Script Analysis: “Elvis” — Scene-By-Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.

For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.

The value of this exercise:

• We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.
• By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.
• A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.

Today: Elvis (2022). You may download the script here.

Elvis
Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
by Alison C. Wroblewski
GoIntoTheStory.com

Logline: The life of American music icon Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

P 1: 1997. COLONEL TOM PARKER rifles through old Christmas cards and falls to the floor.

P 1–2: An ambulance screams through Las Vegas with Tom in the back. A RADIO ANNOUNCER and Colonel Tom’s voice over tell us more about him, that he was Elvis’ manager and a villain.

P 2–5: An expositional montage showing us Las Vegas in 1974, the last days of ELVIS PRESLEY. Over voice over, Colonel Tom admits that he destroyed Elvis. And what we see is just how desperate Colonel Tom is to keep his cash cow alive despite medical advice. Colonel Tom pressures VERNON PRESLEY, Elvis’ dad, for the right call. Vernon allows DR. NICK to drug Elvis against his personal will. Elvis is on stage giving the performance of his life.

P 5–10: Colonel Tom lies in a hospital bed and jumps up to tell us, the audience, that he did not kill Elvis. Instead, he’s going to tell his story. With a backdrop of dozens of photos, Colonel Tom tells us he was merely Elvis’ promoter; the “snowman.” We see a visual culmination of Colonel Tom and Elvis’ life through merchandise, photos, and music. The background turns into a Carnival as Colonel Tom relives his own memories all the way back to the 1930s where he learned his trade and tells the audience the definition of a “snow job.”

P 10: 1955. Colonel Tom Parker works as HANK SNOW’s promoter in the carnival circuit. JIMMIE RODGERS SNOW, Hank’s son, brings a new record to the carnival. It’s Elvis and That’s All Right.

P 10–11: Colonel Tom prepares the next carnival circuit. He’s in complete control of the “show.”

P 12–13: Colonel Tom hears Elvis’ voice for the first time and learns he’s white. He makes the decision to hunt him down at the “Hayride” event that night.

P 13–15: Hank and Jimmie perform, but Colonel Tom is nowhere to be found. He’s on the hunt to find Elvis.

P 15–18: Colonel Tom finds Elvis and his band outside. Colonel Tom watches Elvis’ band and family carefully. From their conversation, Elvis is nervous. And then, we hear him. We hear his voice, and he’s nervous. This is Elvis before he was “Elvis.” And Colonel Tom sees a rookie he can manipulate.

P 18–19: FLASHBACK: Elvis at 12 years old. He races to peek inside a juke joint where he hears profane but electrifying music, a taste of the origins of his own style. Instead of staying to watch the “profane,” Elvis races to a Pentecostal Revival Tent and is enveloped in the religious music.

P 19–20: MONTAGE: Back and forth between present day and his childhood, hearing the same song his family is singing and the congregation singing along with the “profane” song from the juke joint. It’s a literal representation of where Elvis got his influence. And then Elvis gets called on stage.

P 20–21: FLASHBACK: One year prior, Elvis records “That’s All Right Mama” at Sun Studios. His voice takes the studio techs by surprise.

P 22–27: Elvis gets on stage for the Hayride performance. His first live performance. Colonel Tom watches keenly as the audience seems tepid. Elvis starts to sing. It’s not good enough. The audience isn’t receptive until he lets loose. His sexual chemistry gets the girls to scream, and Elvis, the performer, is born. Hank Snow and his son know they’re done. Colonel Tom knows his next move.

P 28–29: Elvis’ star has continued to rise, and he’s more recognizable with a new song on the radio, Blue Moon. They live in a humble apartment, but the family is incredibly close. The family dynamic is established with Vernon talking business and Gladys straddling the lines between fame and realistic.

P 30–31: Elvis serenades his girlfriend, DIXIE, but it’s clear his head is elsewhere, stuck in the clouds. Dixie makes plans for prom, but Elvis says he’ll be in New Orleans. But he promises he’s going to make it work.

P 31–33: Tensions rise within the family. Gladys yells at Elvis for quitting his job and wanting to go to New Orleans for a show. He’s stuck between being a child in the house and an adult performer. He has bigger dreams than being an electrician, and his ambitions seem ridiculous to his parents.

P 33–35: A private moment between Gladys and Elvis, mother and son. Their relationship is strong, and he wants to make her proud. And Gladys says she’s not worried Elvis will not succeed. She’s worried that he will. He promises everything will be all right.

P 35–38: 1997 Colonel Tom faces the camera and taunts the viewer before a transition to Elvis on the road in 1955 with Colonel Tom’s troupe. They all stop for lunch. Hank Snow sees Elvis is on this tour for the first time, and questions Colonel Tom about it. It seems as though Colonel Tom is lining up a replacement for Hank Snow and courting Elvis at the same time; a master manipulator.

P 38–40: Colonel Tom and Elvis meet face-to-face for the first time. Colonel Tom plays it cool pretending he doesn’t already know everything about Elvis. Colonel Tom plants the seed that Elvis needs new management. A crack forms in Elvis’ band and friendship circle.

P 40: Elvis performs and rocks the stage. Panties fly at the stage. Hank Snow watches from behind the curtain in disgust. He knows his time is over.

P 41–43: MONTAGE BEGINS. After the show, Elvis talks with his girlfriend on the phone, but once he’s off, a FEMALE FAN comes into his room. Elvis tries drugs for the first time. Elvis performs again to a shower of panties on stage. Hank Snow gives Colonel Tom an ultimatum, which is exactly what Colonel Tom wanted.

P 43–52: Colonel Tom takes Elvis aside at the Carnival. He tells Elvis about himself and plants the idea of being Elvis’ promoter. Elvis gets personal in his family history with Colonel Tom, and Colonel Tom manipulates it for his benefit. While on the Ferris Wheel, Colonel Tom seduces Elvis with Hollywood and record deals. “It’s just business, show business. To be truly great requires truly great sacrifices.” INSERTS show us Elvis severing ties with his record studio and his girlfriend. Also Colonel Tom seducing Elvis’ family with fame and prestige. And then the photo FLASH seals the deal. Elvis is under Colonel Tom.

P 52–53: 1997. Colonel Tom in a “ghostly” casino takes us through a visual look at “hit after hit.”

P 53–55: 1956. Graceland. Elvis is at a personal and professional high. Mansion, pink Cadillac, furnishings. His family has come along with him, and the entire Presley family reaps the benefits of Elvis’ fame. But it comes at a cost: Colonel Tom has turned Elvis into a commodity; merchandise. With this instant high, there’s an instant catch, and the family feels… strange about it all. But it seems Elvis is on board.

P 56–57: FLASHBACK 1954. Elvis visits Beale Street to take in the Black music scene including a “Hound Dog” performance by Big Mama Thornton and the fashion scene where Elvis sees and admires B.B. King.

P 57–58: FLASHBACK 1956. Elvis has earned his fashion and music notoriety on Beale Street now with B.B. King now as a friend.

P 58–61: MONTAGE: Elvis performs “Hound Dog” on TV in Los Angeles. TV changes the game as Elvis invades homes across the country. Not just his family, but also SENATOR “BIG JIM” EASTLAND, a politician wholly anti-integration, the one thing Elvis can challenge him on. Elvis is now under the scrutiny of morality laws and politics.

P 61–64: Elvis’s “Tonight Show” performance is canceled because of the racial conversation. Elvis is devastated. But Colonel Tom has something up his sleeve: a rebranding. Elvis must sing in a coat and tails to an actual hound dog. No movement, no controversy. Colonel Tom asks Elvis if he can compromise for one night — not be his true self.

P 64–65: Elvis does the “Tonight Show” as planned by Colonel Tom. It’s embarrassing and stifling, and afterwards, Elvis reacts to being set up. In a private moment with his band, they tell Elvis that they are musicians, not comedians.

p 65–68: Elvis comes back to Graceland, disgraced for embarrassing himself. His fans want “old Elvis.” His family tries to soothe him, but the racial discussion has heated up putting Elvis between a rock and a hard place: continue to make money for his family with a “clean” act or be his true self and kick of a political storm. He explodes at his family and leaves Graceland.

P 68–72: Elvis makes his way back to his roots: Beale Street. He finds B.B. King and relaxes for the first time in ages. LITTLE RICHARD sings Tutti Fruitti, and Elvis loves it. Elvis and B.B. see that Elvis was tailed to the club by an unmarked car. Later on, after the club closes down, B.B. and Elvis take a moment to themselves with SISTER ROSETTA and Little Richard. B.B. and Elvis talk about what’s really troubling Elvis — this “new Elvis,” and he plants the seed that Colonel Tom may not be all he says he is.

P 72–79: MONTAGE between 1997 and 1956. Colonel Tom in his Vegas home remembers a montage of events: Senator Eastland pressuring Colonel Tom with his true identity and past. Colonel Tom is not who he says he is revealing his real reason for making Elvis into the “New Elvis.” Meanwhile, Elvis sets up for the WDIA Goodwill Revue on “colored night” where he breaks out the “old Elvis” much to the chagrin of Colonel Tom and the police, but to the fans and Elvis’ true delight. The segregation line breaks. Elvis is arrested, but he’s happy.

P 79–81: In Graceland, Elvis, Colonel Tom, and the family have a talk. Colonel Tom wants Elvis to enlist in the Army. Everyone is in complete shock, but Colonel Tom is desperate. Elvis is blinded by the promise of Hollywood as his consolation that he goes along with the plan. His family is devastated.

P 81: Gladys, Elvis’ mother, dies. Heartbreak Hotel plays.

P 82–84: Graceland. Gladys’ funeral. The family is destroyed, but Colonel Tom finds a way not to “waste” it by bringing in the press, but Elvis is inconsolable. Vernon, Elvis’ father, gives Colonel Tom “permission” to act as a father figure. Colonel Tom takes this charge with two-faced charm, using words to manipulate and strong-arm Elvis into using this funeral as a press opportunity, and Elvis still can’t see Colonel Tom is a snake.

P 84–85: Elvis in the Army. He’s incredibly lonely. But the Army image worked for his “image.”

P 85–87: 1959. Elvis and PRISCILLA’s romance begins. Pricilla is not like other girls. She understands Elvis, and he loves her for it.

P 88–90: 1960. Elvis in Hollywood MONTAGE SEQUENCE. Viva Las Vegas and Memphis Mafia images play with Priscilla and Elvis’ friends and their live on a Vistaliner Bus. Elvis is at a new high. He marries Priscilla and welcomes a baby girl, LISA MARIE. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. is assassinated, and Elvis is hit hard with the news. His movies start to bomb as the world begins to deteriorate.

P 90–96: Elvis’ life has turned into the carnival that Colonel Tom is an expert in creating, and Elvis’ finances are dwindling. The news of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination hits Elvis hard. As Elvis thinks of a way to commemorate King, Colonel Tom gets Elvis ready for a Christmas special sponsored by Singer Sewing. This will be the way to restore Elvis’ financial stores, as well as Colonel Tom’s relevance. But Elvis feels like a commodity instead of a person, and to top it all off, his best friend leaves him for a Hollywood gig.

P 96–98: Priscilla joins Elvis in the bus. Elvis admits he’s tired of “playing Elvis.” He wants to go back to what made him happy.

P 98–102: 1968. Elvis meets with STEVE BINDER and BONES HOWE at the Hollywood sign in LA. They would directly overtake and compete with Colonel Tom, but Elvis knows he needs a new rebranding. He just wants it on his terms, and he believes Binder and Howe can do it. They urge Elvis to get his old band together and get back to who he really is. That’s the Elvis they can work with.

P 102–111: Elvis has his first performance in front of an audience in years at the NBC Studios. It’s the Christmas special Colonel Tom has arranged. Elvis is nervous and wants to send the audience home. He doesn’t believe he can do it after all this time being away from his roots. Priscilla reassures him. Colonel Tom brings in the Singer Sewing Executives expecting the Christmas family special and is blindsided to see Binder and Howe. Elvis begins the special, not with Christmas tunes, but Heartbreak Hotel. Elvis Presley is “reborn.” Colonel Tom is betrayed as Elvis ditches Christmas for his old standards. Elvis has turned the tables on Colonel Tom.

P 111: 1997. Time is catching up to Colonel Tom. He hallucinates talking with Elvis.

P 112–113: 1968. Back in the NBC Studio, Colonel Tom starts to lose it as Elvis begins a beautiful gospel song on stage. Colonel Tom still tries to salvage the Christmas music, but it’s moot. The Singer Sewing Executives have had enough and leave.

P 113–115: 1997. Colonel Tom hallucinates the studio monitors showing the Elvis special that was not the plan. It spirals out of control into a musical fever dream of multiple Elvis’ singing and Colonel Tom “betrayed.” And it all ends with news of BOBBY KENNEDY’S ASSASSINATION.

P 115–116: 1968. In the NBC Studio, everyone is glued to the news. Binder urges Elvis to make a statement, something Colonel Tom is against. Elvis doesn’t defend himself.

P 116–118: Elvis in his dressing room has a moment with Colonel Tom about how they see each other and themselves. A true “come-to-Jesus” moment, and Colonel Tom knows how to bruise Elvis. Elvis has to sing a Christmas song, or they will be sued. Period.

P 118–119: Elvis sings some Christmas tunes to himself on the empty stage. He wants to do something in response to Kennedy’s assassination, but doesn’t know what or how. Binder, Howe, BILLY GOLDENBERG, and Elvis put together a new song.

P 119–121: Colonel Tom barges in and demands the Christmas special, and to his surprise and delight, the entire set is ready for “Here Comes Santa Claus.” But then, the set changes and Elvis sings a powerful, not-Christmas, gospel song, If I Can Dream. Colonel Tom has been “snowed.”

P 121–125: 1969. Elvis is finally happy again and Colonel Tom wallows in despair. Elvis has left Colonel Tom and taken over his own life again with his family and friends. Discussions of a world-wide tour are now on the table with his new team as well as a new album. Elvis even turns down a phone call from Colonel Tom. It’s a new era. But Vernon starts to crack under the financial pressure of being Elvis’ sole business manager.

P 126–127: Elvis records In the Ghetto. Colonel Tom tries to call during the recording, but Priscilla declines it.

P 127: Colonel Tom has turned to a lonely life of gambling in Vegas. He has run up a tab and is now at the mercy of the casino bosses, KOHN and GOOCHERA to settle.

P 128: Elvis and Priscilla talk about Elvis going to Vegas to visit Colonel Tom in the hospital. Priscilla knows it’s a trap, but Elvis feels he owes him the respect.

P 128–129: 1997. Colonel Tom has more of his past creep up in a painful memory. His past haunting him as he nears death.

P 129–131: 1969. Elvis visits Colonel Tom in the hospital. Colonel Tom lays it on thick that Elvis’ betrayal is what caused it with the Christmas special betrayal. But Elvis stays strong and says their working relationship is over. Colonel Tom plays one final card to reel Elvis back in. A tour that wouldn’t cost a dime or go overseas: Vegas.

P 131–137: Elvis and Colonel Tom tour the International Hotel in Vegas. It’s seductive. The deal would be Elvis plays for six weeks, and then he would be free. And it’s done. Elvis bites. Everything is going to be bigger, better, brighter, sparklier. And then we see it by way of a That’s All Right, Mama montage. The evolution on stage. This is Vegas Elvis, and Colonel Tom does everything he can to exploit it.

P 137–138: A MONTAGE of Elvis’ past from the juke joint in 1947, Sun Records, in 1954, and back to Vegas. The song has brought us from his childhood to this Vegas-moment.

P 138–144: In the audience, watching the show, Colonel Tom talks with Kohn and Goochera. They strike a deal to force Elvis to play at the International Hotel for five years. Suspicious Minds plays as Colonel Tom details the terms and secures Elvis’ imprisonment. And Colonel Tom sees what Elvis on stage has done to his family again. The cycle has started over of the two lives of Elvis: the performer and the man. I Can’t Help Falling in Love plays more for the audience than Priscilla.

P 144–145: After the show, the family all show their support for Elvis. He’s made them proud. But it’s not enough. Elvis still needs Colonel Tom’s validation.

P 146–148: Elvis gives a press conference at the International Hotel. He’s at ease. Himself again. He gets called the “King of Rock and Roll.”

P 148: Colonel Tom unloads tons and tons of merchandise. Some things never change. Colonel Tom shuts down any thought to an international tour with fears for Elvis’ security.

P 148–151: Elvis’ drug use and adultery becomes more apparent with his jazzed up energy from the show. He talks with Priscilla on the phone, but their relationship has become distant and strained. Then, Elvis gets paranoid and thinks someone is going to attack him. The stress and drugs are taking their toll.

P 151–153: Elvis in the hospital for exhaustion. Colonel Tom continues to feed paranoid narratives to Elvis about Charles Manson. He uses this as an excuse to cancel all notion of an international tour. Elvis’ family surround him and only watch as Elvis downs more pills from Dr. Nick, from the beginning of the film. Colonel Tom proposes an even-more-exhausting American tour.

P 153–154: Burning Love plays over a VISION MONTAGE of an intense 15 day tour.

P 154: In the hospital, Elvis agrees to the 15 day tour as long as they can eventually go international.

P 154–155: MONTAGE of not just the 15 day tour but year after year stuck in Vegas. Time blurs as more drugs, mistresses, and jumpsuits enter Elvis’ life.

P 155–157: Priscilla has had enough and explodes. She leaves Elvis.

P 157–158: Back in Vegas, Elvis’ friend, Jerry, fights for Elvis’ freedom with DISKIN, Colonel Tom’s assistant. They get nowhere.

P 158–159: Jerry reads Elvis’ fan mail but instead finds evidence against Colonel Tom. The past that Colonel Tom did not want to acknowledge earlier. We see it come to life before Colonel Tom’s eyes in 1997. Colonel Tom might be a murderer.

P 159–161: 1974. We are back at the start of the film in Vegas. Jerry tells Elvis the truth about Colonel Tom. Elvis collapses. Instead of going to the hospital, Elvis gets a shot. Nothing will come between Colonel Tom and his investment.

P 161–164: Elvis performs Battle Hymn of the Republic in the “superhero” version of Elvis. Once the song is over, Elvis addresses the audience and calls out Colonel Tom publicly. He’s had enough and says it’s his final performance. He wants out. Colonel Tom demands the show stop. But Elvis continues. He’s had enough. He fires Colonel Tom once and for all.

P 164–165: Colonel Tom pulls all of the contracts and agreements and tallies up everything Elvis owes him for his years of service.

P 165–169: Elvis clears out of the Vegas residence, but Vernon won’t leave until he can talk to Elvis. Vernon shows Elvis what Colonel Tom has collected. They owe him over $9 million dollars. Vernon has failed Elvis as his business manager. It’s a final blow. Elvis is going to leave anyway, and that’s when Colonel Tom confronts Elvis. Elvis is trapped, again, and Colonel Tom makes it clear he will never get out.

P 170–171: MONTAGE: Are You Lonesome Tonight plays over Elvis stands alone in his room, trapped. Colonel Tom is also alone, trapped. Finally, Elvis relents and takes Colonel Tom back. There is no alternative.

P 171–173: Elvis gives Lisa Marie back to Priscilla at the airport. In a private moment between Priscilla and Elvis, it’s clear they still care deeply for each other. Elvis tells her he will not be remembered.

P 173–174: 1997. Colonel Tom walks through the empty casino and talks about Elvis’ death and how his first thought was how to capitalize on it.

P 174–175: 1977. Elvis performs Unchained Melody. He’s not himself. He’s a bloated, exhausted, shell of himself. A transformed and beaten man. But he’s still a remarkable performer. Colonel Tom says he didn’t kill Elvis. It was love that killed him. “Elvis has left the building.”

A trailer for the movie:

Writing Exercise: I encourage you to read the script, but short of that, if you’ve seen the movie, go through this scene-by-scene breakdown. What stands out to you about it from a structural standpoint?

To download a PDF of the breakdown , go here.

Kudos to Alison C. Wroblewski for doing the scene-by-scene breakdown.

For 100+ movie scripts broken down scene by scene, go here.