Elvis Presley's Films (From Best to Worst)

A perfect balance between drama, music, romance and comedy. Undoubtedly Elvis’ best movie soundtrack (Jailhouse Rock, Treat Me Nice, Young & Beautiful). The orchestral score for the intro is fantastic and the film starts with excitement straight away as Elvis gets involved in a fight. Elvis is given more to work with for his character and he does it extremely well. Just watch the scene where he smashes the guitar or when he’s in the hospital bed. Mickey Slaughnessy and Judy Tyler are excellent. The Jailhouse Rock sequence is impressive even today and the end of the film is really touching. It is often claimed that Elvis never watched this film due to immense grief over Judy Tyler’s tragic death. It would be a huge pity if this was true because it is by far Elvis’ best film.

Out of Elvis’ longer films (roughly 2 hours) this one is unique in that it is gripping the whole way through. There are no wasted scenes and the film moves at a perfect pace. The script is terrific with some fantastic dialogue and provides Elvis with the most challenging role of his life. For me, this is Elvis’ finest acting performance. He conveys his character’s feeling of being lost in life so well and he is superb in the scene where drunk Glen turns up at Miss Sperry’s house. Hope Lange is outstanding and Tuesday Weld is pretty impressive as well. The film contains 3 excellent songs (+ a deleted scene of Elvis singing Lonely Man; I hope this still exists somewhere), which fit nicely and don’t steal focus from the plot. The way that there are many subplots makes the film unpredictable and more enjoyable. This film really is a terrific drama that should have been far more successful than it was.

Filled with humour, a fun story and lots and lots of music (perhaps a little too much!) Most of the songs are excellent (No More, Blue Hawaii and Can’t Help Falling In Love) but there are a few forgettable ones (Beach Boy Blues). The attractive Hawaiian scenery is used for good effect. Elvis and the rest of the cast look like they’re really enjoying making the film. The only bad thing about the film is that it was so successful that from now on the Colonel wanted Elvis to do musical comedies only.

The first ten minutes are a little dull and pointless but as soon as Elvis sings G.I. Blues the film picks up. Juliet Prowse and her two dance sequences are stunning! This is certainly one of Elvis’ best movie soundtracks with the top 3 songs being (Wooden Heart, Pocketful of Rainbows, Doin’ the Best I Can). I love the way Elvis rerecorded Blue Suede Shoes for the film. I prefer this version to the original! The romance/chemistry between Elvis and Juliet Prowse really lights up the film and, excluding the beginning, the film moves at a swift pace with lots of laughs and entertainment. This is one of the few musicals Elvis made that didn't have one bad song. The scene in the German bar with the fight to Blue Suede Shoes is one of the best scenes of any Elvis movie.

Finally, a more adult comedy for Elvis. The music is excellent (the best song is obviously A Little Less Conversation but the other three are great too) and the fact that a lot was filmed on location rather than in the studio makes it seem like more money has been spent on production than Elvis' few films before this. The opening with Elvis driving is impressively filmed. There are a lot of funny moments without anything being too silly. Celeste Yarnell is delightful and Michelle Carey is both amusing and adorable as the eccentric Bernice. The idea of Elvis' character trying to do two jobs at the same time without his two bosses discovering creates a lot of entertaining situations. The largest and one of the best fight scenes is also in this film. Elvis is looking his very best (he must have already been preparing for the 68 Comeback Special).

The story is fun and there is a perfect mixture of music, comedy, romance and drama. Although there are no outstanding songs, the music is still pretty good with the top 3 being I’m Falling In Love Tonight, One Broken Heart For Sale and They Remind Me Too Much of You. Vicky Liu is one of the highlights of the film. Her character is adorable and it’s nice to see Elvis really enjoying his scenes with her. The location for filming at the fair is spectacular, especially that high-up restaurant. The brilliant Kurt Russell appears as the boy who kicks Elvis; even at the age of 10 one can see his acting talent.

One hell of an opening sequence with an awesome karate fight, followed soon after with an impressively filmed motorbike stunt. Elvis plays his character real cool in this film and he is supported by the beautiful Joan Freeman (also the leading lady in Roy Orbison’s only film) and the brilliant Barbara Stanwyck. The music is very good (with the highlights being Little Egypt, There's A Brand New Day on the Horizon and Big Love, Big Heartache) but there are a few too many carnival-themed songs. Another small complaint is that the film lags a bit when Elvis is being shown around the carnival, while one of the most interesting parts (Charlie Rogers going to work for the rival carnival) is a tad short. The final scene with Elvis singing There's A Brand New Day on the Horizon is brilliantly filmed (amazingly the whole scene in one take!) (James Bond fans, see if you can spot Richard Kiel, the actor for Jaws!)

Elvis gets to play the sort of role that he had always wanted in a film with no singing apart from the opening credits. The title song and the incidental music are outstanding. One can tell Elvis relished playing Jess Wade and he is great at playing the tough guy but it's a pity that apart from the scene where he gets his neck wound, Elvis isn't really given anything to show off his acting skills properly. The cast is great (especially Ina Balin, Barbara Werle and Solomon Sturges) but Victor French lacks menace as the bad guy. The scenery is wonderful and there isn't a dull moment. However, the film should have been much darker and had more shoot-outs, more explosions, more cannon blasting and more killing (the opening shoot-out in the bar is pathetically passive). It could have been so much better but it still is more enjoyable and more impressive than many of Elvis' other films.

An absorbing plot (keeps one guessing which lady Elvis' character will marry), four fantastic and very different female leads and great music. The best songs are Spinout, Beach Shack and All That I Am but there aren't really any bad songs at all. The beginning is one of those classic scenes (when Elvis drives into the water) that they always show in Elvis documentaries. The race sequence is filmed magnificently and the film is packed with girls. The end is brilliant in that it mocks the typical ends of Elvis films by having Elvis' character go for no girl but marry them off to other men. It feels like much more effort has been put into Spinout than the several films prior to this and it is a lot more enjoyable, not just for the viewers for Elvis looks like he's having fun as well.

Great songs (especially Love Me Tender and Poor Boy), less music allows more character development and focus on the story, fantastic lead performance from Richard Egan provides perfect opportunity for Elvis’ first attempt at acting and Elvis is pretty good too (although he appears very nervous at some points). The ending is very well done in that it’s sad, yet at the same time seeing the apparition of Elvis smiling and singing Love Me Tender ends the film on a jolly note. The scene where Vince forgives Clint is disappointingly brief though.

A simple story yet it's executed perfectly with a lot of excitement and some laughs. This film has just the right amount of music so that there is more focus on the plot. The underwater scenes are spectacular and one of the best things about the film. Dodie Marshall is first-class as the eccentric Jo Symington and there is great chemistry between her and Elvis. The music is mostly good (the highlights are I'll Take Love, Sing You Children and Easy Come Easy Go). If only the dreadful yoga song had been removed then this film would have been even better.

It is claimed that Elvis only appears in 1/3 of this movie but it's hard to notice as his presence is always felt and the supporting cast are so good. Elvis is the perfect choice for the white-suited impresario Walter White while there is fine comedic talent from Nicole Jaffe (the ditzy Betty), Vincent Price and Frank Welker. Marlyn Mason manages the difficult feat of being angry on screen for almost the whole film yet still being very likeable. The problem of Elvis' music being used in a film set in the 1920s is solved with some excellent songs that just about fit the period (Swing Down Sweet Chariot and Clean Up Your Own Backyard are the highlights). It's undoubtedly one of Elvis' funniest films. The way that it begins in black and white then switches to colour with the narrator's words “came alive” really emphasises that it's the 1920s. The late development of a murder mystery adds a little intrigue to the film but the whole case is solved too quickly with a rushed ending. There are also a few too many scenes of the children's auditions.

Elvis is overweight, the playground scene is one of the worst scenes in any Elvis movie, the story is simple and yet somehow the film is hugely enjoyable. Apart from Confidence, the music is mostly very good (A House That Has Everything, The Girl I Never Loved, You Don't Me Know and Clambake are the best songs). Shelley Fabares puts in another fine performance in her third movie with Elvis, even though she's playing a very different character and the rest of the cast is also great. The speedboat race is exciting and the switching-places storyline creates a lot of funny situations. With all the problems behind the scenes and it being one of the lowest points of Elvis' career, it's amazing that the film turned out so well.

The story is interesting, Elvis and Ann Margret are excellent and the chemistry between them is electric. The race sequence is very striking with the explosives and various stunts. All the stage performances are impressively choreographed and the film is packed with great shots of Vegas. The main problem with the film is the music; there are only two good songs (Viva Las Vegas and C’mon Everybody) and there are too few songs in general. Instead of having the title track played thrice throughout the course of the movie, it would have been nicer to hear Elvis sing some other tunes. In addition to this, the last quarter of the film feels rushed.

The mystery/action is a refreshing change for an Elvis film and a lot of the comedy is very funny but it feels like the film can't decide which of the two genres will be its main focus. This means that some of the drama is diminished; for example in the scene where Jill finds out the truth about her uncle and he is arrested, there is no emotion from Jill at all, which is disappointing. It's one of the few Elvis films where a character is killed on screen; the way Elvis coldly walks away from the dead body and slams the door is the most impressive piece of acting Elvis had done in a while. Annette Day is splendid in her début as an actress and has great chemistry with Elvis. For me the Double Trouble soundtrack is Elvis' best post-Blue Hawaii movie soundtrack. Unfortunately because of just one terrible song (Old McDonald) the album is usually neglected by many. Long Legged Girl, There's So Much World To See, Baby If You'll Give Me All Your Love and Double Trouble are excellent songs; basically everything except Old McDonald is first-class. It's a pity there was no filming done in Europe but the sets are very well done.

Very good songs (especially Love Me, Teddy Bear and Got A Lot O Living), Elvis is visibly more relaxed, Lizabeth Scott is excellent, as is Dolores Hart. Although the 1st half of the film is very strong, the second half becomes very dull with the continuous touring, and the revealing of Deke’s childhood doesn’t add much to the film. It feels like they didn't really know what to do with the rest of the film. However, the final performances of Got A Lot O Living To Do and Love Me end the film on a high.

The first film Elvis made that was very funny for all ages throughout. The mystery/horror element is welcome. The cast is excellent and the music is fantastic (the best being Long Lonely Highway, Such An Easy Question and I'm Yours). This film also contains the most fight scenes out of all his films, each one choreographed very impressively. The set designs are great but due to a lack of filming on location, it does slightly give the film a low-budget feel. In addition to this, many would surely question whether there was any point in Elvis acting in a musical but just using songs he had released 5 years earlier. It also seems a little strange seeing Elvis lip-sync to songs like Dirty Dirty Feeling which have high notes which Elvis could no longer reach in 1965. On the other hand, using past songs for the film may have saved Elvis from recording another album as terrible as Girl Happy.

The music is poor and feels out of place in a film of a serious nature, ruining the tone. The way that all the music is crammed into the first five minutes of the film is ridiculous; they should have taken the music out altogether. The plot is strong with an excellent cast. The attempts at negotiating with both sides and other problems in the war and with racial tensions for Pacer’s family are gripping. However, the recurring idea of a flaming star of death seemed a little out of place and unnecessary. The idea of Pacer’s mother walking out to die is ludicrous. The end of the film is weak in that it is so abrupt that it doesn’t explore the emotions of the white people at Pacer’s actions, and the way that the last shot shows Pacer riding away rather than dying doesn’t evoke the sadness one would have thought the director wanted.

Toby Kwimper is the least intelligent character Elvis ever played. Although Elvis puts in a hilarious performance, many Elvis fans won’t like to see this. The story is a little strange in that it doesn’t make sense why the Kwimpers want to stay on the land rather than refuelling their car and going back home. This film feels like it’s made for a younger audience than his others with some very silly moments (the 10 times tables). The music is not as spectacular as Blue Hawaii or G.I. Blues but it is still pretty good (especially I’m Not The Marrying Kind, Follow That Dream and Angel). Sound Advice is a terrible song and was rightfully removed from the EP soundtrack release. The highlight of the film is definitely Toby’s dealings with the gangsters but the courtroom scene is also memorable.

The plot is a little strange and it's weird to see Elvis playing a doctor who heals people with all sorts of serious issues while also rocking out to songs like Rubberneckin'. Apart from this song and the title song, the music is poor. The three nuns are magnificently played by Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara McNair and Jane Elliott. There are some very amusing scenes with the two old ladies and the priest. The best moment is when Elvis is playing Lawdy Miss Clawdy on the piano. There are quite a few interesting sub-plots such as the banker but none of them are dealt with satisfactorily, leaving the romance as the main element of the film.

The first half is too slow. One doesn’t really know where the film is trying to go or what genre it is. Elvis is a little too old to play a school kid but he is especially good in the scenes with Carolyn Jones . It is the first Elvis film to contain rubbish songs (Crawfish, Lover Doll) and it also contains quite a few forgettable songs. Trouble, As Long As I Have You and Dixieland Rock are excellent though. It’s outrageous that 7 minutes is wasted on the dreadful Crawfish whereas the 2nd best song (Hard Headed Woman) is basically cut from the film. The second half of the film is too fast. There’s not enough focus on Elvis’ character switching between the clubs and the competition between the two owners while there’s too much focus on Maxie Field’s mistress. The end is so rushed that Elvis’ character doesn’t even have a proper reconciliation scene with his father, nor do we find out whether the relationship with Dolores Hart’s character works out. A mess of a film, though Elvis' acting in some parts is excellent.

The music is terrible (Puppet on a String is the only good song) but the film is great with the story creating a lot of fun and entertainment. Shelley Fabares is fabulous, especially in the stripping scene, while Nita Talbot provides a lot of humour.

Quite dull and the music is nothing special (Let Yourself Go is the only highlight) There is too much racing and a lot of the sets are re-used again and again, which gives a low-budget feel. In spite of that, Elvis and Bill Bixby make an amusing comedy duo and Nancy Sinatra is wonderful.

Elvis gets to play a character with an interesting back-story and emotional trauma, which is a welcome change. Ursula Andress, fresh from starring with Sean Connery in Dr No, and Elsa Cardenas are fabulous. The character Raoul is humorously played by Larry Domasin. (I would have loved to see The Colonel’s reaction to the scene where Raoul phones up all the club managers getting them to pay Elvis more money!) The music is all righ (with the best being Bossa Nova Baby, Vino Dinero El Amor and I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here) although there are a few turkeys (The Bullfighter Was A Lady). The performance of Bossa Nova Baby is one of the most visually impressive out of all Elvis movies. The film does tend to drag in some places and that many of Elvis’ scenes are in front of projector screens instead of being in Mexico, which is very obvious. It is also annoying seeing doubles for Elvis being used continuously throughout the movie (e.g. the guy climbing up and down the diving board; he neither looks nor moves like Elvis).

Arguably, the most ridiculous storyline of any Elvis movie. Elvis’ leading ladies are forgettable, perhaps because the actresses have little to work with. Parts of the film are so stupid (e.g. the girls (Kittyhawks) who chase after the men in order to get pregnant) that they are amusing for the wrong reasons. At least the film is an attempt at something a little different. The idea of Elvis playing two characters, occasionally on screen at the same time, is a clever one and the music is surprisingly very good (excluding Barefoot Ballad) with the best songs being Kissing Cousins (single version), There’s Gold in the Mountains and Tender Feeling. The filming of Smokey Mountain Boy is very impressive in that they actually film Elvis driving while singing (in most 60s movies these sorts of scenes were all done in the studio in front of projection screens).

The music is good, a huge improvement over the abysmal Girl Happy soundtrack. There are no outstanding songs but there are also no terrible songs (the highlights are Mirage, Kismet and Go East Young Man). The storyline is absurd; are the assassins really stupid enough to believe that an actor has the skills to assassinate someone in real life just because he kills a tiger in a film. Although the sets are very elaborate, it just doesn't feel like the Middle East. They should have at least shot some footage in a desert-like area. Mary Ann Mobley is stunning and Elvis puts in a great performance without showing his disgust at the film. There are some funny moments and it's refreshing to see Elvis in more of an adventure film but in the end it still feels far too silly.

The plot is most odd. The first third of the film is very dull; all it is is partying and music. The second half of the film is a slight improvement with some humorous moments. Joan Blondell is quite funny as the shotgun-toting mother and Elvis really gets into his role as the reckless and wild Joe Whitecloud, while seemingly enjoying himself at the same time. Thomas Gomez is also very amusing as Chief Whitecloud. The music is pretty good,even though there are no outstanding songs, and the beautiful Arizona scenery is showcased. It's still an awful film though.

There is very little story and very few girls. The music is forgettable apart from the title song, Return to Sender and Song of the Shrimp. The idea of having a song (The Walls Have Ears) based on the knocking on the walls from neighbours is embarrassingly awful. The film is mostly forgettable as well and very dull. On the plus side, Laurel Goodwin is quite good and the reprise of Girls, Girls, Girls at the end is a visually impressive dance number where we finally get to see evidence of the film’s title.

The story is something different and so is the setting. However, we hardly get to see the exterior of the riverboat so it's obvious that it's just a studio. All three leading ladies are pretty good. The highlight of the film is undoubtedly the performance of Frankie and Johnny, which is even repeated. It's a pity the most dramatic part of the film, when Frankie shoots Johnny, is so short as it turns the film into just another silly musical in the end. The music is terrible (Petunia The Gardener's Daughter is best forgotten about!) apart from the following four songs: the title song, Everybody Come Aboard, Shout it Out and Beginner's Luck.

All of the songs are forgettable (the best one is probably I Got Lucky but even this is pretty standard for Elvis) and there is a lot of boxing, which gets quite boring. The sub-plot with the gangsters playing dirty to get Walter to lose the boxing match adds a bit of excitement but ends in disappointment when we don’t get to see what happens to them when they lose. On the plus side, it’s nice to see Joan Blackman again and Lola Albright and Charles Bronson are fantastic. One can’t help but feel that it would have suited Elvis more to be in a karate film.

Dreadfully boring and very predictable. There is little story, the acting is bad and apart from the title song and House of Sand, the music is awful. Datin' and Queenie Wahine's Papaya are perhaps the two worst songs Elvis ever recorded. In some scenes Elvis does look disgusted at what he has to do and it is very noticeable that Elvis has gained some weight.