how his phenomenal success owed so much to the R&B, gospel and rock he grew up around and the racist institutions that put him on a pedestal while holding down the Black artists that birthed and gave that music its soul. The movie also painted Elvis as a bleeding heart for the Black community, projecting so much torment on the crooner over the injustices he witnessed, despite his refusal to say anything publicly for the community he benefitted from during the civil rights era.
The 17,552-square-foot mansion held 23 rooms, eight bedrooms, five staircases, and enough space to host a steady stream of visitors, from friends and family to the occasional starstruck musician who scaled the gates hoping to meet Elvis. Inside, excess was everywhere: a basement TV room fitted with three sets so he could watch every network at once, a white-carpeted staircase leading upstairs, and a kitchen stocked daily with cases of Pepsi, biscuits, banana pudding, and the peanut butter and banana sandwiches he craved
