King Creole - Elvis Presley DVD - Is this Elvis best ever film? Many critics think so. Like Jailhouse Rock, King Creole benefits from a great balance between dramatic plot and superb songs. From the opening strains of Crawfish, the New Orleans setting is evocative and the film, while slow in parts, is a roller-coaster ride of dramatic scenes punctuated by sensational music performances. The supporting cast is the best ever assembled for an Elvis movie - soon to be a superstar, Walter Matthau, is great as mobster, Maxie Fields; Carolyn Jones (Morticia Addams in TV's The Addams Family) is excellent as Elvis' love interest torn between two conflicting worlds; Oscar winner Dean Jagger turns in a well crafted performance as Elvis' weak but kind father; and a young Vic Morrow (later to find fame in TV's war series, Combat) is very effective as Shark, a street thug.
King Creole also stands out as one of the few Elvis films that uses major film techniques such as closed frames to convey meaning and accentuate viewer reaction.