"Elvis: The Movie" DVD Campaign

"Elvis: The Movie" was originally broadcast on the ABC network as a 3 hour film in 1979. It starred Kurt Russell as Elvis and also featured Shelley Winters, Bing Russell, Season Hubley and Pat Hingle. John Carpenter, who brought us "Escape from New York" and "Halloween", directed it.

The film did not focus on Elvis's music so much as it did on the man himself. While Mr. Russell was not a dead ringer for the legendary entertainer, he had, according to Mr. Carpenter, "Elvis's essence."

Kurt Russell eventually went on to become one of Hollywood's finest leading actors adding class and true talent to every film he has appeared in. John Carpenter's status as one of the best genre directors ever has been firmly established over the years with classics such as "The Thing" and "The Fog."

Unfortunately, "Elvis: The Movie" has largely been ignored over the last few decades, perhaps being a made-for-TV movie from the late 1970's has been a detriment to it's perceived marketability? This of course is pure nonsense as some excellent movies created for TV have made significant impact on people the nuclear holocaust thriller "The Day After" is a prime example.

Not many TV films have the unique pedigree that "Elvis: The Movie" has, featuring some of the finest talent Hollywood has had to offer (Carpenter/Russell.)

This film was produced by Dick Clark Productions, and we ask that the company begin the process of releasing "Elvis: The Movie" on DVD in the near future. We do not know if a specific studio (Disney, FOX) own the home video rights or if Dick Clark Productions has not signed a licensing agreement with anyone yet, but it is clear that it all begins *with* Mr. Clark's company.

"Elvis: The Movie" has never had an official home video release in the United States and (to our knowledge) has rarely, if ever, been aired on TV again after it's original broadcast. This fine film should not be relegated to collecting dust in some company's vault, it should be digitally remastered, presented in it's 1.33:1 original aspect ratio and if possible, remixed in to 5.1 surround sound. Both Mr. Carpenter and Mr. Russell have joined together in recording audio commentary tracks for their films when they've been released on DVD, and every attempt should be made to do so for this one.

"Elvis: The Movie" should be brought back so it's fans can once again enjoy it as well as bringing it to a new generation of viewers. While Carpenter's and Russell's fans will be interested in buying a DVD release, it's also fairly obvious that this movie will appeal to the millions and millions of Elvis fans worldwide.

Please release "Elvis: The Movie" on DVD. Thank you for your consideration.