Elvis Presley: The Searcher

2018 American film

Elvis Presley: The Searcher

Film poster

Directed by| Thom Zimny[1]
Written by| Alan Light[1]
Produced by| Jon Landau[1]
Thom Zimny[1]
Kary Antholis[1]
Cinematography| Luke Geissbuhler[1]
Edited by| Anoosh Tertzakian[1]
Thom Zimny[1]
Music by| Mike McCready[1]

Production
company

Old Farm Road Films[1]

Distributed by| HBO Documentary Films
Sony Pictures Television

Release dates

* March 2018 (2018-03) (SXSW)
* April 14, 2018 (2018-04-14) (HBO)

Running time

| 215 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

Elvis Presley: The Searcher is a 2018 television documentary film produced by HBO Documentary Films about the life of American singer Elvis Presley, highlighting the development of his musical artistry. Co-edited, co-produced, and directed by Thom Zimny, the documentary premiered at the 2018 South by Southwest Film Festival in two parts on March 14 and 15, 2018, before airing on HBO in its entirety on April 14.[2]

## Production

[edit]

In 2014, Priscilla Presley, the ex-wife of American musician Elvis Presley, began discussing with the singer's close friend Jerry Schilling the prospect of an honest telling of Elvis' story through his music. The two soon approached HBO Miniseries president Kary Antholis with their plan, which he ardently agreed to, enough so that he and the network reached out to producer Jon Landau to jumpstart the project.[3]

Landau brought in Thom Zimny as the director, having worked together for nearly two decades on Bruce Springsteen documentaries.[3] Landau thought of the title Elvis Presley: The Searcher upon hearing Priscilla's comment about Elvis as "a searcher".[4]

## Soundtrack

[edit]

Main article: Elvis Presley: The Searcher (soundtrack)

## Marketing

[edit]

The photo of Elvis Presley used as the documentary's key image is from a test shoot for his 1960 film Flaming Star, in which he wore brown contact lenses to assess if it was a better fit for his role as a half-Native American character, as Elvis had naturally blue eyes; this plan was discarded, however, when they began shooting the film. The test shoot photo was chosen to represent The Searcher for its "unearthly quality".[4]

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical response

[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 96% based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 7.50/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Elvis Presley: The Searcher delves into an American icon's early career with patience and skill, delivering a lengthy close-up look that should satisfy fans of all persuasions. "[5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j DeFore, John (March 22, 2018). "'Elvis Presley: The Searcher, Parts One and Two': Film Review | SXSW 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Valence Media. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
2. ^ Perry, Elle (March 1, 2018). "Priscilla Presley, David Porter to premiere Elvis HBO film at SXSW". Memphis Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
3. ^ a b Greene, Andy (April 4, 2018). "'Elvis Presley: The Searcher' Pulls Back the Veil on the King". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
4. ^ a b Beifuss, John (April 9, 2018). "Elvis the Artist: The 'Searcher' Finds 'Rescue' in New HBO Documentary". USA Today. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
5. ^ Elvis Presley:The Searcher, retrieved 2022-02-23

## External links

[edit]

* Official HBO site
* Elvis Presley: The Searcher at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Elvis Presley

* Awards
* Albums
* Singles
* Songs
* Films and television
* Personal relationships
* Cultural depictions
* Cultural impact

Studio albums|

* Elvis Presley
* Elvis (1956 album)
* Elvis' Christmas Album
* Elvis Is Back!
* His Hand in Mine
* Something for Everybody
* Pot Luck
* How Great Thou Art
* From Elvis in Memphis
* From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis
* That's the Way It Is
* Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old)
* Love Letters from Elvis
* Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas
* Elvis Now
* He Touched Me
* Elvis (1973 album)
* Raised on Rock / For Ol' Times Sake
* Good Times
* Promised Land
* Today
* From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee
* Moody Blue

Soundtrack albums|

* Loving You
* King Creole
* G.I. Blues
* Blue Hawaii
* Girls! Girls! Girls!
* It Happened at the World's Fair
* Fun in Acapulco
* Kissin' Cousins
* Roustabout
* Girl Happy
* Harum Scarum
* Frankie and Johnny
* Paradise Hawaiian Style
* Spinout
* Double Trouble
* Clambake
* Speedway
* Viva Elvis
* Elvis Presley: The Searcher

EPs|

* Love Me Tender
* Peace in the Valley
* Jailhouse Rock
* Flaming Star
* Follow That Dream
* Kid Galahad
* Viva Las Vegas
* Tickle Me
* Easy Come, Easy Go

Live albums|

* Elvis (1968 album)
* From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis
* On Stage
* As Recorded at Madison Square Garden
* Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite
* Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis
* Having Fun with Elvis on Stage
* Elvis in Concert
* An Afternoon in the Garden

Budget albums|

* Elvis Sings Flaming Star
* Let's Be Friends
* Almost in Love
* C'mon Everybody
* I Got Lucky
* Elvis' 40 Greatest
* Pure Gold

Compilation albums|

* Elvis' Golden Records
* For LP Fans Only
* A Date with Elvis
* 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong
* Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3
* Elvis for Everyone!
* Elvis' Gold Records Volume 4
* You'll Never Walk Alone
* Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 1
* Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 2
* The Sun Sessions
* Welcome to My World
* He Walks Beside Me
* Mahalo from Elvis
* Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 3
* Greatest Hits Volume 1
* Elvis' Gold Records Volume 5
* Blue Christmas
* Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Performances
* Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II
* Elvis 56
* Greatest Jukebox Hits
* Tiger Man
* Memories: The '68 Comeback Special
* Sunrise
* Suspicious Minds: The Memphis 1969 Anthology
* The 50 Greatest Hits
* ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits
* 2nd to None
* Elvis at Sun
* Hitstory
* Elvis Inspirational
* Elvis Rock
* Elvis Christmas
* The Essential Elvis Presley
* Christmas Duets
* If I Can Dream
* Way Down in the Jungle Room
* The Wonder of You
* Where No One Stands Alone

Greatest hits albums|

* Elvis

Box sets|

* Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits Vol. 1
* The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50's Masters
* From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters
* Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential '70s Masters
* Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings
* Live in Las Vegas
* Today, Tomorrow, and Forever
* Elvis the King
* The Complete '68 Comeback Special
* The Complete Elvis Presley Masters

Biographical media|

* Elvis (1979 film)
* Elvis and Me (miniseries)
* Elvis (1990 series)
* Elvis Meets Nixon
* Elvis (2005 miniseries)
* Elvis & Nixon
* Elvis (2022 film)
* Agent Elvis (2023 series)
* Priscilla

Documentaries|

* The Pied Piper of Cleveland
* Elvis: That's the Way It Is
* Elvis on Tour
* This Is Elvis
* The New Gladiators
* Elvis Presley: The Searcher
* Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley

TV specials|

* The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis
* Elvis ('68 Comeback Special)
* Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite
* Elvis in Concert

Stage shows|

* Cooking with Elvis
* All Shook Up
* Elvis. The Musical
* Elvis: The Concert
* Viva Elvis
* The Elvis Dead

Related people|

* Lisa Marie Presley (daughter)
* Riley Keough (granddaughter)
* Priscilla Presley (ex-wife)
* Brandon Presley (second cousin)
* Sam Phillips
* The Blue Moon Boys
* The Jordanaires
* The Imperials
* The Sweet Inspirations
* TCB Band
* J. D. Sumner
* Stephen H. Sholes
* June Juanico
* Memphis Mafia
* Colonel Tom Parker
* George C. Nichopoulos
* Judy Spreckels
* Linda Thompson
* Ginger Alden
* Larry Geller

Related articles|

* Graceland
* Audubon Street House
* Impersonators
* Elvis and Gladys
* Elvis and Me
* Elvis: What Happened?
* Elvis-A-Rama Museum
* Sun recordings
* Million Dollar Quartet
* Cultural depictions of Elvis Presley
* Songs about Elvis
* Elvis Presley Enterprises
* Elvis Presley Lake
* "Elvis has left the building"
* Elvis Radio
* FBI files on Elvis Presley
* Military service
* Eight Elvises
* Triple Elvis
* Elvis Presley's Pink Cadillac
* Elvis Presley's guitars
* Elvis Presley single
* Elvis Presley Forever stamp
* Elvis sightings
* Elvis sandwich
* Fool's Gold Loaf
* Elvis' Greatest Shit
* List of memorials

* Category

* v
* t
* e

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Upcoming|

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