tears, and long pauses,” one restoration member recalled. “Everyone recognized they were witnessing not just entertainment history, but a deeply personal family moment.”

The Presley estate has confirmed that the footage will be featured in a forthcoming documentary titled Elvis: The Lost Reels — 68 Reimagined, combining restored visuals, interviews, and family commentary.

Riley summarized the discovery simply: “It feels like we found his heartbeat again.”

And soon, the world will feel it too.

Video