SCHMELVIS: SEARCHING FOR THE KING'S JEWISH ROOTS
Saturday, January 18th, 7:30 p.m.
Toronto Jewish Film Festival
CANADA, 2001, video, 76 min. Writer /Director: Max Wallace

Was “The King” kosher? Investigating the claim that Elvis’ great-great grandmother was Jewish leads a diverse group of Montrealers, including an ultra Orthodox Jewish Elvis impersonator, a Rabbi and the filmmakers, on a quest to Memphis to find out what Elvis’ fans think about this revelation. (He did wear a Chai around his neck.) But the trip bogs down in squabbling, diminished expectations (the ant-Semitism they expect to find in the Deep South fails to materialize) and a sense that the movie they’re making isn’t going anywhere. By the time the group heads off to Israel to plant a tree for Elvis, it all comes to a head. Funny, suspenseful and wickedly witty, Schmelvis wrings a unique spin on celebrity, Judaism and religious perceptions. It’s a hoot!
 
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