After the summer of Elvis in 2022, it only feels right it is Priscilla’s turn.
I wrote a story last year called “Yeah, Sofia Coppola cast Jacob Elordi as Elvis” when it was announced Sofia Coppola would be releasing an A24 adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s 1985 biography “Elvis and Me” entitled “Priscilla,” and had cast Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley.
Keep in mind, the news of this adaptation came about two months after the release of Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” where Austin Butler had somehow been possessed by the spirit of Elvis and everyone was obsessed and impressed — this was the height.
In said article, I — affectionately — referred to Elordi as “giant Elvis” as the first look photo from the set showed him towering over Cailee Spaeny’s Priscilla, and his look was very unlike Butler’s sparkly fake tan interpretation I had grown accustomed to.
I have to admit I was initially a little concerned and was even prematurely labeling Elordi’s casting as “an opportunity to be camp” so I could mentally prepare myself for what was to come — but I should’ve never doubted Mother Coppola.
When “Priscilla” first premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 4 — with Priscilla herself in attendance — Spaeny won the acclaimed Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her performance, and early reviews for the film were overwhelmingly positive.
However, there was a growing line of discourse from die-hard Elvis fans who seemed to think Coppola’s adaptation of “Priscilla” would somehow taint the reputation and legacy of Elvis that had become so re-established in our culture after Luhrmann’s tribute.
“It’s another point of view. Sofia wants to tell the real story of Priscilla, and I think she succeeds. Priscilla Presley herself is happy with the film. I’m not sure the rest of the family are as in favor,” Venice Film Festival President Alberto Barbera said in an interview with Deadline.
After hearing this reaction, I had no doubt in my mind Coppola’s goal when creating “Priscilla” was not to “slander Elvis” in response to Luhrmann’s movie, as some would like to surmise, but rather to offer up a nuanced take on a relationship so central to American culture — one that started with a young girl.
One of my favorite things about Coppola as a director — and what she is known for — is the care in which she handles themes of girlhood. As seen in her prior ventures like “The Virgin Suicides” and “Marie Antoinette,” Coppola has a talent for displaying beguiling themes of loneliness and isolation all through a pale pink lens — and “Priscilla” is no different.
From the film’s opening, it was apparent Coppola would not be shying away from the 10-year age gap — and accompanying power dynamic — between Elvis and Priscilla.
At 25, Spaeny’s ability to believably jump around in age — playing a 14-year-old to a 28-year-old — was impressive yet sickening. Elordi’s Elvis towered over Spaeny’s Priscilla and carried a sinister sense of foreboding that made me appropriately recoil.
You know it’s bad when you feel like you’re about 45 minutes into the movie, and then the main character in a relationship with an older man graduates high school — in his hometown he fought to bring her to after completely changing her appearance.
And yet, the film was still nuanced enough to show moments of love and companionship between Elvis and Priscilla — something Priscilla herself remains very vocal about to this day — but never undermined the reality of their relationship and the manipulation, infidelity and loneliness Priscilla endured.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
