In mid-August 1978, one year after Elvis died, photographer Ralph Burns traveled from his home in Asheville, North Carolina to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. For the next nearly 30 years, Burns returned to take photographs and build an unlikely community among the annual pilgrims. In this 18-minute original film, which is part homage to the craft of film photography and part lens into the reasons for pilgrimage, filmmaker Jethro Waters shadows Burns as he travels back to Graceland on the 40th anniversary of Elvis’ death.
Film by Jethro Waters | Photos by Ralph Burns
~ Watch the Film ~
When Ralph Burns heard that thousands of people were planning to go to Graceland on the one year anniversary of Elvis’ death, he wanted to be there. He was attracted to the “wonderful strangeness” of it all and he wanted to document it. Finding himself an “unwitting pilgrim to the nascent shrine” Burns photographed Elvis fans during this pilgrimage to Graceland for nearly 30 years consecutively. He has described this documentary photography series as, "a serious inquiry into love, worship, ritual, loss, death, and cultural/class stratifications/expectations."
His series "How Great Thou Art" has received international recognition since the 1980s, and this film finds him ten years past his last visit to Graceland, making his final trip as a closing to this series. Part love letter to film photography and darkroom printing process, part exploration of the human need for ritual, In Love's Shadow is the portrait of an artist who has built a lifetime of work exploring subcultures, worship, and ritual around the world.
Jethro Waters says: “Through making In Love's Shadow it became clear to me that Ralph is just as easily a philosopher and anthropologist, as he is a uniquely gifted photographer and artist. Burn’s generous humanity, the way in which he relates with his subjects, and his mastery of the crafts of photography and darkroom process, these are just a few of the myriad dynamics on display within this film. For anyone interested in ritual, worship, subcultures, and a life dedicated to artistry, this film is for you.”
We at the Bitter Southerner are glad Jethro Waters sent this strange and wonderful film our way. As Burns described his project, it is less about Elvis and more about the people that flock to Graceland and what it says about being human.
Credits:
A Film by Jethro Waters
Music by Luke Norton
Photos by Ralph Burns
