Through the rearview lens of pop culture history, an Elvis Presley special hardly seems like a risky or edgy thing. Wasn’t Elvis on TV all the time, from his appearances in the 1950s to concert specials in the 1970s where he wore bejeweled white jumpsuits and exaggerated mutton chop sideburns?

That’s true indeed – but as the Netflix documentary “The Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley,” the 1968 NBC special originally titled “Singer Presents Elvis,” reminds us. was arguably the most defining television hour of Presley’s career. . This was also seen as a huge risk at the time, as it marked Presley’s return to concert performance for the first time in seven years and represented perhaps his last chance to return to his authentic self. (The “singer” in this title was for the Singer Sewing Machine Co., which tells you that Elvis was a long way from the days when he was considered dangerous by the general American public.)

Directed by Jason Hehir of “The Last Dance” fame, “The Return of the King” benefits from behind-the-scenes access to the personal files of Elvis and his famous manager, Colonel Tom Parker, as well as broadcast footage from the NBC special and interviews with Conan superfans O’Brien. ,Bruce Springsteen, “Elvis” director Baz Luhrmann, Billy Corgan and the late Robbie Robertson, with Priscilla Presley also providing some golden memorabilia. (Priscilla, who was present for the taping of the special, had never seen her husband perform live until that point.)

Elvis was 33 at the time and had spent the last decade in “movie prison”, contractually bound to make one unforgettable film after another and becoming irrelevant to younger audiences after the Beatles-led British Invasion and the Rolling Stones and the success of the filming. Avant-garde American artists like Jimi Hendrix. For the NBC special, he lost more than 20 pounds and got back into shape, donned a leather ensemble and reunited with longtime bandmates, including guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer DJ Fontana, for jam sessions that play like a precursor to “MTV Unplugged.” Still, there was a chance it could all go wrong, with the Colonel pushing for cheesy skits where Elvis would show off his karate skills and Presley being visibly nervous. (We see clips where he sweats profusely, misses cues, and tells the director, “It’s getting awkward standing here. …I have to do something.”)

Priscilla says: “He was definitely aware of the issues, yes. And he knew it could be a failure, and that would be it, it could ruin his career. »

After spending a little too much time explaining to us the all-too-familiar chapters of Elvis’ career, from his embrace (and yes, his appropriation) of black music to his rise to stardom, including his time in the army and his cinematic career which transformed him. Becoming a caricature, “Return of the King” soars in the final segments, as we see Elvis rise to the challenge and achieve greatness in live-to-tape performance. “It was the rebirth of Elvis Presley,” says Bruce Springsteen.

Billy Corgan sums it up best: “We sit here and judge how he handled normal life. The pressures of marriage, fatherhood, fame, Colonel Tom Parker’s bull —-. But in the middle of it all…lightning strikes. And all we have to do is sort through the pieces and go, God, I wish there were more. Why aren’t there more?