On K List of Movie Reviews
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King Creole (1958)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
6/12
6/12:
In King Creole, the 23-year-old Elvis Presley plays a high school dropout, falls for a woman who's three times his
age, is wanted by a desperate lunatic girl, finds his life in danger in the hands of Walter Matthau, and is saved by a
half-wit mute.
You know, I like Walt, but he's better in comedies. This silly picture has too many musical numbers with the same old story.
Elvis Presley's face looks puffier than it was in Jailhouse Rock. His acting was a lot
better before, being a fan of James Dean and Marlon Brando, but in King Creole, he's inflexible and stiff.
The idea of a student being denied his high school diploma because of a fight is ludicrous. So is Danny Fisher (I know
it's Elvis, but let's be realistic here) who, all of a sudden, becomes a singing sensation with no practice. If he was working
on it for a long time, then there should be a different reaction from his father and sister given the musical talent.
The dying lines of one person at the end of the film are so hysterical and cringeworthy that it pretty much sums up
King Creole. I expected more from Michael Curtiz who did Casablanca, but this is
disappointing. By the way, Elvis said for years that King Creole was his favorite film. Of course, it's because, due
to what happened to his co-star, he hadn't seen Jailhouse Rock.
All in all, King Creole is King Boring.