The King (2018) on Netflix
R20181h 47mDocumentary
A filmmaker drives Elvis Presley's 1963 Rolls-Royce Phantom V across America during the 2016 election. Musicians, historians and journalists ride along to talk about Presley, race and success.
- Watch on NetflixThis title is not on Netflix right now. Please check back later for updates.
- Watch on Prime
- Watch on NordVPN
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb6.9/101,343 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes77%
Trailer
Plot summary
Forty years after Elvis Presley's death, a filmmaker sets out in Presley's own 1963 Rolls-Royce Phantom V, driving from Tupelo, Mississippi to Memphis, New York City and Las Vegas as the 2016 American election unfolds. The car carries the film: it is both transportation and a place for conversation, and almost all of the shooting happens on the road. Musicians, celebrities, journalists and historians ride along and talk about Presley, his music, success, race and the country he came to represent. Clips from the archive join the journey, among them footage of the blues artists whose work shaped his sound, and several African American voices weigh his debt to black music against his distance from the Civil Rights Movement.
Cast
Show all 15 cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The King (2018)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Eugene Jarecki bought Elvis Presley's 1963 Rolls-Royce Phantom V at Bonham's auction in 2014 for $396,000, picking it for the film over a Cadillac or a Thunder Bird.
- Eugene Jarecki turned up in Nashville with no plan or contacts, and through conversation with locals met the country singer EmiSunshine, who became a central interviewee in the documentary.
- Eugene Jarecki got the idea for the film while touring for his 2013 film The House I Live In, describing the nation's shift ahead of Trump's 2016 election as an "overnight transformation into fat Elvis".
