When you think of Elvis Presley, you think of music, dancing and The King of Rock and Roll. What is often overlooked is the team of people helping Elvis thrive. Sofia Coppola’s newest film, “Priscilla,” tells the story of Priscilla Presley’s life, from the moment she met Elvis to the moment she left him. The film is based on Presley’s book “Elvis and Me,” revealing the highs and lows of their influential relationship.
The film focuses on the ins and outs of Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship. Specifically, how this lifestyle affected Priscilla as a young woman dating the most prominent pop star at the time. As the film unfolds, the toxicity in their marriage is revealed along with their deep-rooted love for each other, which creates a riveting story for audiences.
The film follows a timeline for Priscilla from ages 14-27, following her life in Germany when she first met Elvis, then to Graceland, where she married and had a child with Elvis, and finally, when she divorced him.
In 2022, director Baz Lurhman created and released “Elvis.” This film was critically acclaimed, and audiences were fascinated with it. Austin Butler, who played Elvis in Lurhman’s film, was praised for his role, so when Coppola announced that her film “Priscilla” was in the works, there was automatic pressure to create a flawless movie. When Coppola released the cast list, many were uncertain about her choices.
Despite speculation, the casting of “Pricilla” was impeccable. Upcoming actress Cailee Spaeny played Priscilla alongside Jacob Elordi, who played Elvis. Spaeny’s soft countenance and Elordi’s larger-than-life presence created exquisite on-screen chemistry.
Spaeny’s ability to portray a 14-year-old young woman to a 27-year-old woman is incomparable, capturing youthfulness to maturity with ease. Overall, she gave a poignant performance that made a seemingly unrelatable situation relatable to audiences. While Elordi provided an impactful performance without being overpowering, his acting was purposeful and effective without stealing attention from Priscilla.
Visually, Coppola has a knack for creating sensory-rich sets that contribute to the storytelling, making the film feel feminine and personal. In the opening sequence, Coppola creates a montage that focuses on soft and delicate aspects of femininity, along with using colors and textures that expand through the screen, making audiences fully enthralled in the film.
Specifically, Coppola curated a montage that consisted of Priscilla getting ready with odes to the 60s. For example, items like Aqua Net (a popular hairspray), sitting in a diner and silk.
Coppola was also faced with the challenge of capturing the life of Priscilla’s perspective while having such a dominant character like Elvis. There were stylistic elements like the camera being directed toward Spaney for most of the shots, even when there were intimate moments between Elvis and Priscilla.
It felt that, as a viewer, you only saw Elvis through the eyes of Priscilla. With that being said, he wasn’t depicted the way Elvis is typically portrayed. Obviously, there were aspects of his eccentric lifestyle, but mostly, he was seen as vulnerable and dynamic. Specifically, when they would be spending time alone, as a viewer, it felt as if he wasn’t one of the biggest stars at the time. Primarily because the camera felt mainly directed at Priscilla’s body language towards Elvis and only captured Elvis’s reactions to Priscilla.
Coppola was not warranted to use any of Elvis’s music, which I feel benefited the film because it accentuated Priscilla’s individuality by completely detaching her from Elvis’s career. The music added to the overall aesthetic of the movie. Specifically, the film ended with Dolly Parton’s rendition of “I Will Always Love You,” which beautifully solidifies the ending of the film along with the ending of their relationship.
Ultimately, Coppola captures the complex life of Priscilla Presley and her relationship with Elvis. Coppola created a beautifully tragic story that everyone can watch and appreciate for various reasons.
