Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, starring Euphoria star Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny as Elvis and Priscilla Presley, recently came out on November 3rd.
What is Priscilla?
Priscilla Ann Presley is an American actress and businesswoman, the ex-wife of the “King of Rock” Elvis Presley. Priscilla (2023) is written and directed by Sofia Coppola. She follows a teenage Priscilla Beaulieu when she meets Elvis Presley at a party and shows their private moments during their controversial relationship.
My Review
As a massive fan of cinema and directors in general, I am a fan of Sofia Coppola. Her style of directing, set design, and film, in general, is beautiful. Not only am I a fan of Sofia Coppola, I’m a big fan of Elvis Presley. Elvis’ music was a prominent part of my childhood since many family members were fans of him. So because a film with my favorite director and a musician I’ve listened to my entire life was coming out, I knew I had to see it.
To start, there were not a lot of theatres showing Priscilla, which already indicates the general audience’s reaction to the movie. The theatre we saw the film in, Regal Edwards Ontario, had many open seats, and only five people came to see the movie, even one walking out of the theatre. In the movie’s opening credits, there was the usual iconic Sofia Coppola montage, which was exciting to see. I could already tell the movie would have an incredible film style and soundtrack. In my opinion, the movie showed a phenomenal view of Priscilla’s life during her relationship with Elvis, though many people would disagree. Overall, I think the movie was fantastic and different from the usual movies centering around Elvis Presley.
Audience Reviews
After watching Priscilla, I wanted to see other people’s opinions and reviews on the film, so I looked on Letterbox.
CinemaJoe writes, “I’ve spent much time thinking about Priscilla. The way it subverts the idyllic life of fame and transforms it into a portrait of isolation. The intentional use of scale between Elordi and Spaeny emphasizes Elvis’s influence—the subtle (and sometimes overt) reminder of Priscilla’s age juxtaposed with the evil of stardom. A fantasy, a dream that evaporates once innocence has been robbed and reality has settled in. This was captured and delivered through two titanic performances, but Spaeny left me stunned. So much emotion is captured simply through her command of expressions. Joy, heartbreak, frustration, regret— she is a star. I found the second half slightly meandering— as if it was building towards a climax, only for it never to have its moment and end abruptly. I’m hesitant to say it feels lost because a part of me feels that was Coppola’s intention. (I am seeing it a second time tonight, so maybe it will play differently) Regardless, the honesty and vulnerability embedded into the movie’s DNA is why the film succeeds— especially in a time like ours where complacency still runs rampant.”
Sydney ? also wrote, “I admittedly wanted more of karate-era Priscilla and to marinate in certain moments much longer despite the intentional dreamlike fragmentation, but there are unsurprisingly so many subtle & smart ways that Coppola brings us into the loneliness, the control, a predatory relationship with passion but no justice. Cailee Spaeny is out of this world and gracefully moves this character through different ages and painful experiences. A beautiful cage is still a cage.”
Last Critiques
I wholeheartedly agree with these reviews. Cailee Spaeny did a fantastic job as Priscilla and deserves all the recognition she receives. Even though many people are comparing Priscilla to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, I feel like Sofia Coppola did an incredible job showing the relationship between Elvis and Priscilla Presley.
