"Priscilla" is a biographical drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola ("The Virgin Suicides", "Lost in Translation", "Marie Antoinette") based on the memoir "Elvis and Me" by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon. Starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, it presents an often overlooked perspective of an iconically complex romance.
In 1959 in West Germany, 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) is staying with her family at a U. S. military base where her father has been stationed. One night, Priscilla attends a party on the base where she meets the famous singer Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi), who was recently drafted into the military. Despite being ten years her senior, Elvis takes an instant liking to Priscilla, believing she is far more mature than her age and the pair begin dating in secret. After completing his service, Elvis returns home to the United States and eventually loses contact with Priscilla, which leaves her heartbroken. In 1962, Elvis reaches out to Priscilla, requesting that he comes to live with him at his estate in Graceland. Priscilla accepts Elvis's invitation, and she travels to meet with him where the two become a couple once more. Over time, the pressures of both Elvis's fame and Priscilla's worsening mental state begin to grow, which takes a toll on their outwardly perfect relationship.
It's a safe bet that anyone with even the most basic knowledge of music knows who Elvis Presley is. During his lifetime, Elvis redefined rock and roll as we know it, rightfully earning himself the nickname "The King" as a result. But what many people may not realise was the complexity of Elvis's relationship with Priscilla Beaulieu, whom he met when she was only 14 and later married after an almost eight-year-long courtship. Sofia Coppola's film "Priscilla" delves into an interesting side of this relationship from a viewpoint that other forms of media tend to omit altogether.
From the way this film is presented, it's obvious that Priscilla's vision of a fairytale romance with the world famous singer will not to go the way she had envisioned. When she first meets Elvis, he makes it abundantly clear that their age difference is going to play a major factor while they are dating. Yet despite this, the two nonetheless choose to continue their relationship with each other, regardless of what others think. Later on when Priscilla moves in with Elvis, it seems things can only get better for her as he showers her with lavish gifts and money, as well as the most comforting thing of all; the hospitality of his family.
However, cracks soon start to show in Priscilla's new life, changing her from a starstruck fan to an ostracised member of society. It is here that the film does a clever job of showing how Priscilla is unable to live normally under these new circumstances, including how she faces the scorn of the staff at the Catholic school she attends due to her boyfriend's "evil ways". The tragic part here is that Priscilla now knows full well that she can never go back to her regular life, forever having the stigma of being in close affiliation with someone as controversial as Elvis Presley. To make matters worse, she is still technically a child at this point, meaning she still has her whole life ahead to cope with her mounting problems.
Thanks to Sofia Coppola's subtle direction, the film never feels overly sensationalised in its execution. Unlike Baz Luhrmann's 2022 "Elvis" biopic, which revelled in its bombastic nature, this film is content with its slow burning, refined tone. One scene where I thought this was particularly evident is when the young Priscilla is in school trying to get on with her studies, only to be leered at by her fellow students and teachers due to her personal associations. Instead of playing this part up like some cliched teenage drama, Coppola uses this opportunity to showcase Priscilla's ostracisation via some artistic choices. For instance, Coppola chooses to slowly zoom in on Priscilla's sad face as she deals with constant ridicule to show that this is an internalised conflict she must overcome, as well as giving off the feeling that the whole world is closing in her. Additionally, there are also some creative choices in lighting during similar scenes to symbolise her bright future becoming dark as a result of all her problems. In the hands of another director, the nuances of Priscilla's life may have been glanced over in favour of the spicier details but Coppola understands the need to focus on certain details in order to properly humanise her subjects.
As the title character, Cailee Spaeny does a convincing job showing Priscilla Presley's (née Beaulieu) youthful naiveté at all the right moments. Spaeny's performance is especially a stand out as she is able to convey a great deal of information about her character to the audience through more than just dialogue. In one scene, we see Priscilla standing inside her large bedroom filled with expensive furniture and artwork, somewhere many would consider rather luxurious. However, it is clear that Priscilla herself is unable to enjoy where she currently is because of her husband's absence, which is shown through her reserved body language. As this film is executive produced by the real Priscilla Presley, I can safely assume that she approves of her depiction in this movie, even if her late daughter Lisa Marie reportedly did not.
I think Jacob Elordi's depiction of Elvis is definitely worth mentioning as well. In this film, Elvis is less like a rock star and more like a vulnerable man who loves his family, to the point where he desperately wants to welcome someone like Priscilla into it. He seems like a person who wants a real partner to share all his fame with, but cannot form a real connection with anyone other than Priscilla. Of course, her being underage is a major elephant in the room so it's hard to really want to support a relationship that would be considered statutory rape in any other context. Nonetheless, Elordi's portrayal is a worthy one that compliments Spaeny's quite nicely.
If anyone was put off by the exuberant stylings of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis film, then "Priscilla" provides the appropriate antidote you might be looking for. It achieves what it was going for not via sensationalism, but rather through the subtle behaviour of its subject matter. Rarely have we ever gotten a film about the most important people in Elvis Presley's life that doesn't make him the centre of attention, but this one does a nice enough job of respecting his influence while also keeping the focus away from him and on the actual person in question. For that reason alone, the film has done something right.
I rate it 7/10.
In 1959 in West Germany, 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) is staying with her family at a U. S. military base where her father has been stationed. One night, Priscilla attends a party on the base where she meets the famous singer Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi), who was recently drafted into the military. Despite being ten years her senior, Elvis takes an instant liking to Priscilla, believing she is far more mature than her age and the pair begin dating in secret. After completing his service, Elvis returns home to the United States and eventually loses contact with Priscilla, which leaves her heartbroken. In 1962, Elvis reaches out to Priscilla, requesting that he comes to live with him at his estate in Graceland. Priscilla accepts Elvis's invitation, and she travels to meet with him where the two become a couple once more. Over time, the pressures of both Elvis's fame and Priscilla's worsening mental state begin to grow, which takes a toll on their outwardly perfect relationship.
It's a safe bet that anyone with even the most basic knowledge of music knows who Elvis Presley is. During his lifetime, Elvis redefined rock and roll as we know it, rightfully earning himself the nickname "The King" as a result. But what many people may not realise was the complexity of Elvis's relationship with Priscilla Beaulieu, whom he met when she was only 14 and later married after an almost eight-year-long courtship. Sofia Coppola's film "Priscilla" delves into an interesting side of this relationship from a viewpoint that other forms of media tend to omit altogether.
From the way this film is presented, it's obvious that Priscilla's vision of a fairytale romance with the world famous singer will not to go the way she had envisioned. When she first meets Elvis, he makes it abundantly clear that their age difference is going to play a major factor while they are dating. Yet despite this, the two nonetheless choose to continue their relationship with each other, regardless of what others think. Later on when Priscilla moves in with Elvis, it seems things can only get better for her as he showers her with lavish gifts and money, as well as the most comforting thing of all; the hospitality of his family.
However, cracks soon start to show in Priscilla's new life, changing her from a starstruck fan to an ostracised member of society. It is here that the film does a clever job of showing how Priscilla is unable to live normally under these new circumstances, including how she faces the scorn of the staff at the Catholic school she attends due to her boyfriend's "evil ways". The tragic part here is that Priscilla now knows full well that she can never go back to her regular life, forever having the stigma of being in close affiliation with someone as controversial as Elvis Presley. To make matters worse, she is still technically a child at this point, meaning she still has her whole life ahead to cope with her mounting problems.
Thanks to Sofia Coppola's subtle direction, the film never feels overly sensationalised in its execution. Unlike Baz Luhrmann's 2022 "Elvis" biopic, which revelled in its bombastic nature, this film is content with its slow burning, refined tone. One scene where I thought this was particularly evident is when the young Priscilla is in school trying to get on with her studies, only to be leered at by her fellow students and teachers due to her personal associations. Instead of playing this part up like some cliched teenage drama, Coppola uses this opportunity to showcase Priscilla's ostracisation via some artistic choices. For instance, Coppola chooses to slowly zoom in on Priscilla's sad face as she deals with constant ridicule to show that this is an internalised conflict she must overcome, as well as giving off the feeling that the whole world is closing in her. Additionally, there are also some creative choices in lighting during similar scenes to symbolise her bright future becoming dark as a result of all her problems. In the hands of another director, the nuances of Priscilla's life may have been glanced over in favour of the spicier details but Coppola understands the need to focus on certain details in order to properly humanise her subjects.
As the title character, Cailee Spaeny does a convincing job showing Priscilla Presley's (née Beaulieu) youthful naiveté at all the right moments. Spaeny's performance is especially a stand out as she is able to convey a great deal of information about her character to the audience through more than just dialogue. In one scene, we see Priscilla standing inside her large bedroom filled with expensive furniture and artwork, somewhere many would consider rather luxurious. However, it is clear that Priscilla herself is unable to enjoy where she currently is because of her husband's absence, which is shown through her reserved body language. As this film is executive produced by the real Priscilla Presley, I can safely assume that she approves of her depiction in this movie, even if her late daughter Lisa Marie reportedly did not.
I think Jacob Elordi's depiction of Elvis is definitely worth mentioning as well. In this film, Elvis is less like a rock star and more like a vulnerable man who loves his family, to the point where he desperately wants to welcome someone like Priscilla into it. He seems like a person who wants a real partner to share all his fame with, but cannot form a real connection with anyone other than Priscilla. Of course, her being underage is a major elephant in the room so it's hard to really want to support a relationship that would be considered statutory rape in any other context. Nonetheless, Elordi's portrayal is a worthy one that compliments Spaeny's quite nicely.
If anyone was put off by the exuberant stylings of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis film, then "Priscilla" provides the appropriate antidote you might be looking for. It achieves what it was going for not via sensationalism, but rather through the subtle behaviour of its subject matter. Rarely have we ever gotten a film about the most important people in Elvis Presley's life that doesn't make him the centre of attention, but this one does a nice enough job of respecting his influence while also keeping the focus away from him and on the actual person in question. For that reason alone, the film has done something right.
I rate it 7/10.