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Released by: Twilight Time Releasing
Released on: August 12th, 2014.
Director: Gordon Douglas
Cast: Elvis Presley, Anne Helm, Arthur O'Connell, Joanna Moore, Jack Kruschen
Year: 1962
Purchase From Screen Archives
The Movie:
In this film, directed yin 1962 by Gordon Douglas (the man behind Viva Knievel! and many others!), the father son duo of Pop (Arthur O'Connell) and Toby Kwimper (Elvis Presley) collectively decide, along with a pretty orphan woman named Holly (Anne Helm) and a few other orphaned kids, to quite their reliance on a life of government subsidies. To get out of their abject poverty they decide to instead take over a plot of land owned by the state and start their own fishing business. After slipping through the fingers of a Florida state official named H. Arthur King (Alan Hewitt) they wind up on his bad side and it soon becomes apparent that he's going to do everything in his power to prevent this from happening. That won't be the only problem they face, however, as a local gang lead by Nick (Simon Oakland) and Carmine (Jack Kruschen) have their sights set on opening up an illegal casino in the area and taking it for all its worth.
Played more for laughs than anything else, Follow That Dream proves that Elvis actually had pretty solid comedic timing. His camaraderie with Pop and Holly works well and if it's a bit on the hokey and wholesome side of things, so be it. The film works in one more song than most of the others, and the performances here don't feel nearly as out of place as they do in some of the more serious films contained in the set. This makes them easier to appreciate and enjoy as the just fit the tone of the picture so much more accurately. For those keeping score, the songs that Elvis performs in the film are What A Wonderful Life, I'm Not The Marrying Kind, Sound Advice, Follow That Dream and Angel. His voice here is as flawless as it ever was and it's hard not to get your foot tapping once he starts crooning away in the film.
While this isn't the best picture Presley made, it's definitely one of the funniest and he steals the show as the good natured but dimwitted Toby. He uses his 'good old boy' charm to make the character his own the movie is all the better for it. Elvis was essentially a character actor and this film plays to his strengths in that regard. Oakland and Kruschen aren't all that threatening as the bad guys but they're fun to watch and O'Connell is good as the elder Kwimper, he and Presley have decent chemistry on screen. Throw in the gorgeous Anne Helm as the film's requisite fox and you wind up with a well-cast picture that provides plenty of laughs and some memorable music.
Shot on location in Florida there's an authentic look to the picture, it's through this authenticity that the film retains much of its folksy charm. The story is well paced and there's decent humor here. While the ending feels a little out of touch with the rest of the film, this isn't necessarily in a bad way. There's lots of fun to be had with this one.
As an interesting aside, Tom Petty's uncle worked on this film and when Petty, through that uncle, met Elvis and saw him performing on set, it was then that he decided he wanted to get into the rock n roll business himself.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Follow That Dream arrives on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere in the world from Twilight Time in an AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer framed in the film's original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35.1. This is a very strong picture boasting excellent detail and a nice film-like appearance. Grain is there but never overpowering and print damage is almost non-existent. Colors are reproduced quite nicely even if they might be just a slight bit faded in some scenes. The reds pop nicely without ever looking artificially boosted. Contrast is dead on and skin tones look lifelike and natural. The black levels might not quite hit reference quality levels but they're deep, while shadow detail is fine. The picture is free of any noise reduction, edge enhancement or crush and this is quite a huge improvement over the previous DVD release.
The only audio option for the feature is an English language DTS-HD Mono track with optional closed captioning offered up in English as well. This simple but effective track gets the job done. There's decent depth and range and while it might have been nice to hear some of those musical numbers in a surround mix what's here is authentic and fitting. There are no issues with any hiss or distortion and the levels are properly balanced.
Extras on the disc as light, limited to the film's original theatrical trailer, static menus and chapter selection. Inside the Blu-ray case, however, is the obligatory color insert booklet containing archival images and insightful liner notes from scribe Julie Kirgo. Her essay shows an earnest appreciation for the picture and offers up some interesting facts and trivia about its history and how it fits in alongside other Elvis films made around the same time.
The Final Word:
Follow That Dream is an above average in entry in Elvis' filmography and while it may keep things decidedly light, there's no harm in that. This one works and it works well as Presley offers up an easy, natural and genuinely funny performance and is surrounded by a strong cast of supporting players all of whom seem to fit right in. As to the Blu-ray itself, while it may be light on extras it offers up the film in a beautiful widescreen transfer and with solid audio. This is a very nice upgrade over the past DVD release and Elvis fans should find themselves very pleased with Twilight Time's efforts here.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
