Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

 

It’s hard to comprehend just how tumultuous the days immediately following Elvis’ death would have been for his fans. In terms of entertainment figures, the nearest modern audiences would have in comparison is perhaps Michael Jackson, but given the nature of 24-hour news cycles probing further and further into the lives into celebrities, the effect just isn’t the same. When fans woke up to the news on 17 August 1977, the sense of grief, confusion and devastation would have been unspeakable.

It is with these scenes that Orion: The Man Who Would Be King opens. Archive footage of distraught Elvis fans feeling the loss of the biggest musical icon the world had ever seen, desperately seeking any semblance of solace, or a scrap of information that suggested he might not be dead after all. Step forward Jimmy Ellis, a Mississippi singing prodigy with a vocal range strikingly similar to the King’s.  Fuelled by the nefarious Shelby Singleton (then owner of Sun records), they launched Orion, a masked singer with a passing physical resemblance and uncanny musical similarity to Elvis. His first album cover featured a resplendent Orion standing over a coffin; the implicit message was clear for a desperate public: Elvis might not be dead after all.

Following a frenetic opening, Jeanie Finlay’s brilliant documentary settles into a more measured pace as it explores Ellis’ life and origins. Interviews with friends, colleagues and family members provide a fascinating and comprehensive insight into the mindset of a man whose Faustian pact would haunt his life forever as the initial thrill of playing to packed out audiences and selling records was replaced by the need for something more. The leisurely pace of the Southern accents, along with some wonderfully ethereal cinematography juxtaposes beautifully with the sheer insanity of what they’re talking about.  Much like Finlay previous film, The Great Hip-Hop Hoax, you’re left wondering how this story could have possibly remained untold for so long.

There’s something Herzogian about Finlay’s ability to make relatable such a bizarre set of circumstances and characters. The presentation of the relentlessness of Ellis’ pursuit of success was reminiscent of the Dieter Dengler in Little Dieter Needs to Fly. She isn’t afraid to provide a balanced view of Ellis; it would be easy to paint Singleton as the villainous driving force behind the whole, with a vulnerable, naïve Ellis just going along for the ride. But it was Ellis’ unrelenting pursuit of success that played the largest part in the unfolding events.

His success as the mythical Orion was relatively short lived, the turning point coming during another sold-out performance in which he realised that the audience weren’t there to see him, they were there to see an idea that didn’t exist. The mask in John Updike’s brilliant quote (“Celebrity is a mask that eats into the face”) was both metaphor and literal, and fame and success pretending to be something he wasn’t was not enough for Jimmy Ellis.

Not only is this Finlay’s most accomplished film to date; it is, without doubt, the best film I’ve ever seen come out of Nottingham. The scope of its ambition and the acuity of its execution do justice to the fascinatingly mysterious nature of its source material. It’s essential viewing for documentary fans; it’s essential viewing for music fans. Whether you’ve got a passing interest in Nottingham films, are involved in the creative community, or have ever once complained about the cinematic output of the city: this is the best opportunity you’ve ever had to see a genuinely brilliant film from a Nottingham-based filmmaker.

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King will be shown at Broadway Cinema from Thursday 24 September 2015 and Wednesday 30 September 2015. The 24 September screening will also include a post-film Q&A with Jeanie Finlay.

Orion Trailer