Filmboxd Logo

Filmboxd

2015

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

Directed by Jeanie Finlay

August 16, 1977. All of America was stunned by the news of Elvis Presley's untimely passing. Some went so far as to believe that it couldn't be true. Somehow he had faked his death. For the executives at Sun Records that fantasy became an opportunity in the form of Orion, a mysterious masked performer with the voice of The King. First appearing in 1979, Orion recorded 11 albums and performed live to packed houses and rapturous fans around the nation. But who was the man behind the mask? In this stranger-than-fiction true story, Jeanie Finlay exposes the incredible life of an unknown singer plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight with the complicity of a manipulative music industry and a public fan base unwilling to let The King go. Resonant in its themes of identity, fate, and the double-edged nature of fame, Orion is a stylish mystery story that finally gives a name and a face to a gifted artist who had been unjustly deprived of both.

Duration

1h 26m

Released

April 17, 2015

You´re not logged yet? Do it here

7.0

Rating22

Views0

Likes0

Lists3

Cast3

  • Jimmy Orion Ellis
  • Jim Ellis Jr
  • Gail Brewer-Giorgio

Recommended Films

  • Karama Has No Walls
  • Nina Conti: Her Master's Voice
  • To Be a Woman
  • Strange and Familiar: Architecture on Fogo Island
  • The Source Family
  • Harry's Bar
  • Take Your Pills
  • Meow Wolf: Origin Story
  • Brooklyn Castle
  • Work Hard Play Hard
  • The Bella Vista
  • The Nightingale
  • Gerhard Richter Painting
  • Verdi: La Traviata
  • Wonder Women!: The Untold Story of American Superheroines
  • Flight of the Conchords: A Texan Odyssey
  • Tyrus: The Tyrus Wong Story
  • Schooling the World: The White Man's Last Burden
  • 24 Davids
  • Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable