With the welcome arrival of the last few remaining unreleased Elvis Presley films on dvd now out, one has to ask the question, where is the Golden Globe award winning 1972 documentary ELVIS ON TOUR? This moving and penetrating look into Elvis’ world is one of the most essential documents on the man ever released and yet it continues to remain missing in action on Region One disc. The thirtieth anniversary of Elvis’ tragic passing, not to mention the 35th anniversary of the film itself, seemed like the perfect time for its release, but there are still no definitive plans for it.
The film, directed by award winning filmmakers Robert Abel and Pierre Adidge, documents Elvis at one of the most pivotal moments in his life and features some of the most intense and personal moments he ever shared with the public. Featuring portions from one of the most extraordinary sit down interviews he ever gave, along with some of the most volatile and searing concert footage ever shot, ELVIS ON TOUR is a raging and moving film that should have been on dvd long ago.
With it’s cutting edge split screen montages (overseen by none other that young filmmaker Martin Scorsese right around the time he shot the great BOXCAR BERTHA and just before MEAN STREETS) and unflinching looks at an increasingly exhausted Elvis, the film is a fast moving whirlwind of a documentary that Chronicles a man burning, still very brightly, at both ends. Hardcore fans will of course know of the hours of outtake footage that is currently on the collectors market, and seeing that material makes the unavailability of a fully loaded up box set special edition of the film even more frustrating.
Originally released in November of 1972 with the rumored live album called STANDING ROOM ONLY failing to accompany it, ELVIS ON TOUR received mostly positive reviews and did very well for a concert film. After being ignored critically for most of his movie career, I have always wondered what Elvis must have felt when the film did indeed share the Golden Globe that year for best documentary. The film was even more successful in Europe, and specifically Asia, where they were yearning to see Elvis live on stage. It is worth noting that the worldwide broadcast of ALOHA FROM HAWAII would be taped shortly after the film started to make such waves in Japan during the Christmas of 72.
While it is arguable whether or not this film is the equal of 1970’s THAT’S THE WAY IT IS, what is not in question is that we are given the opportunity to see Elvis at an increasingly vulnerable point in his life and for all its strengths, THAT’S THE WAY IT IS doesn’t have the devastating emotional impact of ELVIS ON TOUR.
I urge everyone to sign the ELVIS ON TOUR DVD petition at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/041972/petition.html
At this point even a crisp bare bones presentation of just the film would be most welcome but what we really need is a multi disc presentation with the input of Abel, Adidge and Scorsese, three men who worked incredibly hard and diligently on this film back in 72 to make it as real and memorable as they could. They succeeded in capturing one of our great artists at one of his peaks and delivered a really special film that very much needs to be back in the public eye.
One of the most important and spellbinding rock documentaries ever made is finally heading to DVD and Blu-Ray later this year. The Golden-Globe winning Elvis on Tour (1972) will arrive alongside a mammoth 17 disc box set of Presley's films sometime in August. No extras have been reported as of yet, but fans will know that with all the unreleased footage on the collectors market that a really splendid special edition is possible. While the question of what will be extra remains, the news that the film itself will finally be available again is extremely exciting. An extra that I would particularly like to see is an interview with Martin Scorsese, who worked as a montage editor on the film around the time he shot Mean Streets. I've been clamouring for this release for quite awhile, so thanks to everyone who might have clicked on the link I have had here asking for it to be released on DVD as, who knows, perhaps our votes helped. 
Just a quick note to alert anyone interested that the remastered version of the Golden Globe Award winning 1972 documentary Elvis on Tour is having a one-night only nation-wide theatrical showing this Thursday. This special showing will included a video introduction by Priscilla as well as some "never-before-seen Elvis footage." There is some controversy right now concerning the famous opening of the film, set to a blistering version of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode", in that it has possibly been altered but this has not been confirmed. Otherwise, the new print and sound-mix is said to be mind-blowing and this promises to be an exciting evening for fans. Elvis on Tour (with its stunning Martin Scorsese supervised montages) is one of the great rock documentaries and I have been clamouring for a DVD release for awhile (it finally hits stores next week) so this special showing is very welcome.
While it is arguable whether or not this film is the equal of 1970’s THAT’S THE WAY IT IS, what is not in question is that we are given the opportunity to see Elvis at an increasingly vulnerable point in his life and for all its strengths, THAT’S THE WAY IT IS doesn’t have the devastating emotional impact of ELVIS ON TOUR. 
