After seeing the anticipated blockbuster of summer 2022, “Elvis,” I was eager to watch “Priscilla,” since
there is a completely different perspective. “Priscilla” sheds the Hollywood glam and charisma that “Elvis”
implemented. Based on Presley’s memoir, “Elvis and Me,” this is the sadder, softer, and more authentic version of the story. Director Sophia Coppola, best known for films such as “Marie-Antoinette ‘’ and “Lost in Translation,” brought Priscilla Presley’s experience to the big screen, and Priscilla co-produced the movie with Coppola’s brother.
While there is not much of a plot going on, the movie simply begins and ends with Priscilla and Elvis’s relationship. Within the first 20 minutes of the film, young Priscilla is invited to a party at Elvis’s house. To contrast this, the closing scene is her finally gaining the courage to drive away from Graceland, the home that held their memories and love. This detail shows how Elvis completely dominated and controlled Priscilla’s life.
This film discusses the mundane of girlhood in a unique way. The boring scenes of Priscilla waiting around for Elvis are long to help the audience feel her apathy, and convey all the emotions she is undergoing, while the joyful scenes are short and concise. This explains that there was nothing else going on in Priscilla’s life. She was dedicated to Elvis and giving him a perfect world. Early on in their relationship, she even went as far as dying her hair jet
black and wearing heavy eye makeup to satisfy him. This dramatic scene of stylists making Priscilla unrecognizable was one of my favorites. Watching them put Aqua Net hairspray in her hair and style a voluminous bouff ant hairstyle was showing the viewers she had completely lost her identity and dignity
From the clothes to even the decorations around the house, everything was historically accurate, making the movie feel even more genuine to the audience. The beautiful cinematography is not to be overlooked, from the various visual elements such as lighting to camera positioning, each scene is astonishing. Jacob Elordi, famous for his role of Nate Jacobs in “Euphoria,” does a remarkable job playing “The King.” His accent, hair, and overall look was uncanny to Elvis. Cailee Spaeny puts on an equally extraordinary performance as she was effortlessly beautiful and melancholic. She captured the essence of a naive 14-year-old girl lusting for love perfectly. From when Elvis bought her a puppy,
to a Cadillac, I found myself equally as excited and “fan-girled” as she was. However, it was not all enchanting and luxurious for Priscilla while being with Elvis.
A small detail to not only emphasize their age gap, but power gap, was the actors height difference. With Spaeny standing at just five foot one, she comes off innocent and inexperienced. However, Elordi is six foot five, meaning he not only towered over her, but the entire cast. This resembled how Elvis was not able to blend in anywhere he went, as well as his looming presence over those in his life. He was responsible for implanting chaos into a delicate and innocent young girl’s life. While just in high school, she moves into his home, Graceland. She was so young that she had
to finish school in his town and complete school work while he was touring. Watching her childhood be utterly ripped away from her was heartbreaking. As I am around the age she was when she moved in with Elvis, I cannot imagine living the life she did. As the relationship continued, Elvis grew cruel toward Priscilla, from telling her he did not like what she wore, to a scene depicting him throwing a chair inches from her head, his manipulation and abuse was undeniable. He even went as far as introducing her to drugs and unhealthy habits. Priscilla was simply a shadow of Elvis or an accessory in his dream world, yet this movie does an amazing job of not making Elvis the star of the show. A way to show this was by not including a single second of an Elvis song. Priscilla was the narrator, and it was her turn to share her story.
Coppola did an excellent job with this film, and I truly felt like a fly on the wall in Graceland. “Priscilla” shined light on abusive relationships, and how wealthy and powerful men will be seen as innocent due to their following. I would recommend this movie to anyone, especially teenage girls because of the strong message to not let a relationship define you, and find love and peace within yourself.
