Product Description

Moviegoers were introduced to Elvis Presley in this film set during the dying hours of the Civil War. Elvis sings four songs, including the title song. The year is 1865, and the three Confederate Reno brothers don't know the war has ended. They manage to steal a Union Army payroll, and head for home with the money. While Vance (Richard Egan) can think only of the love of his life, Cathy (Debra Paget), it turns out that the brothers have been reported dead, and Cathy has married their youngest brother Clint (Elvis Presley). Vance accepts this until he learns that Cathy still loves him. To complicate things, the U.S. Army knows of the brothers' theft and is hunting them down.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17604 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2006-02-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dubbed, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .35 pounds
• Running time: 89 minutes

Amazon.com
Here's the alpha point of Elvis Presley's film career, the introduction of the raw-boned Mississippi boy into Hollywood pictures. E.P. takes a supporting role, and his entrance is delayed for nearly 20 minutes: kid brother to returning Civil War soldier Richard Egan, his character marries Egan's sweetheart Debra Paget when Egan is presumed dead. It's a chance for Elvis, his face still trembling with baby fat, to emote dramatically and finish tragically, both of which he does passably well. A serviceable Western, the film shamelessly shoehorns four Presley tunes into two sequences: E.P. crooning on mama's porch, and performing at a country fair (where starchy locals don't seem disturbed at the boy's gyrating hips and happy feet). All in all, a shrewd way to put a foot in Hollywood's doorway, and, of course, one of the last Presley movies to feel like a real film and not a vehicle for the King. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Introducing Elvis...
"Love Me Tender" is the touching tale of brotherly love, and the after effects of war. It is also the film that introduces Elvis to us as an actor. Although not his best screen work(he gets better in later films), it's very much worth the view, just to be serenaded by him throughout the film, and his moving rendition of "Love Me Tender" will put a lump in your throat and have you humming it for days after.

Richard Egan, William Campbell, and James Drury are the three older Reno Brothers who have been off fighting in the Civil War for four years. They are fighting for the Confederates, and not knowing the war has ended, have robbed the Northern Army's payroll, with all intentions of turning it over to the cause of the South. When they find out the war is over, they earnestly figure it is the "spoils of war" and divvy it up with the other men in their group. They happily return home, and Vance(Egan) is especially anticipating reuniting with the girl he left behind, the beautiful Kathy(Debra Paget).

Things go downhill from there...Everyone thought Vance had been killed in the war, his younger brother Clint(Elvis), has married his girl, and the law is after the brothers for the payroll money they stole. Vance loves his younger brother and tries to live with this turn of events, but things go from bad to worse as he tries to make things right with everyone.

Elvis performs several musical numbers throughout the film, including "We're Gonna Move" and the toe tappin "Poor Boy". And as I said above, these performances, make this film well worth the view. They're pure Elvis.

From 1956, in Black and White, it's a musical Western, a story of a brother's love, action, romance and ELVIS!...Enjoy.....Laurie

Not really an Elvis movie, but a good Civil War western
Ok I'm no big fan of Elvis, I know his music, (an American can't help but know it.) Its good music, but I don't own a song of his. I don't claim to be a follower of his movies either, but this one is a western and I AM a follower of westerns and Civil War movies and this passes well.

This movie brings it highs and lows. A trio of brothers fresh from a raid of a Union payroll find out that the war is over on their way to turn in the money to their General with the unit. Their commander Vance (the eldest brother) decides there is no Confederate Government to turn the cash in to. They split the dough and head home. The family gets a shock that they are alive when they were told they were dead, while he gets a shock which the girl we was to marry is wed to his younger brother (Elivs).

The plot twists when the Union army decides that to come after the former raiders, causing splits among the raiders and increasing the tension between the brothers. The movie is more than passable (should likely be 3 3/4 stars vs 4's) and the acting is pretty good and the story moves along well.

As far as Elvis goes, this movie proves he can act. Its a shame that we don't see him in later years in more conventional movies such as this one. This picture convinces me he could carry it off well. Sinatra was able to pull off movies that were seperate from his singing, (although he did a fair amount of "singing" movies.) its a shame Elvis never got that chance.

Elvis' film debut and first view on-screen is a milestone!
"Love Me Tender" was a complete success when it first came to theaters November 15, 1956. The love triangle in this story is one-in-a-million! Elvis does such good acting in this picture that some fans could consider it his finest acting...and it's only his first movie! Elvis does four songs in the picture: "We're Gonna Move", "Love Me Tender", "Let Me", and "Poor Boy." Although "Love Me Tender" is set after the Civil War the songs Elvis sings are closely related to rock'n'roll. Very disappointing when Elvis' character dies near the end. Elvis' mother did not like that at all. I cried when Elvis' character dies, and after the family walks solemnly away from his grave there is a ghostly close-up of Elvis singing "Love Me Tender." I was shocked, and cried at this! Elvis fans, if you want something a little more uplifting, try "Loving You." Elvis didn't like when he did the songs in "Love Me Tender" because his band wasn't there with him on-screen.