Filmmakers to
Share Experiences of Making
Elvis Presley Bio-Movie at
LDS Film Festival. Tears of
a King, a bio-pic of Elvis
Presley that explores Elvis'
spiritual search, will be
discussed as part of the LDS
Film Festival in Orem, Utah,
this Friday.
Film writer and director Rob
Diamond, Producer Josh
Pearson, and Director of
Photography/editor/ producer
Kels Goodman will discuss
their experiences in the
creation of their new motion
picture at 2:00 PM on
January 19. It will be one
of several presentations
given as part of the 6th
Annual LDS Film Festival,
chaired by Christian Vuissa.
Tears of a King was filmed
in Orem in September 2006.
It explores a part of Elvis'
life never before told � his
personal quest for spiritual
knowledge and peace. During
their presentation, the
filmmakers will give
festival-goers a �sneak
peak� at some of the footage
from the movie, which is
still being edited. There
will also be a Q&A session.
Millions know Elvis
Presley�s music and the
flashy jewel-studded
costumes, but few have
explored the man behind the
myth, the loneliness behind
the legend, and the
spiritual hunger lurking
beneath the glitz and
glamour of a rock �n roll
�King.�
The location is the SCERA
Theater at 745 South State
Street in Orem.
www.ldsfilmfestival.org
The festival runs from
January 17-20 and features
dozens of films by, for, and
about members of The Church
of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Tickets
for all events are available
at 801/225-ARTS, online at
http://www.scera.org
or at the door.
Elvis Presley, as depicted
in Tears of a King.
Behind closed doors, Elvis
often escaped from his
daunting public life into
his bedroom at Graceland for
weeks at a time � especially
in his later years. This is
where much of the film Tears
of a King takes place. The
filmmakers built a replica
of Elvis�s room from the few
existing photos and floor
plans of the mansion in
Memphis, in order to give
fans a glimpse of a place
where no fan has gone before
� Elvis' personal sanctuary.
The actual room at Graceland
was sealed shortly after his
death and remains untouched
even today.
It is there that we meet the
man Elvis, not the star. We
see a man searching for
answers in a world that for
him has gone wrong. We
witness first hand the
struggles and hopes of a man
humbled by his excesses � a
grieving human being in
despair.
Elvis Aron Presley grew from
humble beginnings to become
one of the most famous men
ever to walk the face of the
earth. He was known
worldwide almost as well as
Jesus Christ himself. Elvis
seemingly had everything
anyone could ever want. But
what he wanted most � a
family � he had lost due to
bad choices and public
demand on his time and
energies.
Much of the film is told in
surreal flashback sequences
where Elvis comes face to
face with his past. In a
manner similar to the
Scrooge character in A
Christmas Carol, he gains
insight from each of his
reflections. And like
Scrooge, he is guided in his
discoveries about himself by
a �mysterious man� � a
supernatural character from
the Beyond.
Newcomer Matt Lewis plays
Elvis in the film, and in
addition to his uncanny
physical resemblance to
Presley his speaking and
singing voice almost
perfectly match that of
Elvis. In several musical
numbers Lewis captures both
the voice and spirit of �The
King� so exactly that many
visitors to the movie set
thought they were hearing
and seeing a ghost.
Power comes with fame and
fortune, and Elvis lived in
a world governed by his own
rules, which ultimately
became the catalyst for his
demise and also his eventual
journey to redemption. In
spite of his human
weaknesses, he was known to
be a kind and generous man
and a devout Christian � a
good soul who sought peace
and knowledge from his
Maker. An avid reader, Elvis
devoured many books and
studied many religions. In
one particular ancient and
sacred volume, the film
shows the �King of Rock n'
Roll� as he comes face to
face with the King of Kings
and finds spiritual guidance
in a time of great need and
sorrow.
The film�s producers were
able to obtain permission to
use in the movie a copy of
The Book of Mormon that was
owned by Elvis, which is now
kept in the LDS Church
archives.
Tears of a King tells a
story of struggle, of
self-discovery, and of
forgiveness and redemption.
It is a film to be loved by
both young and old alike.
Regardless of religious
affiliation, Tears of a King
promises to be both
entertaining and
enlightening for movie-goers
worldwide.
Tears of a King will be
released in theatres during
August of 2007 to coincide
with the thirtieth
anniversary of Elvis�s
death.
At the same time, a factual
documentary program about
Elvis�s spiritual quest will
be released on television
and DVD. Both films are
produced by �7 Films 7�
Productions and Matthew
Reese Films. For more
information go to
www.tearsofaking.com
or
call 801/824-2843
Source: EP
Gold