THE KING — Trailer

source:   www.theking.film

added: Tue, May 22nd '18

"If Elvis is your metaphor for America, we're about to OD."

Check out the trailer for "THE KING," a new thought-provoking documentary from Emmy and Peabody award-winning filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight, The House I Live In).

While riding inside Elvis' 1963 Rolls-Royce as it takes a cross-country road trip, the documentary examines America's cultural and political history, in which writer-director Jarecki applies Elvis Presley's superstar status as a metaphor for the American Dream -- while also using his tragic drug-overdose death as a cautionary tale for the country's future.

The film, which is produced by Steven Soderbergh, Errol Morris, and Rosanne Cash, visits several cities that were some of the King's favorite stomping grounds, including Memphis, New York, and Las Vegas. The film will show how those cities look today and how they have changed since the King's death in 1977.

Featuring interviews with Chuck D, David Simon, Emmylou Harris, Ethan Hawke, Van Jones, Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin and many more, "THE KING" (formerly known as "Promised Land") just premiered to positive reviews at the Cannes Film Festival. It's now slated for June 22nd theatrical release.

synopsis:
Forty years after the death of Elvis Presley, two-time Sundance Grand Jury winner Eugene Jarecki's new film takes the King's 1963 Rolls-Royce on a musical road trip across America. From Memphis to New York, Las Vegas, and beyond, the journey traces the rise and fall of Elvis as a metaphor for the country he left behind. In this groundbreaking film, Jarecki paints a visionary portrait of the state of the American Dream and a penetrating look at how the hell we got here. A diverse cast of Americans, both famous and non, join the journey.

 

directed by   Eugene Jarecki

release date   June 22, 2018