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Priscilla
Oscar winner Sofia Coppola provides an initially romanticized look at one of the great show biz romances in 2023's Priscilla, a lavishly mounted valentine to the romance between Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu, that tells a completely different story than Baz Luhrman's film last year and definitely from a different point of view.
The film begins with the pair's first arranged meeting in Germany while Elvis and Priscilla's father were in the army and moves through an initially dreamy romance that becomes toxic with issues of obsession, infidelity, drug abuse, and physical abuse that does eventually destroy the marriage.
In addition to directing the film, Coppola also co-wrote the screenplay with Sandra Harmon and Priscilla, herself, who is also billed as Executive Producer. With Presley clearly overseeing every step of this production, there is a pretty good chance that the story presented here is factually accurate. The screenplay is based on a 1988 min-series called Elvis and Me that starred Dale Midkiff and Susan Walters as Elvis and Priscilla. The screenplay has been revamped to tell the story from Priscilla's point of view. The story begins a little romanticized in the opening scenes where Elvis appears to be a perfect gentleman, but as the film progresses, we find his gentlemanly exterior being peeled away like an onion, progressing to the point where we don't understand why Priscilla stayed with the man as long as she did.
There were a couple of things presented here that were eye-openers for me. First of all, I didn't know that Priscilla was 14 years old when she met Elvis and equally shocked when, after their first date, Elvis gave her a pill to keep her awake in school the next day, which apparently led to a dependence for Priscilla. There's also a scene where he says he has a gift for her and we're expecting it to be an expensive piece of jewelry, but it was a gun It was unsettling watching Priscilla being kept a virtual prisoner at Graceland while Elvis was supposedly having affairs with Nancy Sinatra and Ann-Margret. The scene where Priscilla gets on a plane to Hollywood to confront Elvis about Ann-Margret and is practically sent back to Nashville on the same plane was one of the best in the film. Loved the scene after their wedding in front of the wedding cake...I haven't seen a bride and groom look so unhappy since Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin in This Boy's Life. The film makes Priscilla awfully silly at times, which is strange since she probably had final say on what ended up on the screen.
Cailee Spaeny has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Leading Actress in a Drama for her performance in the title role, though I found the performance a little one-note. Jacob Elordi, who also lit up the screen this year in Saltburn, delivers another sexy performance as Elvis, never resorting to impression but capturing the essence of the King. Coppola, who I've never been much of a fan, is a little heavy-handed in the director's chair, but with Priscilla in her ear, keeps the film more than watchable.
Oscar winner Sofia Coppola provides an initially romanticized look at one of the great show biz romances in 2023's Priscilla, a lavishly mounted valentine to the romance between Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu, that tells a completely different story than Baz Luhrman's film last year and definitely from a different point of view.
The film begins with the pair's first arranged meeting in Germany while Elvis and Priscilla's father were in the army and moves through an initially dreamy romance that becomes toxic with issues of obsession, infidelity, drug abuse, and physical abuse that does eventually destroy the marriage.
In addition to directing the film, Coppola also co-wrote the screenplay with Sandra Harmon and Priscilla, herself, who is also billed as Executive Producer. With Presley clearly overseeing every step of this production, there is a pretty good chance that the story presented here is factually accurate. The screenplay is based on a 1988 min-series called Elvis and Me that starred Dale Midkiff and Susan Walters as Elvis and Priscilla. The screenplay has been revamped to tell the story from Priscilla's point of view. The story begins a little romanticized in the opening scenes where Elvis appears to be a perfect gentleman, but as the film progresses, we find his gentlemanly exterior being peeled away like an onion, progressing to the point where we don't understand why Priscilla stayed with the man as long as she did.
There were a couple of things presented here that were eye-openers for me. First of all, I didn't know that Priscilla was 14 years old when she met Elvis and equally shocked when, after their first date, Elvis gave her a pill to keep her awake in school the next day, which apparently led to a dependence for Priscilla. There's also a scene where he says he has a gift for her and we're expecting it to be an expensive piece of jewelry, but it was a gun It was unsettling watching Priscilla being kept a virtual prisoner at Graceland while Elvis was supposedly having affairs with Nancy Sinatra and Ann-Margret. The scene where Priscilla gets on a plane to Hollywood to confront Elvis about Ann-Margret and is practically sent back to Nashville on the same plane was one of the best in the film. Loved the scene after their wedding in front of the wedding cake...I haven't seen a bride and groom look so unhappy since Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin in This Boy's Life. The film makes Priscilla awfully silly at times, which is strange since she probably had final say on what ended up on the screen.
Cailee Spaeny has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Leading Actress in a Drama for her performance in the title role, though I found the performance a little one-note. Jacob Elordi, who also lit up the screen this year in Saltburn, delivers another sexy performance as Elvis, never resorting to impression but capturing the essence of the King. Coppola, who I've never been much of a fan, is a little heavy-handed in the director's chair, but with Priscilla in her ear, keeps the film more than watchable.