Whatever you think of Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" it's hard to fault Austin Butler's performance in the lead role. The dedicated actor spent two years studying the King to the extent that even in the press run for the movie he seemed to retain much of the singer's characteristic drawl. He's even addressed this in interviews, stating that it's hard not to be forever changed by getting that close to such a uniquely iconic figure, and telling Yahoo! Australia: "It was so habitual, at the end you kinda don't remember what your natural voice is."
But it wasn't just Elvis' mannerisms and speaking voice that Butler absorbed. The actor, who's sung and played guitar since he was 13, also lent his singing voice to much of the movie. In fact, as Luhrmann confirmed in a Q&A, Butler actually performs most of Elvis' early songs in the film, simply because many of the actual early recordings "were recorded mono," and therefore unusable for lip-syncing in the movie. For Elvis' later years, Luhrmann blends Butler's and the real-life singer's voices. But even then, the star was recreating the performances.
In fact, Butler confirmed during the "Elvis" press tour that he was performing "entire concerts" as the man himself, even entertaining the crowd in character between cuts. That means there's basically a whole concert film to be made out of the actor's performances, and it seems Luhrmann might well cut something together in the near future.
An 'Out Of Body Experience'
Some of the best moments in "Elvis" are the stage performances. From when the young superstar first wows the crowd with his provocative crotch gyrations to the "'68 Comeback Special" and the final, all-out tour de force stage shows in Vegas, the film never shies away from showcasing its subject's performance prowess.
Now, as IndieWire reports, Luhrmann is considering cutting together all the footage of Butler on-stage to create a "director's assembly" of concert performances filmed specially for the movie:
"Austin did his concerts full out. He did all the numbers. Austin just did it and it was an out-of-body experience to watch him do those full concerts. So one day I will cut those full concerts together."
The "Moulin Rouge" director also revealed there are around four hours of said footage, and that he's not sure when he'll get around to putting it all together. He previously told the outlet there was a four-hour cut of the movie itself, which might see the light of day before the concert film. But editor Matt Villa previously told /Film that the "three songs that [Butler] sang at Vegas were shot in one take over and over again" and that they had "loads and loads of footage to find a good pace." So it seems when Luhrmann eventually gets around to it, there'll not only be extensive footage, but multiple takes of the same songs to sift through.
Butler Is A Great Performer In His Own Right
If you're wondering why anyone would want to see a four-hour cut of someone impersonating Elvis, you need look no further than this camera test that Luhrmann posted to his Instagram back in June 2022. It showcases a raw performance, captured during a camera test and prior to Butler's two years of studying the King. The actor performs Elvis' breakout single "That's Alright, Mama" and not only does an impressive job matching his subject's tone, but can clearly hold a tune in his own right:
[embed: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CeokrqEpudp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link]While the film itself doesn't stick too closely to the true Elvis story, Butler's performance in the film is as close to bringing back the late superstar as we're ever likely to get. As such, a concert cut wouldn't just be a neat curio — like watching a good Elvis impersonator do his thing — it would likely provide a fascinating insight into the process of an actor who truly immersed himself in his character, especially if they include Butler as Elvis' banter with the audience.
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The post Baz Luhrmann Has Big Plans For Austin Butler's Elvis Performance in the Future appeared first on /Film.