When it was announced that 21-one year old Elvis Presley would make his debut as a film actor, the publicity was huge. Some predicted that he would become a new James Dean; Dean had tragically died in a car accident the year before. Montgomery Clift had not made a new film in the last few years. Paul Newman was still struggling to find his style. Marlon Brando was still very much around, of course, but there was definitely room for another "sensitive young male rebel" in 1950's Hollywood. In at least one interview, however, Elvis appeared somewhat uncomfortable with the James Dean-comparison; "James Dean was a genius at acting," he declared. Dean was also a trained actor by the time he became a star, whereas the thought of making Elvis Presley into an actor was clearly based on a wish to capitalize on his popularity as a singer.
The result, LOVE ME TENDER, was a decent enough start. It's a straight-forward western, covering the lives of four brothers, three of whom have just returned home from service during the Civil War in 1865. Both their mother and fourth and youngest brother Clint (Elvis Presley...) are extremely happy to see them back. However, one of the brothers, Vance, is hurt when he discovers that Clint has married his former sweetheart Cathy, though he insists it doesn't matter to him, in order to make his younger brother happy. Many more problems soon arrive, however, leading to a dramatic climax with murder being the eventual outcome. In the very last scene, we witness Clint (or really, Elvis) singing "Love Me Tender" to us through a ghost-like image. Elvis's real-life mother reportedly cried at the end; and I'll admit that a few tears did come down my cheeks as well.
However, the main reason why the ending works so well with Elvis singing, is probably due to his charisma as a singer. Even later on, when he appeared in far more indifferent films than this one, one could not argue against his skills with voice and rhythm. This is confirmed also in other places in LOVE ME TENDER, when he performs "We're Gonna Move," "Let Me" and "Poor Boy" (none of them classics on par with the title song, perhaps -- but still very enjoyable). As an actor, however, Presley is somewhat less extraordinary. Please do not interpret this as too harsh criticism, because it is not meant to be; his performance is by all means good enough to work for a straight-forward western of this kind. But he does not quite prove himself to be a new James Dean (or Clift or Brando). In his next three films, LOVING YOU, JAILHOUSE ROCK and KING CREOLE, it works better, I guess partly because he in these films played a role that he could more easily identify with (a contemporary rock'n'roll-talent, just as in real life). However, LOVE ME TENDER is quite enjoyable, with the ending being rather moving. (This review has later been somewhat updated and revised, Dec. 2012)
The result, LOVE ME TENDER, was a decent enough start. It's a straight-forward western, covering the lives of four brothers, three of whom have just returned home from service during the Civil War in 1865. Both their mother and fourth and youngest brother Clint (Elvis Presley...) are extremely happy to see them back. However, one of the brothers, Vance, is hurt when he discovers that Clint has married his former sweetheart Cathy, though he insists it doesn't matter to him, in order to make his younger brother happy. Many more problems soon arrive, however, leading to a dramatic climax with murder being the eventual outcome. In the very last scene, we witness Clint (or really, Elvis) singing "Love Me Tender" to us through a ghost-like image. Elvis's real-life mother reportedly cried at the end; and I'll admit that a few tears did come down my cheeks as well.
However, the main reason why the ending works so well with Elvis singing, is probably due to his charisma as a singer. Even later on, when he appeared in far more indifferent films than this one, one could not argue against his skills with voice and rhythm. This is confirmed also in other places in LOVE ME TENDER, when he performs "We're Gonna Move," "Let Me" and "Poor Boy" (none of them classics on par with the title song, perhaps -- but still very enjoyable). As an actor, however, Presley is somewhat less extraordinary. Please do not interpret this as too harsh criticism, because it is not meant to be; his performance is by all means good enough to work for a straight-forward western of this kind. But he does not quite prove himself to be a new James Dean (or Clift or Brando). In his next three films, LOVING YOU, JAILHOUSE ROCK and KING CREOLE, it works better, I guess partly because he in these films played a role that he could more easily identify with (a contemporary rock'n'roll-talent, just as in real life). However, LOVE ME TENDER is quite enjoyable, with the ending being rather moving. (This review has later been somewhat updated and revised, Dec. 2012)