Mondo Elvis (1984)
Directed by Tom Corboy
Genres - Culture & Society |
Sub-Genres - Hobbies & Games, Sociology, Film & Television History, Biography |
Run Time - 30 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Mark Deming
One would be hard-pressed to name a rock star with a more loyal fan following than Elvis Presley, but while most folks are content to listen to his records and watch his movies, there's a hardy breed of far more devoted admirers whose enthusiasm might seem more like obsession to outsiders. Mondo Elvis is a documentary which examines a handful of unusually passionate Elvis fans, including a woman whose husband divorced her on grounds of "excessive devotion to Elvis Presley" (she also left her teenage son behind to move to Memphis after the King's passing); a pair of twins who are certain Elvis was their father (a notion their mother prefers not to dignify with a denial); a woman who is convinced Presley appeared in a cloud at a memorial service on the first anniversary of his death; an Elvis impersonator who claims the King speaks to him; and a man who changed his name to Elvis Aaron Presley because he feels he bears a striking resemblance to the late singing star (a resemblance the camera fails to capture). Mondo Elvis allows its subjects to speak for themselves, and strives to regard them with a modicum of respect, despite their often bizarre stories.
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Themes
Keywords
fan [devotee], fanatic, obsession, celebrity, impersonation, bizarre, worship [religious]