My common thought is that if you’re going to make a documentary, be sure to make it about something you’re passionate of. “Altered by Elvis” explores pure passion for the man known to many as “The King.” The title basically speaks for itself. Directors Jayce and Tiffany Bartok chronicle the lives of many Elvis fans, and not just fans, but hardcore diehard obsessed fanatics who possess an utter passion for the artist, and you can almost sense the love behind every minute of film. “Altered by Elvis” tackles the fan base with much grace and charm presenting likable and appealing fans of Elvis, while also never being afraid to show the frightening followers.
One of the best interviews involves a woman named Vicki Fritz who explains her evident attraction to Elvis, while sharing some of her most amusing anecdotes involving Elvis. I’m personally not a fan of Elvis, myself, but the themes here show that you don’t have to be a fan to understand what the documentary entails. You just have to be a fan of something, period, and know what these people feel about this man and his legacy. One of the most interesting aspects of the production is the feature review of a man named Lee Denson who not only hates Elvis, but insists Elvis was a slow learner as a musician, and really didn’t deserve his fame. Bullshit or not, the Bartok’s make special note of using this interview as a center piece, and for good reason. The man blows air out of his ass, but he’s quite interesting to listen to.
Among many of the oddities here are interviews with an old girlfriend, an interview with a custom glasses maker who knew Elvis personally, and an Elvis imitator who’d rather don a costume than wash cars. In spite my evident sarcasm, “Altered by Elvis” is a damn good film, and there can never be enough documentaries about fanatics in the days of fanaticism. One of the primary caveats of “Altered by Elvis” is the pure lack of energy of competent pacing. The Bartok’s know how to pinpoint the obsessions but never can seem to balance the serene moments with the quirks.
So instead of one portion being reserved for quirky fans, and the other being reserved for the more somber memories, we’re instead dropped and raised from one goofy moment, to a sad moment, thus it ends up feeling very uneven. It’s always good to structure a documentary like a music play list. Start off slow, and then speed up, or speed up and then finish on a low note. Constantly speeding and slowing down is vexing, and “Altered by Elvis” was rather bipolar at times. In spite of the anemic pace and energy, “Altered by Elvis” is a great documentary that perfectly pins down the obsession over this immortal man who simply isn’t dead in the eyes of his admirers.