Movies like Rocket Man and Bohemian Rhapsody has cropped up in recent years, providing behind-the-scenes interpretations of music icons such as Freddy Mercury, Elton John, and of course the latest – Elvis Presley.
It’s a subversive narrative that almost completely contradicts whatever the audience is shown on screen. It acts like a direct reflection of the mental gymnastics the narcissist goes through to make events fit their distorted view of the world.
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Narration is a multi-level literary technique that doesn’t just tell one story – it tells several. It tells the story of how Elvis became King; epic how a skinny kid with stage fright conquers his fear. It’s the tragic story of a poor boy who just wants to do right by his family, and is manipulated, exhausted, and worked to death along the way.
**If you haven’t seen the movie yet, this is your chance to go see Elvis, but this article will try to remain as spoiler-free as possible**
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The Other Side of the Narrative Coin
Told from the perspective of his partner, friend and agent Colonel Tom Parker, and portrayed by Academy Award winner Tom Hanks, voice actor in Elvis follows a well-crafted narrative about a twisted, narcissistic talent manager trying to rewrite the story of a barely known beginning.
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Beginning with what appears to be Parker’s deathbed confession, Tom Hanks’ voice opens with the film itself, spinning a narrative as twisted, tangled and manipulated as Elvis’ hairstyle. Presenting “her” story to the audience as if to offer them a heated insight into her defense, the narrative Colonel Parker gives us is a virtual crash course into the mind of a narcissist. It stretches the truth so far it snaps without breaking, leaving a flabby, loose rubber band that any stupid lie can fit into. He’s a bad guy, and deep down, somewhere under all the sedimentary layers of lies he’s told himself, he knows that – maybe.
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Colonel Parker is an Unreliable Narrator
He is not only an unreliable narrator, but a parasite who enjoys a good trickster and a golden meal ticket. Willing to do anything to maintain control over the world around him, Colonel Parker is an abusive manipulator with loyalty to no one but himself; and the narrative reflects that.
In fact, Colonel Parker’s entire narration sounds like a love letter to be denied until the bitter and lonely end.
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The Narration is Parker Actively Lying to Himself
Whether committed to deceiving the audience or actually believing his own account of events, Colonel Parker is so unreliable a narrator that the only thing we can take seriously from him is that he doesn’t understand music.
He even said that the “side gig” was for him – he just got the contract and the money. What’s interesting about Parker’s manipulative methods is that when deceiving others, he uses the truth to corner them in the narrative, but when he needs to convince himself, he lies – hence the narrative we hear.
His Actions Contradict His Narrative
The movie plays like someone trying to whisper a lie in your ear while watching them do the thing they’re lying about. Parker’s narration actively tries to counter his actions; no matter how peaceful they are.
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When Elvis’ career began to decline due to Parker’s influence, the narrative we were given somehow tried to present it as the singer’s fault; and in a sad circular way, laden with deceit and victimhood, it was – but only because Elvis trusted Colonel Parker in the first place.
Whenever something happened, caused trouble, or disrupted Elvis’ mental health, it was never the Colonel’s fault – it was always someone else’s. Even as we watch Elvis collapse five minutes before the show and be injected with an upper garment at Parker’s behest, the narration insists that it’s vitamins and rest.
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Narrators Manipulate Stories – and the People in them
He was confused, confused, and hurt when Elvis didn’t listen to him or oppose him.
Every time Elvis follows his heart or makes his own decisions, we see (and hear) Parker’s control threatened. Every once in a while, and if only for a moment, his facade cracks and we see the terrifying truth of who he is, struggling to control the story, and the people in it.
Parker calls Elvis his “dear son” and speaks of him lovingly to the audience – even disguising his manipulation as having Elvis’ best interests at heart, but we see a different truth on screen. His actions reveal him to be more parasite than manager or friend; he only worries the host when the host is at risk of not supplying blood to suck.
Time and time again, he tries to convince us throughout the film that he is looking out for Elvis’ best interests – even though at the same time we witness the opposite. It seems like a narrative he’s almost trying to convince himself of from the audience in a desperate attempt to rewrite history. Whatever he believes, he sticks to his version of the narrative until the end of the film – and his own life.
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Awards, Accolades and Fun Facts
Although Hanks is best known for his role as Forrest Gump, among many other critically acclaimed films, he is no stranger to the world of voice acting. Although his most enduring performance as a voice actor is Woody from toy story, he played an important role in Polar Express, having voiced six different characters in the film.
Tom Hanks also won consecutive academy awards in 1993 and 1994 for his role in Forrest Gump and Philadelphia.
Although it is still too early in the season to mention any Academy Awards, 2022 Elvis have the people’s temperature rise on the tragic magical journey that is the life and career of the immortal King, Elvis Aron Presley.
So far, the film has managed three HCA nominations and one win that saw Austin Butler take home the Best Actor award, but this won’t be the last we hear from the critically acclaimed masterpiece of musical history.
Ki Handysides is an award-winning voice artist and narration coach. Among his 20K+ complete narrations, you’ve heard him on Discovery, Netflix and the major networks, on iMax, the White House and the Smithsonian.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
