The Maneskins to conquer Cannes, in a golden suit and dreaming of Elvis

«Here is the most awaited montee des marches of the 75th edition» shouts the speaker into the microphone. Crowd of great occasions and red carpet to the rhythm of rock’n’roll with the Maneskin, in the background of If i can Dream, the piece that the Roman quartet sings in the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann’s film. It’s their film debut, and it’s the preview of the Elvis Presley movie. Ticket hunt, oddities (a photographer disguised as the king of rock himself paparazzi) armored screening and exclusive Warner party that releases it on the 24th.

Here is Damiano, in a golden suit, from head to toe, the voice, who takes a selfie by posting “I smoke Cannes”. He said: “Elvis created the idea of ​​the superstar in music, influenced all artists, brought black music to white audiences, changed things by intertwining cultures when everything was separate.” The same energy, same origins, musicians from nowhere, and Elvis’ dream is becoming the Maneskin dream. A film about a completely forgotten musical hero, the perfect parable to tell the story of America in the 50s and 60s, an epic figure that tells an entire country, and who then at early twilight became a deformed mask of the shattered dream, the loss of ‘innocence. The protagonist, Austin Butler, helped by the prosthetic team, in the end appears overweight, in poor health: “Elvis embodies so many ideas that he seems to have lived a hundred years”. He will only live 42, he dies in 1977.

But let’s go back to the electric shock that set fire to the red carpet with the Maneskin, the band at the center of an almost inexplicable phenomenon, which interprets the fluid and free feelings of generation 0, which wins at Sanremo, Eurovision and conquers the territory reserved for Anglo-Saxon bands. But they don’t steal the show from Tom Hanks, short-haired short, in the role of Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s manager and says: “He wasn’t even a colonel, he was a genius and a scoundrel, stingy and businessman, but also a pioneer of the show. business. He understood the uniqueness of Elvis, the great potential of him, he understood that if he hadn’t made the money, someone else would have made it. ” “Are you ready to fly? All America will talk about you, ”he tells him, he took him under his wing in 1955, Elvis was 20 years old. And the film tells how things went from his point of view.

Here is Elvis at the beginning, one of the audience seeing him with that shiny new tuft yelled at him: “Hey, go and cut your hair.” “At that moment – says Parker – I saw a boy transform into a super hero.” And the film tells how things went from his point of view. There is everything, the hysterical screams, the audience’s arms outstretched towards the stage, looking for a demon-possessed god in frayed or leather clothes, the swaying pelvis at the provocative time that ignited Celentano’s imagination, the black influence of the gospel, spirituality, the solitude of him who, hidden, fumbling on the piano sings Are you lonesome tonight?, the loss of self. Parker-Hanks tells him, “We are alike, you and I, we are two bizarre lonely children in search of eternity.” Priscilla Presley, 77, widow of the singer, played by Olivia DeJonge, entered that chaotic life. Today she comments: «I think we will understand Elvis’ journey a little better».