Director Baz Luhrmann loves infusing his films with pop culture and Elvis proves this is his best filmmaking trick. Luhrmann has received a lot of praise for his films, like the well-received Moulin Rouge!, but has also faced criticism for his anachronistic adaptation of The Great Gatsby for the same technique. However, Elvis proves that modern twists are ultimately Baz Luhrmann's strongest filmmaking trademark.

Elvis follows the life and career of the titular rock star throughout his tumultuous life, from his birth in 1935 to his death in 1977. However, unlike biopics viewers are already familiar with, Elvis focuses on Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks, and his relationship with the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Parker provides unreliable narration as the film zips by important life events that more conventional biopics would usually spend more time on. Though Elvis shares many elements with more typical musical biopics, such as Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, Elvis sets itself apart through Hanks' unconventional narration. It also sets itself apart thanks to Luhrmann's unmistakable style.

Though Elvis is set in the past, it is imbued with modern pop culture flourishes. Although he's certainly not the first to do so, nor is it the first time he's done it in his own work, but Baz Luhrmann infuses Elvis with modern music. Along with songs contemporaneous to the 1950s-70s, the musical biopic also includes original songs by modern artists, such as "Vegas" by Doja Cat, reminiscent of his use of Jay-Z and Kanye West in The Great Gatsby. Luhrmann's use of this music in Elvis, as well as the modern-day glitz and glamour of contemporary pop stars, is what provides Elvis with its modern twist. This modernization is similar to how Andy Warhol used iconography from pop culture to develop pop art. However, Baz Luhrmann uses contemporary music in his films to bring the past to the 21st century.

Baz Luhrmann's Style Introduces New Generations To Classic Stories


Along with modern music, pop culture is also prevalent throughout his movies. Tom Hanks, in his weird Elvis performance, narrates the film as though he is speaking to a modern audience. Romeo + Juliet took the original Shakespearean dialogue but set it in modern-day Venice Beach, California, with characters fitted out in Prada Hawaiian shirts and toting golden pistols. Gatsby in The Great Gatsby acts more like a modern Hollywood celebrity than his novelized counterpart. These modern twists are often what have brought classics to a new, younger audience. Romeo + Juliet, for example, began a wave of modern adaptations of Shakespearean plays marketed to a teenage audience, including 10 Things I Hate About You and O.

Similarly, Elvis has introduced a new generation to the life and works of the musician. Just as the film weaves Austin Butler's voice with Elvis' for the songs, by mixing old and new elements, Baz Luhrmann's flashy style has updated the King of Rock 'n' Roll for a younger, more modern audience. Elvis has become the second highest-grossing musical biopic ever, further proof that Baz Luhrmann's fascination with blending the modern with the classic is what sets him apart.