Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

Elvis never died, but rather reinvented himself. Sure, the masked Orion was two feet taller and ten years younger than Elvis, but his fans were eager to believe. Besides, 'Orion' sounded exactly like his role model and moved, well, close enough. Behind the mask was one Jimmy Ellis, a horse trainer and aspiring rock star who struck gold after the death of Elvis Presley. Ellis, who had earlier sounded too much like Elvis, now sounded just perfect. Under the reins of his producer, Shelby Singleton, Ellis sang the King's greatest hits and agreed to always wear a mask in public. Ellis passed away in 1998, but the director, Jeanie Finlay, uses archival recordings to cast his voice as the documentary's backbone. The narrator talks of his passion, but also about how miserable life usually was. After his early solo career and the following Elvis circus, Finlay depicts how Ellis finally got sick of his role and removed his mask on stage. The final chapter of his career is in a rather mournful tone.
Anton Vanha-Majamaa / Translation: Liina Härkönen (DocPoint)