Watch the video at the end of this article.
Introduction
When Riley Keough first pressed play on the early assembly of Baz Luhrmann’s forthcoming Elvis Presley Concert Movie, she did not anticipate the emotional impact it would have on her. As the screen brightened, her grandfather appeared—not as the monumental icon celebrated in pop culture or emblazoned on posters, but as a living, breathing person. She saw a man laughing freely backstage, swaying unconsciously to music during practice, his eyes still illuminated with the fierce spark that had once captivated millions.
“It completely overwhelmed me—in a beautiful way,” Riley admitted, her expression suspended between awe and grief. What she experienced felt like time collapsing, past and present blending. The film draws from sixty-eight boxes of footage long thought forgotten—raw sound checks, intimate behind-the-scenes glimpses, and electrifying onstage moments from Elvis’s years performing in Las Vegas. Each strip of film has been carefully restored, allowing moments once buried in silence to pulse with life again. This time, the audience will not be introduced to the polished King of Rock and Roll. They will encounter the man who laughed, experimented, faltered, persisted, and ultimately soared.
For Riley, the project evolved into something far more personal than a historical film. “This is not just archival material. It is emotional memory,” she said softly. Every sequence felt like reaching out across time to connect with someone she recognized yet had never truly known. Through these revived images, her grandfather ceased to be simply a cultural figure spoken of by strangers. He became something warm, familiar—an echo of family returning through the gentle flicker of restored film.
To Riley, it felt like being offered another chance to know him. And for viewers around the world, it offers an opportunity to encounter Elvis anew—not as an untouchable myth carved into musical history, but as a human being who lived, loved, laughed, and gave everything to his art. The film invites us to step closer, to see the heart behind the legend, and to remember that even icons have souls that deserve to be seen.
Video