Eddie Presley

Dir: Jeff Burr

1992

*****

Eddie Presley blew me away the first time I saw it. In my opinion, it is the epitome of what small-budget independent cinema should be - passion at any cost. I stumbled across it in the late 90s, no one else I knew had heard of it and I felt like I'd found buried treasure or had discovered a lost continent. I couldn't believe then that no one was aware of it, let alone raving about it. Twenty years after seeing it, and over twenty-five years since it came out, I'm amazed that it has still gone relatively unnoticed. I would have thought that the cameo appearances of both Quentin Tarantino or Bruce Campbell would have at least put it on the map, and while I'm sure it helped (that's how I found it) I know mega fans of each filmmaker who are blissfully unaware of it. This needs to change. Not only do I think it is grass-roots indie, I also think it is a perfect example of early 90s cinema - an era I'm extremely fond of. While 1992 was all about Bram Stocker's Dracula, Wayne's World, Batman Returns and Basic Instinct, there were also some amazing independent films that came out that changed the course of cinema. Reservoir Dogs, The Crying Game, Glengarry Glen Ross, Bad Lieutenant, Dead Alive...these were game changers that aren't always given the credit they deserve. While Army of Darkness is my person favorite film of the year, I think Eddie Presley is 1992's film with the most heart and soul. Duane Whitaker's vision is beautiful and Jeff Burr realises it perfectly. It's a little rough because of the low budget, but personally I think it all adds to the effect and I would like to point out that it came out a good two years before Kevin Smith's Clerks - a film that was praised for all the same things Eddie Presley possesses. It started as a one man show that Whitaker had written and performed around Los Angeles, and while it certainly has a theatrical vibe about it, it only really becomes so towards the end of the film, which gives it a wonderful two chapter structure. Whitaker's performance is spectacular, underplayed for the most part but full of passion when he reaches his crescendo. I love the character Eddie Presley, indeed, you do not have to be an Elvis fan to understand his persona or his struggles. There were some strong dramas out in 1992 but I wouldn't describe any of them as inspirational, entertaining and beautifully written/acted/directed, but none that included real characters you could relate to and really get behind. Eddie Presley was the perfect embodiment of a 1992 everyman in many respects, I had nothing in common with him personally but I got it and could find comparison with him. The latter part of the film features, what I regard as, one of the best pieces of monologue I have ever witnessed. It's incredible, awe-inspiring, near perfect. It's one of the best film about ambition think there is, and it was clearly Whitaker's ambition to bring it to the big screen, so it's something of a tragedy that it remains so overlooked. To give you an idea of how great I think this film is - a couple of years ago I had to move house. I needed every penny I could muster and ended up selling 99% of everything I owned. It was a hard sacrifice. I had over two-thousand DVDs in my collection and I sold all of them apart from ten. My 2 disc special edition of Eddie Presley was one of those ten. It's not expensive to buy and it is still easy to get hold of. The reviews are generally from people who don't get it, but when you do, this is a film you'll remember. I wish I could watch it for the first time all over again.