asap gift guide: We like this stuff, and think you will, too. A sparkling new Elvis DVD collection captures TED ANTHONY's fancy -- not just for its content, but for its pure ... desirability.
(AP Illustration/Jacky Myint)
I've always been a sucker for packaging. Downloaded music? I'll take a CD jewel case with voluminous liner notes any day. Bulk foods? Nah. I'd rather have the box of Cheese Nips or the can of Planters Deluxe Mixed Nuts right in front of me.
That's why I fell in love at first sight with the stunning new online-only box set, "Elvis: The Ultimate Film Collection, Graceland Edition." Put out by Elvis Presley Enterprises and packaged in a cigar-style box that resembles the cases once used to transport old film reels, it brims with well-conceived, well-packaged extras.
You get, among other goodies: a copy of the "Jailhouse Rock" script, "confidential" documents about Elvis' film career; reprints of movie posters; old Elvis correspondence; and copies of old news clippings. It's enough to satisfy rabid Elvis fans without alienating more casual aficionados like me.
But it's the movies that truly shine. Here is the impossibly vibrant, impossibly handsome Elvis in some of his most memorable films: "Jailhouse Rock," "Viva Las Vegas," "Double Trouble" and the rare and quirky 1963 period piece "It Happened at the World's Fair." Also look for live recordings packaged with alternate takes from movie soundtrack recording sessions.
Even at its nearly $120 price tag, which is quite reasonable given what's included, this is a cornucopia of pop culture that's worth a space on the shelf of anyone hungry for the postwar cotton candy that was the Elvis cinematic oeuvre.
___
"Elvis: The Ultimate Film Collection, Graceland Edition" $119.80, available online only at http://dvd.elvis.com .
___
Previously in the gift guide
I want 'The West Wing': http://asap.ap.org/stories/1080787.s
DVD fireplace warms the soul: http://asap.ap.org/stories/1074205.s
A jacket for all seasons: http://asap.ap.org/stories/1071859.s
The regift, a holiday right: http://asap.ap.org/stories/1071889.s
___
Ted Anthony is the editor of asap.
___
Want to comment? Sound off at soundoffasap@ap.org.
©2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
