Frame By Frame – Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Year – 1957
Decade – 1950s
Cinematographer – Robert J. Bronner (imdb link)
Director – Richard Thorpe
Studio – MGM
Genre – Drama; Musical
Aspect Ratio – 2.35
Format – 35mm

The Movie
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic reminded me of the King-sized hole in my movie education, an oversight I began to remedy with Jailhouse Rock (1957). Presley’s third film – the first of many for MGM – is a standard rise/fall/redemption arc, with a 22-year-old Elvis starring as a construction worker who lands in the big house on a manslaughter rap and ascends to pop stardom after learning to play guitar behind bars.

Check out the archive’s categorized collection of frames here.

Moving Master

An example of the film’s long moving masters, in which camera movement is used instead of cutting to change the shot. In this scene, Elvis meets the parents of his business partner (played by Judy Tyler) for the first time.