Joel Gilbert's Elvis Found Alive is a sensational, evidence revealing 'mockumentary' supplemented by stunning new recordings by Elvis!! It is the follow up release to his fab 'mockumentary', Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison.
The promotional material reveals that the sensational evidence presented in Elvis Found Alive arose out of Gilbert's Freedom of Information Act request for US Government files on Elvis (which eventually led him to the home of "Jon Burrows"). The early scene of producer/director Gilbert and his staff receiving the 'faulty' FBI files is a scream!
Gilbert has taken the original Elvis conspiracy theory and 'value added' by incorporating new information and conspiratorial elements to its evil web of deceit and intrigue.
The outcome is a rollicking ride with enough incredible claims and amusing one-liners to detract from a few periods when the narrative sags under the weight of its polemic. The incredulity of some of the claims or situations is part of the fun of watching Elvis Found Alive.
During its 128 minutes running time we also learn new things about the King's life. Did you he was an extra in Avatar or that Colonel Tom Parker was a pimp for the disc jockeys who first played Elvis's records? A laugh out loud moment is "Elvis" describing Vernon copulating with his new wife and Elvis' step-mother, Dee, as sounding "like they was killing hogs upstairs" (what a randy old devil Vernon must have been).
I'm not going to give anymore away about the narrative except to say that Elvis Found Alive is well constructed and certainly has its moments (as long as you suspend rational thought and enjoy it for what it is – a parody delivered without a hint of being a parody). Gilbert's Paul McCartney conspiracy 'mockumentary' has a slight advantage overElvis Found Alive in gaining viewer engagement in that it is more 'out there' and its conspiracy tale more complex.
Surely a testament to its production qualities, some buyers of Elvis Found Alive actually believed the producer/director was presenting a serious documentary!
The CD Album: Some fans claim the voice on the album is Belfast postman James Brown, whose two albums using the moniker, Whoever it is, there is a vocal resemblance to the King but it is not Elvis, if only because an Elvis now aged in his 70s would exhibit a somewhat different singing and speaking voice to the younger voice on offer on both the album and DVD (damn, I've done it again... ...introduced a factual element which is dissonant to the conspiracy story!)The King, were excellent entries in the world of "I sound like Elvis" releases.
Whoever it is, there is a vocal resemblance to the King but it is not Elvis, if only because an Elvis now aged in his 70s would exhibit a somewhat different singing and speaking voice to the younger voice on offer on both the album and DVD (damn, I've done it again... ...introduced a factual element which is dissonant to the conspiracy story!)
If you are looking for an Elvis related something a bit 'out there', Elvis Found Alive could be the tonic. With its deadpan narrative delivery, over-the-top premise and delicious one-liners, you could do much worse than spend a rainy day mulling over this unusual offering.
Nigel Patterson - ElvisInfoNet.com
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