Elvis and Valentino: the Male Body on Display

While watching Viva Las Vegas (1964), I could not help but compare Elvis to Rudolph Valentino in terms of on screen magnetism. By this I mean the camera seems to watch both men in similar fashions. While the film definitely focuses on Ann-Margaret’s body (quite gratuitously, I thought), there are some instances where Elvis is framed in a classic Hollywood soft focus. It was something about his make-up and the lighting that made me think of Valentino.

Then I came across this picture of Elvis, which only strengthen my suspicions. I think there is definitely an interesting and multilayered comparison, just waiting to be made.  Both men were obvious sex symbols, but there is a way in which the camera seems to foreground their images. Granted, this was the first Elvis film I’ve ever seen, I do not doubt that he is similarly framed in his other films.

While Doss is interested in looking at the multitude of Elvis images and exploring their audience appeal and meanings within contemporary American culture, I found myself more interested in the way his image has been controlled. We’ve all seen images of Elvis at some point in our lives, but the images that have remained the most popular are those that highlight him as “The King of Rock and Roll.” According to Doss, Elvis’s multifaceted image included: “rockability rebel, teen angel, army private, B-movie idol, family man, Las Vegas superstar, Nixon admirer, drug addict, dead icon.” What about the images we don’t commonly see? The images of Elvis later in life, where he is older and heavier are what I am referring to.

This is definitely not the Elvis we are used to seeing. Even a quick Google image search of Elvis makes these images difficult to find. The overweight and outdated Rock n Roll star are not the readily available images we see of Elvis. Sweeney amusingly points to the fact that, “The Elvis period most beloved by the White Trash Aesthetic is the seventies: white jumpsuited, overweight, and in your face (255).” As Doss begins to assert, part of the reason why this particular image of Elvis is difficult to find is the protective nature of true and loyal Elvis fans whom have played a significant role in maintaining his legacy through the use of narrow imagery. 

Some labeled Elvis the “male Monroe,” as Doss points out, but consider the ways in which both entertainers have lasting imagery decades after their deaths. Aside from the sexual aesthetic characteristic of their imagery and both died relatively young, in what ways did fandom differently shape their photographic legacy?