Year: 1957
Director: Richard Thorpe
Country: US
Language: English
Nicholas Ray's seminal Rebel Without A Cause (1955) made James Dean an icon in the world of Cinema. Unfortunately his death that same year meant Hollywood had to quickly look for a replacement. Plenty of teen dramas were feverishly made with good looking young men trying to act tough and rebellious. Many thought Elvis Presley would naturally fit the role, as he was oozing with charisma and was one of the most popular entertainers of the time. Enter his third picture; Jailhouse Rock.
After serving time for manslaughter, young Vince Everett (Elvis Presley) becomes a teenage rock star.
Throughout his MUSIC career, Elvis Presley acted over 30 films, the majority of which are entirely forgettable (I can't recall if any of them, besides Jailhouse Rock, have played on Turner Classic Movies) While the man had great stage presence, he wasn't exactly Humphrey Bogart in regards to acting. He didn't need to act well with this film however, as his unique voice and sense of choreography created a pretty iconic scene in motion picture history.
In 1957 there was a great fear that Jailhouse Rock would lead to more teenage riots. It appears to have been just another overestimation of Elvis’s negative influence on young people. There’s no doubt the film’s main audience of adolescents warmed up to Elvis’s “bad boy” character in Jailhouse Rock, but the film's release didn't create a surge of rock n' roll related crime.
Jailhouse Rock is the definitive "must-see" Elvis picture. It is a great snapshot of the late 50's, at least in terms of where cinema and music were at. The script is weak, but choreography, costuming and set pieces are pretty well done. If you can ignore that the main character is a bit of a dink, then you'll enjoy the film.
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