Priscilla is a dark film filled with uncomfortable moments, but incredible performances and set pieces. It shares a story that needs to be told.
Elvis is one of the most iconic caricatures in American history but the story of his ex-wife Priscilla is somehow always swept away. Sophia Coppola’s newest film Priscilla explores the inner workings of the life and relationship between Priscilla and Elvis, bringing a brand new angle to the beloved superstar.
From top to bottom Priscilla is just a great film. Before giving it all its flowers, the only flaw with the film is its pacing, which inherently is going to be off because of the runtime, as it comes in just under 2 hours, while it is covering so many decades of a relationship. This caused the ending of the film to feel pretty packed and rushed. Near the end of the film, a lot of quick events were shown, then faded to black, and repeated over and over to pass more time until the conclusion of Priscilla and Elvis’ relationship – conceptually this was a great idea, but the film did such an amazing job with exploring this relation and keeping the audience so invested, that the skipping of time felt like we as the audience were being cheated.
On the other hand, after the film during a press conference with the cast and crew, we found out that they had massive budget constraints which led them to have to be selective with their sets and scenes. This of course made me more understanding of the choice to skip time but also speaks to me about how well the first 2 acts of the film worked in regards to layering this relationship.
The act structure of this film is very visible, not only script wise but sets wise as well. This most definitely helps the pacing because we are never left in the dark. The film is based on Priscilla Presley’s biographical book Elvis and Me – which is very notable as though Sofia Coppola makes some directorial changes, the act structure is similar to that of a book. In addition to this, aside from the final moments of the film feeling rushed, 95% of this film is paced very well and that is because of how well the film balances humor and serious topics.
The film observes the relationship between Priscilla and Elvis which started when Priscilla was in highschool. Of course Elvis was much older than her and since the filmmakers know this is very weird they play it in a way that balances the comedy and seriousness. Much of the comedy comes from the audience knowing the situation but where the film succeeds is that when moments become uncomfortable, nothing is ever strayed away from. The movie also wastes no time in the romance between the two so both Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi have this ever-evolving chemistry throughout the film.
Speaking of the performances, Cailee is amazing and more on her later but the inherent comparison comes between Jacob Elordi’s embodiment of Elvis in this film and Austin Butler’s embodiment of Elvis in Elvis (2022). Right out of the gate these are 2 completely different performances because the films are completely different, if anything, Priscilla is an almost ‘anti-Elvis’ film whereas Elvis (2022) is giving an almost glamorous look at the ‘life of the icon’.
With that being said though Butler may technically be a better Elvis, Elordi brings this undertone performance to Elvis. In the press conference he stated that he was more aspiring to play the private part of Elvis, not the show part of Elvis, and that is exactly what he delivered. Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla delivers one of the best performances of the year. Spanning decades, she is responsible for so much heavy lifting in regards to the scale of this film and she completely delivers.
The abusive element of the relationship isn’t by any means an ‘undertone’ of the film but the performance by Spaeny makes it feel less in your face. She is able to dig deep within the relationship with just her facial expressions that everything feels dreadful, even in moments of hope and forgiveness.
Aside from the performances, the technical aspects of this film are also all amazing. They were not allowed to use any Elvis songs as the estate did not approve of the film but I believe that worked to their advantage – this is not a film about Elvis but it is about Priscilla. Utilizing his music would take away from the private life element. Elvis was not a showstopping superstar in front of Priscilla so there was no need for his show stopping actions to be shown.
Even though no Elvis was used the music supervision was great. It matched the filmic tone of the cinematography and the film never leaned on much more than the levels of grain and costumes to immerse us in the world, which I loved.
As a whole Priscilla is a very dark film, the topics are uncomfortable and though it might not be for everyone, it is filled with beautiful sets and performances – while also telling a story that many people need to hear.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
NEXT: Priscilla Cast and Filmmakers Discuss the Making of the Film
About Priscilla
When teenager Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who’s already a meteoric rock ‘n’ roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, and a gentle best friend.
From Academy Award winning writer/director Sofia Coppola and starring Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny.
Priscilla arrives in theaters November 3rd.
Aryan is an aspiring content creator and journalist who loves all genres of movies. He is passionate about discussing and having conversations about anything and everything pop culture related.