Elvis - His Best Friend Remembers

Starring:Gina Tuttle, Joe Esposito, Hank Garland
Director: Terry Moloney
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Essentially an illustrated interview with longtime Elvis buddy Joe Esposito, Elvis: His Best Friend Remembers is meant for the hardcore Elvis fan only. Esposito met Presley in the Army and stayed a member of the "Memphis Mafia" for the rest of the King's life (and death--his account of finding Elvis's body is by far the most interesting part of the interview). Esposito's memories are cozy and sanitized; in his telling, the news that Elvis gave Tom Jones his first peanut butter sandwich while on vacation in Hawaii qualifies as a fascinating anecdote. Random footage from newsreels and various Presley press conferences is cut into the interview, along with a lot of vintage '60s Polaroids. As befits the bargain-basement ambience, there's not a single note of Elvis music to be heard. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Shockingly sanitized -- no wonder Elvis shot the television!.......2006-01-07

This is a 2 hour 10 minute documentary that seems to be a cross between any ET television segment and a typical timeshare travelog video. The home videos, including extented interview segments not usually seen in the usual Elvis rehash documentaries, are worthwhile just to hear Elvis' thoughts in his own words. I had hoped this documentary would be enlightening to show a more balanced (and honest) view of Elvis' duality, since Elvis is usually portrayed as somewhere between an "angel with a broken wing" to a lost sinner, but this documentary tends to portray Elvis as a downright neutered cream-puff hearts-and-flowers cherub without a shred of the raw masculine romantic seducer who captured the hearts of millions during his lifetime and after. I had hoped that Diamond Joe would set the record straight, considering he really was Elvis' right-hand man for 20 years, but this movie makes it clear his strings were connected to Elvis Presley Enterprises. The Machine is still running, and Elvis is still lost behind the smoke-screen of media illusion. Elvis never stopped being a man, but his friends seem to have turned him into a shrine, just a picture on the wall, angelic voices in the background, a halo of remembrance -- and the essence of Elvis as dead as vinyl. If you're looking for any true character insight about Elvis, stay away from this documentary. Hero worship and exploitation are a bad combination, and this movie shows the real heartbreak of knowing a man such as Elvis for 20 years, yet apparently having no clue who that man really was. If you want to know the true Elvis, listen to his music, watch the movies and concerts you like, and remember that Elvis never lied about himself. Elvis laid down, but at least he didn't sell out. Loyalty was one of the few qualities Elvis really expected from people close to him. The test of that loyalty might be measured by who kept their silence. After seeing this documentary, I'm thankful to all the people close to Elvis who have kept their mouths shut. Let the music speak for itself -- that was how Elvis spoke to the world. There's no Elvis music in this video, which is probably just as well. The music would have been sanitized, too.

New and Refreshing Account of Elvis by His Friend.......2005-08-24

Joe Esposito gives a more intimate potrayal from a perspective of the close, personal friend he was. Although it is obvious he remains loyal and enjoyed his years with The King of Rock and Roll, Joe gives a somewhat different perspective that what most fans are accustom. It's refreshing, especially from fans who have "read it all."

Elvis - The Private Person.......2003-08-05

A special, intimate look to the person and the artist Elvis Presley with many unseen footage and pictures from the artist of the century..... A must for every Elvis-Fan!!!!

A Loving Tribute By A Best Friend.......2003-02-15

This is a very positive, upbeat tribute to Elvis by his top man and best friend, Joe Esposito. He avoids the negative topics that has already been covered endlessly by the media, and focuses on more folksy and humorous stories about the King. At times I wish he could have talked more in depth about some of the topics, instead of including chapters about the impersonators, the biggest fan, the nuttiest fan. I could have done without that information. I'm sure Joe has a lot more interesting Elvis anecdotes to share, and to see such rubbish included brings this DVD down a couple of stars in my book.
Still, it is refreshing to view a kinder portrait of Elvis by someone close to him instead of the vitriol dished out by West, & Co in their book written by Steve Dunleavy. Elvis deserves better, and so do his fans, so if you're looking for the more sensationlistic Elvis information, you won't find it in this DVD.

It is interesting to note that a few years back, Joe Esposito was embroiled in a battle with EP Enterprises (read: Priscilla), who tried to force him to surrender his private collection of movies and photos of Elvis he'd taken over the years. Perhaps this DVD is the result of a compromise that was reached.

Very Dissappointing as to content........2002-12-26

The title suggested that this dvd would portray an intimate glimpse into the personal life of Elvis through the remembrances of his best friend. It is a redo of many previous movie clips and snapshots. I felt as though I had seen this dvd before in many of the previous vhs tapes about Elvis that I own.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Ten Blocks on the Camino Real (Broadway Theatre Archive)

Jackanory - Raging Robots And Unruly Uncles : Video

Night of the Living Dead (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: The Fantasticks

Gespräche über den Zaun