Now playing in theaters, “Priscilla” is a new biopic that depicts the perspective of Priscilla Presley and her relationship with Elvis.
Behind most celebrated and powerful men usually sits in the shadows, a demure woman acting as the emotional backbone to her more dominant other half. That was again and most certainly the case behind the entertainment phenomenon known as Elvis Presley, the King of Rock & Roll.
The film, Priscilla is based on the book released in 1986 by Priscilla Presley entitled Elvis and Me, giving us her detailed account and also a very different side from what we have been shown previously in all other tellings.
Directed by award winner Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) and starring a cast of mainly unknown actors, this biopic starts out after Elvis is already a superstar household name. Priscilla Beaulieu, living in Germany with her military family, becomes the sparkle of an older Elvis’s eye as she was only 14 and in the 9th grade. There was a 10-year age gap between the lovebirds, which I feel, until this particular version, I had no idea of the decade between them, and at first viewing it seems a bit creepy and predatory to even bear witness to. Like would that even fly in today’s “woke” society; I am not so certain.
Don’t expect “Priscilla” to have the same glamour and glitz that last year’s “Elvis” boasted. This rendition is much more subdued, feminine, and sensitive, kind of like Priscilla was herself at her young age. My heart went out to the young woman in this story as I took the wild ride encountering the couples turbulent 14-year courtship. Priscilla had a very similar Princess Diana quality in the fact that I don’t think it was possible for either figure to have known what they were getting themselves into. How on earth could they? Both were often lonely, deeply sad, yet admired from the outside by the public at large. People are rarely aware of what goes on behind closed doors, even on our own pothole ridden streets right here in NEPA.
I found this well-made drama to be fascinating and informative, kind of like opening up a history book while riding in a time capsule. Both lead actors, especially the debonair Jacob Elordi as Elvis, are strong and deserving in the upcoming award season.
Interestingly enough, Elvis Presley Enterprises declined both their approval for this film, and also a refusal for Sophia Coppola to use Elvis’s songs. I didn’t even pick up on that detail while watching, as the mastermind director took creative alternatives, using cover versions of songs from that same era. The ending scene credit of Cailee Spaeny driving away from Graceland one final time to Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” in the background turned me into a complete pile of mush! I am used to people hightailing it out of the parking lot when on dates with me, usually splitting right before it’s time to pay the check, leaving me high and dry! Hey, we can’t all carry bravado like the King of Rock & Roll did, but we can sure still find vacancy in our very own Heartbreak Hotel.
“Priscilla” starring Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi
Christopher’s “Meow” Score: “8” paws out of 10.
