‘Elvis’ Editors on Why the King’s Performance of ‘Unchained Melody’ Almost Didn’t Make the Film

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorBaz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” movie continues to sway audiences over. Austin Butler’s performance of the King is so captivating that many are unable to tell when Luhrmann cuts to the real King, Elvis Presley.The film is peppered with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, real-life Elvis appearances and split screens.

But the most powerful of the King splices was presented in the grand finale, Presley’s last performance in 1977 at the Market Square arena in Indianapolis, Ind.

The scene begins with Butler sitting down at the grand piano, and seamlessly cuts to Presley.Editors Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond were careful not to overload the film with too many Presley intercuts, at least visually as it would take from the viewing experience, but “Elvis” has been praised for the sprinkles of reality that elevated the hyper-stylized film.

Talking to Variety the editors reveal their intense pre-production process and break down all the hidden Elvis easter eggs and how Butler’s full performance of “Unchained Melody” almost made it into the film.Villa: From a prosthetics standpoint, it was a huge job putting Austin into that makeup, and that was the most significant of his makeup.