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Renowned director Baz Luhrmann, celebrated for his film Elvis which featured Austin Butler in an Oscar-nominated role, has embarked on a fascinating project to unveil rare footage and audio of the legendary Elvis Presley. This discovery culminates in a new documentary, offering fans a fresh glimpse into the life of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Luhrmann diligently worked for several years on the documentary titled EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert. This film showcases exclusive material from six performances captured during Elvis’s 1970 Las Vegas residency, as well as four concerts from his 1972 U.S. tour.
What’s truly remarkable about this footage is its origin. It was formerly owned by MGM and stored in secure salt mines in Kansas, designed to protect the film from moisture damage and preserve its quality. Luhrmann described the process of obtaining the footage as akin to an adventure straight out of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Upon examining the film reels, they uncovered a 1972 interview with the directors of Elvis on Tour and a 45-minute audio interview from the same year.
Luhrmann reflected on this discovery, saying, “That was a light bulb moment. It was like, why don’t we just get outta the way — most pieces on Elvis are people talking about Elvis, or talking heads — and just let Elvis come to you kind of in a dreamscape, tell you his story, and sing it too.”
Editor Jonathan Redmond echoed this sentiment, highlighting the impact of hearing Elvis recount his life in his own words. “He wasn’t telling us something I didn’t know already, but hearing him say it was just so much more powerful,” Redmond noted.
“And then looking at the footage, you see how funny he was, him kind of goofing around in rehearsals, or backstage chatting with his backup singers in a really kind of sweet way,” Redmond continued. “That added a depth to the man that I felt was lacking just in terms of what I’d read about him.”