The King

The King is a 2017 American documentary film that takes a musical road trip across America in Elvis Presley's 1963 Rolls Royce, set against the backdrop of the 2016 American election. Blending archival footage, celebrity interviews, and significant American events, the documentary adopts Presley as a metaphor for the rise and fall of the American Dream, exploring themes of race, materialism, and success through the lens of musicians, historians, actors, and journalists. Captured across influential cities like Memphis, Las Vegas, and New York, the film follows documentarian Eugene Jarecki as he travels in the Rolls Royce to various cities, incorporating vintage footage of blues artists who influenced Presley and discussing his career with Van Jones, Chuck D, and David Simon.