As I’m writing this week’s newsletter, the latest update from SAG-AFTRA is they received what the AMPTP is calling their “last, best, and final offer.” However, the offer is still in review, meaning this week’s newsletter is covering another independent film. One company that has not been affected by the strikes is A24 because it’s an independent New York-based company that is not affiliated with the AMPTP. Their latest release, Priscilla, hit theaters over the weekend, and I went to see it Saturday night, doing my best not to compare it to the previous Elvis movie that took the world by storm in 2022.
The film, directed by Sofia Coppola, is based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 book Elvis and Me and has a much darker tone than 2022’s Elvis biopic. While last year’s film showed us mostly the side of Elvis that the world already knew, Priscilla takes viewers into Elvis’ personal life, where we see Elvis the human being, not Elvis the celebrity. Unfortunately, Elvis, the human being, was a lot less appealing than the star we’re used to. While last year’s biopic glamorized the singer, Coppola’s film, which Lisa Marie Presley called “vengeful” before her death in January, left off the glitzy filter and showed the raw truth of who Elvis was in his relationship with Priscilla.
While the two may be one of the most memorable and famous celebrity couples, inspiring plenty of Halloween costumes every year, the truth of their relationship is much more disturbing. When Priscilla met Elvis at a house party in Bad Nauheim, Germany, she was 14 years old, and he was 24. Coppola’s film takes us from the moment Priscilla met the superstar til the day she decided to leave him, driving her car through the gates of Graceland as Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” plays. While the 2022 Elvis biopic briefly showed the end of their relationship, it left out the toxicity and abusive habits that made Priscilla seem so small, even in a movie named after her.
Jacob Elordi As Elvis Presley
One of the most talked about aspects of Priscilla is Euphoria actor Jacob Elordi’s role as the superstar. Last year, Austin Butler blew audiences away as Elvis Presley after mainly being known for his roles in children’s television shows. Butler seemed to take on the entire personality of Elvis, and fans couldn’t help but notice other odd similarities and synchronicities, like he and his girlfriend having the same age gap as Elvis and Priscilla, his birthday being the day after Elvis’ death, and of course, the way he continues to sound like Elvis when he speaks, even though it’s been over a year since the movie’s release.
However, despite the criticism, Austin Butler was an undeniably perfect fit for the role. He even won a Golden Globe for his performance and was nominated for an Oscar. It was hard to imagine anyone else taking on the role of Elvis, but it’s also hard to compare what Jacob Elordi did to what Austin Butler accomplished. Butler was playing Elvis the celebrity, and alongside Baz Luhhrman’s directing, which I always found to be quite chaotic, he created someone who felt larger than life. For all of us who weren’t alive at the same time as Elvis, Austin Butler embodied the legend so we could experience his magic 45 years after his death.
However, that’s not to say Jacob Elordi didn’t do a good job; he was just tackling a much different task. Priscilla only briefly showed flashes of Elvis being hounded by paparazzi or performing on stage. Mostly, we saw him in his own home, laying in bed, demanding she change her dress because it didn’t look good on her, or throwing a chair at the wall, which, had Priscilla not moved out of the way, may have hit her. I remember raving about how, while watching Austin Butler, I felt like I was watching the real Elvis. I can’t say the same for Elordi because no one knew this side of Elvis except for Priscilla.
Priscilla’s Role In The Film
Even though the film was titled after Priscilla, it still felt like a movie about Elvis. However, this was undoubtedly the point. From age 14 to 28, Elvis was Priscilla’s entire world. Everything revolved around him, and even for the years she seemed miserable, she stuck by his side until she reached her breaking point. Priscilla didn’t have much of an identity outside of Elvis because she met him at such a young age that she never had the chance to grow into her own person.
Throughout the film, Cailee Spaeny, who played Priscilla, came across as naive, bashful, and unsure of herself, always standing in Elvis’ shadow like she was playing the side character in his movie. In fact, the only time she took center stage and reclaimed her life was when she left him. Still, her story came across, and I felt great sadness for her. Even if Elvis seemed like the star of the show, it was still very evidently Priscilla’s perspective.
The Artistic Nature Of Priscilla
Baz Luhrmann has his own unique style of directing that truly can not be recreated. From 1996’s Romeo + Juliet to his 2013 The Great Gatsby adaptation, he has a signature style that brings the stories he’s telling to life. Sofia Coppola, on the other hand, has a much softer style of directing. She’s best known for her 1999 film adaptation of The Virgin Suicides, and 2003’s Lost In Translation, both of which have a very delicate style. Priscilla was not loud, bright, and colorful like Luhrmann’s 2022 film.
The colors in Priscilla were as dull as Elvis was when he wasn’t on stage. Everything felt sad and lonely, like the colors of Priscilla’s family’s kitchen in Germany. There were brighter moments, like scenes with beautiful lighting or the colorful rolling skating sequence. However, most of it was made to look very dim to express how sad Priscilla’s relationship with Elvis was from start to finish, even when there were some positive moments.
I find it fascinating that Priscilla was such a fan of both the 2022 Elvis biopic and Sofia Copola’s adaptation of her story since they showcase such drastically different perspectives of Elvis. We tend to look at things as very black and white in our world, so it’s hard to comprehend how Priscilla can love a movie that shows the behind-the-scenes of Elvis’ toxic behavior and also praise a film that painted him as a hero. While we can watch both movies through the screen, only she knows what the experience was actually like, and more than any of us. She knows how much more complex the story of Elvis and being with Elvis was.
Austin Butler is Elvis