Blue Suede Jew

Documentary maker Morgan Matthews goes on an extraordinary journey from the Holy Land to Graceland with Gilles Elmalih ‘The Elvis from Jerusalem’. An Israeli living in the bitterly divided West Bank, Gilles is convinced that Elvis’s music can restore world peace. He also claims to have a spiritual connection that allows him regular communication with Elvis from beyond the grave. Personal messages from Elvis materialise in the form of scrunched up, handwritten, Hebrew notes that mysteriously appear around the house.

Despite these extraordinary claims, it appears that Gilles has genuine faith in his story and now his entire family rely on The King for advice and encouragement. But their story takes a serious turn when Elvis tells Gilles he must sell all his possessions and move to America where he will find fame and fortune. Gilles embarks on a mission to make it in the USA and via a bizarre encounter with Uri Geller, travels to Las Vegas, where he discovers the city is saturated with Elvis impersonators.

DIRECTORS

Morgan Matthews

FIRST TX

1 x 60’ April 2007

BROADCASTER

BBC Two