Sofia Coppola‘s latest film Priscilla has already hit cinemas in the US and is set to be released on January 5, 2024, here in the UK. There has been much anticipation surrounding the film since it is the first to tell the story of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s wife rather than the King himself. However, even though that is the intention, most of the hype has been about Jacob Elordi as Elvis and very little about Priscilla and Cailee Spaeny.
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022) was a glamorous, ostentatious, and highly theatrical biopic about the life of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) under the strict control of his manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The film garnered eight Academy Award nominations, received a positive response from Priscilla and Lisa-Marie Presley, and favourable reviews from critics. Most notable was Butler’s performance as Presley; he “lived and breathed all things Elvis,” rehearsing for months so that he could accurately portray one of the most well-known names of all time.
Elordi, on the other hand, said his only point of reference for Elvis was a scene in Disney’s Lilo and Stitch where the eponymous extra-terrestrial dresses up as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Whilst this reveal was funny and unsurprisingly overtook the internet for 24 hours, I thought that would be the end of it. Instead, the run-up to Priscilla‘s American release has been dominated by discourse pitting the two Elvis’ against each other. Articles have covered at length who was the better Elvis, who sounded most like him, and Priscilla Presley’s reaction to hearing their voices. Interesting, given that the film is about the life of Priscilla outside of her husband’s shadow.
Of course, Priscilla has not yet been released in UK cinemas, but current reviews are mixed. The New York Times called it “sensitive,” whereas The New Yorker dubbed it an “irreverent response” to its 2022 predecessor. So far, critics have given it 82% on Rotten Tomatoes but audiences have only given it 63% so it will be interesting to see how British crowds respond in January.
Before discussion centred on Elvis’ portrayal in the film, Priscilla was largely being discussed concerning its director Sofia Coppola, whose cinematography could not be more different than that of Luhrmann. Coppola’s filmography is recognised for its hyper-feminine and dreamy aesthetic, themes of girlhood, and immaculate costume design. Her filmmaking style seemed perfect to explore Priscilla’s life with Elvis whom she met when she was only 14 years old and him 24, especially in comparison to the grandiose and lavish Elvis which was far less intimate and poignant. But is this approach able to capture the complexity of a young woman married to one of the world’s greatest singers?
There’s no doubt that the film will be beautiful. The LA Times poetically described it as full of “a sadness so soft and luxuriant you can practically drape it around yourself like a mantle.” Given the significance of fashion and colour palettes in Coppola’s work, it’s unsurprising that critics’ reviews begin by painting a picture of the aesthetics at work in Priscilla.
The Guardian, however, brushes past this. Adrian Horton recognises that the film is “lushly styled, beautifully designed, lingering on beauty,” and also points out that Priscilla “is not a recounting of her life, but a creation of what it felt like to be with him [Elvis].” The film’s source material is Priscilla Presley’s 1985 Memoir Elvis and Me, so this emphasis on emotion rather than narrative was to be expected. Unfortunately, even though Horton notes that Elordi as Elvis is “serviceable enough, as he’s not the point of the movie,” she concludes that “we get such little sense of her… Priscilla is a projection of shed girlhood, transparently beautiful with an opaque sense of self.”
Horton’s review is one of many but once I read it, I couldn’t help but think that this will be at the forefront of my mind when watching the film in January. I’d be disappointed if Coppola – such the celebrated director that she is – misses the mark in this particular portrayal of girlhood. If Luhrmann’s extravagant cinematography could also capture the life of a man who struggled with addiction and financial control, then I’m sure that Coppola’s depiction of Priscilla will encapsulate such a unique and complex experience of girlhood. Quite frankly, I’m looking forward to watching Cailee Spaeny’s touching portrayal of Priscilla, and I couldn’t care less about Elordi’s existing knowledge of Elvis.
