Product Description

No one has ever taken us this deep behind the scenes. Join diamond joe esposito elvis best friend of nearly 20 years as he shares his most personal stories in this exceptionally rare and intimate compilation. Hear joes account of exactly what happened on the tragic day of elvis death. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 01/06/2004 Starring: Joe Esposito Run time: 88 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Terry Moloney

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29999 in DVD
• Brand: Universal Studios
• Released on: 2002-07-30
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 130 minutes

Amazon.com
Essentially an illustrated interview with longtime Elvis buddy Joe Esposito, Elvis: His Best Friend Remembers is meant for the hardcore Elvis fan only. Esposito met Presley in the Army and stayed a member of the "Memphis Mafia" for the rest of the King's life (and death--his account of finding Elvis's body is by far the most interesting part of the interview). Esposito's memories are cozy and sanitized; in his telling, the news that Elvis gave Tom Jones his first peanut butter sandwich while on vacation in Hawaii qualifies as a fascinating anecdote. Random footage from newsreels and various Presley press conferences is cut into the interview, along with a lot of vintage '60s Polaroids. As befits the bargain-basement ambience, there's not a single note of Elvis music to be heard. --Robert Horton

DVD features
40 minutes of DVD extras include more comments from Joe Esposito (including the details of how he met Elvis, which should have been in the main program), with the added appeal of original news broadcasts from the day Elvis died: David Brinkley's national report and a Memphis station's reassuring statement that "drugs were not the cause" of Presley's death. Best of all, there's an interview with the man who originated the phrase "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building," truly a great pop-culture footnote. --Robert Horton

From the Back Cover
Own a piece of The King! This once-in-a-lifetime DVD lets you experience the legacy of the immortal Elvis Presley as never before! Join "Diamond Joe" Esposito, Elvis' closest friend and trusted confidant of almost 20 years, as he shares his most intimate memories and incredible stories of life with the King of Rock and Roll! Offering an exclusive insider's glimpse of the real Elvis Presley, on-stage and off, this remarkable, must-have DVD includes hundreds of rare personal photos, newsreels, film clips, interviews, home movies, and much more! Joe was there for it all--best man at Elvis' wedding, by his side for the triumphant '68 Comeback Special, and ultimately--pallbearer at the King's funeral. From the Army years to the glory days of Top 40 superstardom, Joe Esposito was an eyewitness to the life and times of a genuine American legend. And now, you can be too, with this unforgettable presentation of Elvis: His Best Friend Remembers.

Customer Reviews

"His Best Friend" is a Friend, indeed!
When you order an Elvis Presley DVD, you never know if it will be a RIP-OFF or something of HIGHER QUALITY. THIS DVD IS THE REAL DEAL!! Joe Esposito deserves alot of credit for how he has handled himself since Elvis' death. He continues to show us exactly why he was the cream of the crop vis-a-vis the "rest of Elvis' Memphis Mafia". Esposito presents an accurate portrayal of Elvis' life but he accomplishes it without destroying the man.
We ALL KNOW THE BAD SIDE by now so it is refreshing to see a program that gives the viewer a more even-handed approach.
The DVD contains some never-before-seen photos as well as a very interesting (but all too short) interview with back-up singer Kathy Westmoreland. All of Elvis' life and career is covered but the highlights are the focus: The Army, Ann-Margaret, Tuesday Weld, The Ranch, Elvis' Wedding, His relationship with Linda
Thompson, and The Return to Live Performing, to name a few. Some clips from various press conferences and newsreels are featured, many of which I have never seen. So, if you are an Elvis fan, by all means purchase this DVD. It is top quality as
well as interesting. If you are not a fan but just want to know a little more about Elvis, you won't be disappointed either. I can picture myself watching this show many times over. ENJOY!!

A Loving Tribute By A Best Friend
This is a very positive, upbeat tribute to Elvis by his top man and best friend, Joe Esposito. He avoids the negative topics that has already been covered endlessly by the media, and focuses on more folksy and humorous stories about the King. At times I wish he could have talked more in depth about some of the topics, instead of including chapters about the impersonators, the biggest fan, the nuttiest fan. I could have done without that information. I'm sure Joe has a lot more interesting Elvis anecdotes to share, and to see such rubbish included brings this DVD down a couple of stars in my book.
Still, it is refreshing to view a kinder portrait of Elvis by someone close to him instead of the vitriol dished out by West, & Co in their book written by Steve Dunleavy. Elvis deserves better, and so do his fans, so if you're looking for the more sensationlistic Elvis information, you won't find it in this DVD.

It is interesting to note that a few years back, Joe Esposito was embroiled in a battle with EP Enterprises (read: Priscilla), who tried to force him to surrender his private collection of movies and photos of Elvis he'd taken over the years. Perhaps this DVD is the result of a compromise that was reached.

Touching Look Into Elvis's Private Life
I really enjoyed this DVD and thought it was a wonderful look into the King's private life. Joe allows us to see hundreds of of rare and never before seen photos, which I thought were well worth the price of the DVD. There are also newsreels of Elvis and Joe does a wonderful job of telling us his recollections of his time with the King.

I have seen most of Elvis's movies and biographical movies such as "This is Elvis," "Elvis, That's The Way it Is" and "Elvis On Tour," which I love and highly recommend. This, however, for the first time, allowed me to find out intimate, private details that I never would have known about otherwise.

Joe tells so many interesting tidbits and answers some questions I've always wondered about all these years. I also appreciate the fact that Joe was Elvis's friend from the time they met in the Army until Elvis's death. He was loyal and never turned his back on Elvis. You can tell Joe really loved Elvis and Elvis's family and we should feel honored that he allowed us to get a glimpse into their most private lives. This is a very sentimental and at times funny glimpse into Elvis's private life, while always staying tasteful as Joe never says anything negative about Elvis's family and friends. I have a lot of respect for him after watching this film. Elvis was lucky to have such a trustworthy and loyal friend!

There is also a touching tribute song to Elvis towards the end that I thought was beautiful and Joe's touching recollection of Elvis's death really broke my heart. You won't be disappointed by this DVD if you love Elvis they way I do!!!!