Let’s talk about Elvis Presley.

Born in 1935, Presley was a talented singer whose first major label single – 1956’s “Heartbreak Hotel” shot to the #1 position in the American music charts. By the time of his death in 1977 Presley had become one of the singularly most famous people in 20th century history, an icon of rock and pop music, and a cultural institution that still boasts ardent fans and follows today.

He also made a lot of films. Whereas many of his contemporaries would tour live concerts around the world, Presley – at the behest of a controlling manager – spent his time confined to the continental United States filming movie after movie. He sang in all of them, and dancing quite a bit too, and usually shared in some kind of romantic adventure. He made 31 one of them in total, including a few later concert films, and practically become a movie genre of his own. At their best, these breezy teen features were brightly performed and likeable. At their worst, they were generally a lot like Harum Scarum (1965).

Harum Scarum was the third Elvis movie in 1965 alone, with his controlling manager Tom Parker squeezing performances out of his like juice from a shrivelled fruit. The was produced by MGM, directed by Gene Nelson (the star of 1955’s Oklahoma!), and co-starred Mary Ann Mobley, Fran Jeffries, and Michael Ansara. Like most formula-based pictures, each Elvis film took its generic leading man from one location and set-up after another. In Love Me Tender (1956) Presley played 19th century outlaw Clint Reno. In Jailhouse Rock (1957) he was a convict who learned the guitar in prison. In Harum Scarum he plays American movie star Johnny Tyrone, sent to the Middle East on a goodwill tour and then drawn into an assassination plot.

The precise setting of Harum Scarum is never directly identified, although the marketing material strongly imply it is Iraq. The film is largely cast with white people in Arabic make-up; Michael Ansara, a Syrian-American, marks the one major exception. It was filmed entirely in Los Angeles. Its portrayal of Arabic culture is – as one might imagine – horrifying. it is insensitive, condescending, simplistic, and foolish. The plot is tediously developed and superficial, with poorly drawn characters and amateurishly presented action.

Elvis – always the main draw in these films – practically sleep-walks throughout in a visible haze of narcotics and contractual obligations. The songs, of which there are several, are rudimentary and unmemorable. In one particularly strange scene he sings the energetic love song “Hey Little Girl” to an actual little girl. Harum Scarum is widely perceived as the nadir of Presley’s entire career: the film was awful, and its musical soundtrack a commercial failure. While that is likely to be true, there are quite a few improbable amusements to be had. In one scene the singer karate-chops a jaguar to death. In another he wakes from a coma just long enough to break out a ballad before falling asleep again. Billy Barty makes a showy and badly dated guest appearance as an acrobatic little person entertaining the royal court.

By film’s end it is hard not to feel a little sorry for Elvis Presley. All he wanted to do was play and sing music to an audience and instead he was trapped in this appalling teen idol machine, mumbling forgettable ballads to forgettable starlets, all of it widely derided in the press. If only he had been permitted to swap one film for a European concert tour: I think he, and his fans, may have been much happier.