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The King, in which Gael Garcia Bernal plays a character called Elvis, is a reminder that, in the 30 years since his death, the spirit of Elvis Presley has been popping up in films that are clearly better than any of those he starred in while alive.
This is not even counting documentaries and biopics, where he's played by everyone from Kurt Russell to Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, or other celebrity biopics such as Walk the Line, where he shares a bill with Johnny Cash.
In True Romance, Val Kilmer plays Elvis as the hero's evil id. In 3000 Miles to Graceland, Kevin Costner (pictured) plays the leader of a gang of Elvis impersonators plotting to rob a casino during an Elvis convention.
Nicolas Cage channels Elvis in both Wild at Heart and Honeymoon in Vegas, a romcom featuring 34 skydiving Elvises. Cage evidently has Elvis issues, since he also spent two
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The King made plenty of cinematic turkeys, but now his spirit inspires great roles, says anne billson |
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years married to Presley's daughter.
In Finding Graceland, Harvey Keitel plays Elvis as an enigmatic hitchhiker. Jim Carrey impersonates comedian Andy Kaufman impersonating Elvis in Man on the Moon. And, in what may well be the best Elvis performance of our times, Bruce Campbell plays the King as an ageing codger forced to battle a soul-sucking mummy in the altogether splendid Bubba Ho-Tep.
The sad truth is that the real Elvis is unlikely to upstage any of his impersonators. The best he can offer this year is a digitally rendered comeback in a TV commercial for Tennessee's Department of Tourist Development.
But it could be worse. In the short film He May Be Dead But He's Elvis, the singer's corpse is dug up and sent out to sign autographs. 
FIRST POSTED MAY 18, 2006
Film Three View: It
Last week: cold-blooded calling
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