Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki road trips across the United States in Elvis Presley‘s 1963 Rolls-Royce, examining the musician’s complicated legacy for the new documentary, The King.
In the film, Jarecki traces Elvis’ rise and fall, using the rock pioneer’s career as a metaphor for America. The new trailer teases the rosy-eyed view of Elvis with fans lining up to admire his Rolls and singing his classic songs. But it also uses the most problematic aspects of Elvis’ music and career – including his drug use and thorny relationship with race and cultural appropriation – to explore larger American ills.
The King boasts interviews with an array of musicians and cultural figures including Alec Baldwin, Chuck D – who recites his infamous “Fight the Power” line about Elvis – Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Van Jones, Mike Myers, Dan Rather, Lana Del Rey, Ethan Hawke, Greil Marcus, David Simon and Ashton Kutcher. The movie opens June 22nd.
