King Creole (4K UHD Review)
Director
Michael CurtizRelease Date(s)
1958 (July 28, 2026)Studio(s)
Hal Wallis Productions/Paramount Pictures (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: B+
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: B-
Review
Elvis Presley’s popularity during the 1950s and onwards was such that even someone who couldn’t act initially was given starring roles in a number of films centered around him—over thirty in fact. Before his military service, he starred in his fourth picture, King Creole. A musical drama akin to many of the low grade B movies that would follow in its wake, the king of rock and roll sang a number of hit songs—including the title track, Trouble, and Hard-Headed Woman—throughout the streets, musical establishments, and seedy alleyways of New Orleans.
After the death of his mother, Danny Fisher (Presley) works to support his sister (Jan Shepard) and his father (Dean Jagger) outside of high school. Attempting to graduate but failing, he swears to never go back and that he will hustle his way through life. An unpleasant encounter with a customer at the nightclub where he works leads him to Ronnie (Carolyn Jones), who continually encourages him to go against the club’s ruthless owner, Maxie Fields (Walter Matthau). When he joins a gang headed by Shark (Vic Morrow) to lift jewelry from a retail shop where he meets the pretty young Nellie (Dolores Hart), he’s also offered a singing act by rival nightclub owner Charlie LeGrand (Paul Stewart) at the King Creole—the only nightclub that Maxie doesn’t own. Danny eventually accepts, but Maxie is none too pleased with his disloyalty.
Based on the novel A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins, the role of Danny Fisher was originally meant for James Dean, but upon his death, the project was briefly shelved. Hal Wallis, who produced several Elvis-starring vehicles, brought famed director Michael Curtiz on to the project, and he and Elvis got along splendidly. In fact, Danny Fisher was said to be Elvis’ favorite role amongst the many that he played. He’s often not given much credit as an actor, but in the right hands he could deliver the goods, and in the case of King Creole, he certainly did. Skillfully singing his way from scene to scene but still managing to give his character some real gravitas, the clichéd troubled delinquent story in King Creole is elevated not just by his presence, but by his performance.
Cinematographer Russell Harlan shot King Creole on 35mm film with Mitchell BNC cameras and spherical lenses. The results were finished photochemically and framed theatrically at the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics debuts the film on Ultra HD with a 4K scan of the original camera negative, which was carried out in 2020 and featured on the Paramount Presents Blu-ray release. It has been framed at 1.78:1, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to a triple-layered BD-100 disc. The Paramount Presents release had some problems, mostly due to grain management, and this presentation of the same master is no different. The bulk of the film’s footage, which appears to mostly be taken from the camera negative, is decent enough, but it’s still had some scrub applied. The most egregious use of it is during optical transitions and other areas where dupe footage was obviously used. It’s so smooth and soft and doesn’t meld with the rest of the material surrounding it, but it might have had it been given a more organic appearance. In Ultra HD, these issues are much more apparent, but a higher bitrate and tighter detail is certainly an improvement, as are the HDR grades which help with contrast and allow for better delineation. Blacks are deeper and whites are more even, unlike the grain. It’s not a poor presentation by any means and it looks pretty good in motion, but a better restorative effort from raw scans of these same materials would warrant a stronger and more natural picture. Still, 4K is the best option to view it in, flaws aside.
Audio is presented in English 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. (The Paramount Presents Blu-ray features a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD container.) Unfortunately, the stereo track is a fold-down of the 5.1 and not the original mono. It’s granted that the extra space gives the musical numbers added depth in the surrounds, but not having the original soundtrack as an option is a bummer (it’s available on all previous releases, but in a lossy container). It’s certainly not a deal breaker though as both tracks, which are incredibly similar to the point of pointlessness, are clean with great clarity, discernible dialogue, and vibrant music. Purists will be a little disappointed, but these are still fine options.
The Kino Lorber Studio Classics 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of King Creole sits in a black Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray and an insert with double-sided artwork, featuring the original French theatrical poster artwork on the front (as well as the slipcover) and the original U.S. theatrical poster artwork on the reverse. The following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE (UHD)
- Audio Commentary by Imogen Sara Smith
DISC TWO (BD)
- Audio Commentary by Imogen Sara Smith
- Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin discusses King Creole (HD – 6:11)
- Trailers:
- King Creole (HD – 2:33)
- Change of Habit (HD – 2:49)
- Clambake (SD – 2:45)
- Frankie and Johnny (HD – 2:53)
- Lonely Are the Brave (SD – :54)
New this release is an audio commentary with film critic and historian Imogen Sara Smith. It’s an excellent track as she draws on the history of the project while also delving into Elvis Presley’s career at this time. She examines the characters in the film, talks about its literary and stage-bound origins, details the careers of the various cast members, and takes a look at the film’s reputation as containing Elvis’ finest screen performance, as it was also his personal favorite. Filmmaker Focus: King Creole, which was included on the Paramount Presents Blu-ray, is hosted by Leonard Maltin who speaks about the film briefly, but reverentially. Kino has also added the film’s newly-restored trailer, as well as trailers for some of their other releases.
For many, King Creole is the cream of the crop in comparison to other Elvis Presley vehicles, most of which are dismissed as schlock-filled song-and-dance showcases. Its presence on Ultra HD is an improvement over its 2020 HD counterpart, but there’s some growing room here for the picture and sound, as well as the extras. As such, it gets a mild recommendation, though I’m sure many will be deterred by the minor uptick in quality.
- Tim Salmons
(You can follow Tim on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, BlueSky, and Letterboxd. And be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel here.)