Remembering Elvis at His Best (and Worst)

Elvis has gone digital. Because Friday is the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death of a heart attack at age 42, several documentaries and his vintage films were released this week on DVD to commemorate the anniversary.

The highlight is “Elvis: The Great Performances,” a Rhino Home Video three-disc set ($20 each or $50 for the set), featuring three documentaries from producer Andrew Solt.

“Center Stage” features Elvis in 13 hip-swiveling musical numbers, including “Hound Dog” on “The Milton Berle Show” on June 5, 1956. You can also watch the performances with a special trivia tract.

The same extras are also available on “The Man and the Music,” which features 14 musical numbers from TV and movies.

Bono narrates the final documentary, “From the Waist Up,” which originally aired on VH1. Although there are some overlaps, this disc features a heap of hep Elvis performances, such as “When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again” from Jan. 6, 1957, on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

One of Elvis’ greatest friends was Diamond Joe Esposito. The two met in the Army in Germany in 1958; he was best man at Elvis’ wedding to Priscilla Presley in 1967 and also tried to save Elvis on the day he died. Now he is the host of “Elvis: His Best Friend Remembers” (Universal, $10 on VHS; $15), a homey but rather mundane look at the man behind the myth.

The best part of the DVD is the 30 minutes of additional footage that features interviews with Elvis impersonators, the world’s biggest Elvis fan, and the man who came up with the phrase “Elvis has left the building.”

Universal is also releasing Elvis’ last fictional film, the painfully bad 1969 musical drama “Change of Habit” ($15). In this outing, Elvis plays a doctor working in the slums of New York. Mary Tyler Moore plays a nun who arrives with two other sisters to help

Fox Home Video pays tribute to Elvis with the release of three of his early films on DVD ($20): “Love Me Tender,” “Wild in the Country” and “Flaming Star.”

In the first, from 1956, Elvis sings such hits as “Love Me Tender” and “Poor Boy.” He plays a Southerner who stayed home during the Civil War and ended up marrying his brother’s (Richard Egan) fiancee (Debra Paget).

Elvis goes dramatic with pretty good results in the 1960 western “Flaming Star,” in which he plays the half-Native American, half-white son of a rancher. Barbara Eden, Steve Forrest, Dolores Del Rio and John McIntire also star. It was directed by the always-dependable Don Siegel.

“Wild in the Country” (1961) finds Elvis playing a high-strung country boy who finds himself facing manslaughter charges in this overheated drama penned by Clifford Odets. Tuesday Weld, Hope Lange and Millie Perkins play the women in his life.

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If your tastes run more to horror and sci-fi, three new releases are worth a peek.

Bela Lugosi plays a suave vampire who haunts London during World War II in the 1944 “The Return of the Vampire” (Columbia TriStar, $20). Also new from Columbia TriStar is the 1957 double feature of “Curse of the Demon” and “Night of the Demon” ($25). The former is the 82-minute U.S. version of the thriller, which was recut from the original 95-minute British release, “Night of the Demon.” Although the “Demon” of the title looks threadbare today, the subtle, atmospheric story of a devil cult packs an eerie punch. Director Jacques Tourneur does a terrific job building suspense.

Warner Home Video has just released the digital edition of the enjoyable 1954 sci-fi flick “Them!” ($20). James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, James Arness and a pre-”Davy Crockett” Fess Parker star in this flick, which is far classier than most of the ‘50s horror films. It’s about giant ants hiding out under L.A. sewers. The DVD features archival footage on how the ants were created and operated.

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The intelligent British drama “Last Orders” (Columbia TriStar, $25) stars a powerhouse cast: Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Ray Winstone, Helen Mirren, Bob Hoskins and David Hemmings. The poignant story traces a group of friends’ final send-off for a beloved leader. The DVD includes commentary from writer-director Fred Schepisi, who offers nice insight into the making of the film.