Product Description

For nearly twenty years, Elvis Presley shared his homes and his life with his personal bodyguard and friend, Sonny West. Now in Elvis: Up Close And Personal in front of a theater audience, Sonny shares many of his intimate experiences & private thoughts about Elvis. Some of these stories have been shared previously with only his closest friends and many of his personal photographs of Elvis have never been seen by the public. In a revealing question and answer session with audience members, Sonny candidly answers questions about his beloved friend. Sonny West is a lively and engaging storyteller. Get to know Elvis, as you ve never known him before! The stories are often funny, sometimes touching and always illuminating, of the man who was much, much more than a myth: Elvis Presley.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #85547 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-06-24
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 167 minutes

Customer Reviews

A great "behind the scenes" DVD for every Elvis fan
Any Elvis fan would enjoy this DVD, but this is a real treat for those fans who like to know some of the behind-the-scenes stuff. Sonny West's endearing stories and warm-hearted respect for Elvis set the tone for this terrific spoken tribute to an American icon. The powerful closing photo montage is set to a haunting musical performance by Johnny Cash singing the song "You'll Never Walk Alone". You will want to watch this DVD every August 16th as you pay your respects to "The King".

Awkward format.
This dvd is not what I expected at all. The entire 2 hour dvd is just Sonny speaking to a small studio audience. It's very awkward to watch. This small group of people just sits there looking at Sonny while he speaks to them about Elvis. What becomes wrong with this format is that Sonny feels compelled to amuse these people and keep them laughing at his stories. Occasionally some pictures will come on the screen of Elvis and then it's right back to stand-up Sonny and him trying to amuse his small audience. Sonny is also not candid about anything negative about Elvis. He doesn't really even mention anything about prescription drug use. He just speaks of the positive stories of Elvis and anything he feels will entertain his studio audience.

This dvd would have worked much better as a single interview with just Sonny himself and not him speaking to a studio audience. Also, the information he gives is pretty much exactly the same as what is in his book "Elvis Still Taking Care Of Business". Reading that book is a far better experience than this dvd.

A Loving Tribute
It's hard to find something "new" about Elvis, but this personal recollection with Sonny West offers a heartwarming tribute to the "King." All Elvis fans need to view this DVD for never before seen photographs and stories shared by his personal bodyguard and friend. Great job!