Any flick that has Harvey Keitel in it is by definition... cool. But add the fact that he maybe playing the long believed maybe not dead Elvis... well that's just waaaaaay too cool. Then throw in Bridget Fonda, who is already fantastic in this years A SIMPLE PLAN, playing a Marilyn Monroe impersonator... Well slap my ass and call me Happy, I'm all over this flick. If you've heard some additional coolness on this flick... let me know!
As you know, Harvey Keitel was working on Eyes Wide Shut until he bowed out to fulfill another commitment. This film, The Road to Graceland, is something I haven't seen any AICNews on, so I thought I'd drop you a line and tell you what I know.
Largo Entertainment began scouting Memphis for locations back in spring of 1996. I ran into one of their people while toiling in retail slavery, at American Evil, er, Eagle, and she was kind enough to give me some information.
She said that The Road to Graceland ("or Finding Graceland, or just plain Graceland--we're not sure yet") is an indie film, taking off from the old chestnut about a hitchhiker, who turns out to be Elvis. (Anyone unfamiliar with this tale, should see Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train). That Thing You Do's Johnathon Schaech ("a truly great and decent kid") play the guy who picks up this hitchhiker, a grizzled old man played by Keitel, who may or not be Elvis. David Winkler, son of well-known producer/director, Irwin, was directing from his script.
My informant and I hit it off fairly well. She talked about the film and I recommended some local nightspots. She said she'd be back later in the week. My mind raced--perhaps I'd make a friend on the set of a cool film, perhaps I'd even get to meet Mr. White himself! But alas, it was not to be. A blowout I had that same day with the designated psychopath who managed my district had me giving both him and my job the finger by four that afternoon. Unfazed by the loss of my inside connection, I began picking bits and pieces around town and from various media outlets. Here's what I have pulled together:
The film is being produced by Cary Brokaw (The Player, Down by Law) for Largo. David Winkler, the director is directing, but despite the fact that his only previous credit is a bit part in The Net, this doesn't seem to be nepotism at work. The script he cooked up with cowriter Jason Horwitch was the bait that pulled in much of the talented cast and crew.
The cast, in addition to Keitel as Elvis, and Schaech as Byron, includes Bridget Fonda, who plays Ashley, a Marilyn Monroe impersonator ("I intend to pad!" she is said to have remarked).
The cinematography is to be handled by Elliot Davis (Out of Sight, King of the Hill)and Jan Kiesser (Georgia). Davis was likely picked as much for his familiarity with the region (he shot Cybill Shepherd's 1991 tv movie, Memphis) as for his more prestigious work.
Stephen Endelman (Keys to Tulsa, Flirting with Disaster) is handling the original music. For my money, though, I'm more interested in which Elvis songs (if any) that Priscilla is licensing to the film. For that matter, I'm dying to know whether Harvey himself will be shaking his hunka burnin' love and crooning some tunes. Luis Colina (The Whole Wide World) is the editor. I mention this, because you'll remember him as the Corvette owner from The Big Lebowski.
As a longtime Memphian and a lifetime devotee of the much maligned King, I was struck by how often people in the know mentioned a "fable-like tone" to the film. "At the core of this movie is the belief that Elvis Presley is-more than a icon-a body of ethics, or moral integrity that is fundamental to what we like to think of ourselves as Americans," producer Brokaw said, in a local interview. "If anything, this film, rather than making fun of that or sullying that in any way, is really lionizing those qualities."
It is because of this vision that The Road to Graceland is the first nondocumentary to receive permission from EP Enterprises (a notoriously un-helpful bunch of folks) to film inside the King's mansion. Brokaw sent the script to Graceland several times without luck before a mutual friend arranged a meeting with Priscilla Presley's husband. Before long, the script had made its way to Mrs. Elvis herself, who liked it so much, she came aboard as an executive producer. After a few some crass speeches and a scene of the King getting sloppy drunk were nixed, Presley granted unprecedented access to the King's castle. In addition to the Graceland scenes, a sizable chunk of the film, is set in the Hollywood Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. The budget is said to be in the $10 million range.
A tag line floating around for the film says "Life isn't about believing in dreams... it's about living them. The most unforgettable people are the ones who never let reality get in the way." Pretty lame, and potentially gives away some plot.
I haven't heard anything from them in a while, and I suspect they've closed up shop and headed home. Last I heard, they were still undecided on a release date, but maybe another reader can help with that. On another Presley note (although I swear there is much more to our city than Elvis), a film based on Peter Guralnick's Last Train to Memphis, is set to begin production in the near future. If I hear anything about either project, I'll let you know. If you post this, call me "gocatgo"
