The MGM crew was given strict instructions not to inhibit Elvis's live show in any way. Both the hotel owners and Elvis's management did not wish to receive complaints from showroom guests that the shows were anything less than professionally and smoothly orchestrated. Footage of Elvis and his musicians in rehearsal was incredibly interesting - giving great insight into the commitment Elvis applied to his music and his stage set at that point in his career. It was something of a revelation to see the backstage humour and relaxation blended with the intensity and professionalism of the actual live stage performances. August 1970 was Elvis's third season at the International Hotel, following his return to the stage in Las Vegas the previous year.

Change of habit, released to cinemas in the U.S. in early 1970 (but never theatrically released in the U.K.) signalled Elvis's last film as an actor. Following this up with a documentary on his current activities was a very positive and sensible step - providing very real evidence of the developments in his professional life, whilst at the same time extending the boundaries of his much-criticised film career.

Elvis's stage show at that time consisted of many of his old hits, like Love Me Tender, One Night, That's Alright Mama and Blue Suede Shoes MGM's cameras captured these songs and blended them effectively with the newer songs in Elvis's set, such as Patch It Up, I've Lori You and of course his covers of well-known tracks like Bridge Over Troubled Water and You've Lost That Loving Feeling. Powerhouse performances came in the form of Elvis's on-stage interpretations of Polk Salad Annie and Suspicious Minds A single release, I Just Can't Help Believing, reached a high of no. 6 in the U.K. charts when released in late 1971. RCA's soundtrack album from the movie reached no. 21 in the U.S. and no. 12 in the U.K. charts respectively.

Elvis: That's The Way It Is was premiered in the U.K. in April 1971 -- with a certain amount of fanfare, including advertising on London's famous red buses - at the Royal Festival Hall in London, and was then released in cinemas throughout the country two months later, enjoying a reasonable success (a success which directly resulted in the cinema release of the then-over-two-years-on-the-shelves movie ('harm!) Thirty years after its production, a Special Edition of the movie was premiered in Memphis in August 2000. This `new' version included around 40% of previously unseen footage, put together by producer Rick Schmidlin. Limited theatrical screenings of the movie in both the U.S. and Europe followed the premiere.

This information was produced by the Elvis Presley Film Society in February 2001