I will be the first to admit I have always glamorized old school love. For me, it’s hard not to want true love blossoming over a shared milkshake when I see what modern dating looks like now.
I know I’m not alone because Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding photos on Pinterest are the epitome of this “vintage it couple” idea.
American filmmaker and actress Sofia Coppola forces the audience to open their eyes to the brutal reality of their love in “Priscilla,” a film based on the 1985 biography “Elvis and Me,” written by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley and Sandra Harmon. The film premiered on October 27th, 2023 and was produced by A24.
My father loves Elvis Presley’s music and frequently played it for my sister and I growing up. Naturally, I had to watch “Elvis” starring Austin Butler in the titular role last year, which I enjoyed hearing those songs on a big screen.
Although the film did show that Elvis first met Priscilla when she was underaged, it seemed to gloss over the nature of their relationship – just like how everyone forgets Elvis married Priscilla when she turned 21 years old because he was regarded as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” I guess showing that he was a groomer would ruin the narrative of the 2022 film.
“Priscilla” however showed us the reality behind a dream most teenage girls had during that era.
The film introduces Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Beaulieu, a 14-year-old living in West Germany, where Elvis happens to be completing his military service.
Jacob Elordi plays Elvis, and those who have seen him as Nate Jacobs in the HBO television show “Euphoria” can attest to his raw talent in playing abusive boyfriends.
I thought this casting choice was only because of Elordi’s looks and nothing more, but his demeanor and the fact that he towers over her realistically portrays their 10 year age gap.
The movie was successful at showing how much older Elvis was, and the power he had over Priscilla.
Watching Priscilla become nervous and fidget in a child-like manner when she and Elvis act out their first interaction made my skin crawl. I couldn’t seem to sit still when Elvis learns she is a freshman in high school, calls her a “little baby,” and still proceeds to kiss her.
I really sympathized with Priscilla when Elvis finishes his military service and goes back to the United States.
Given his stardom and Priscilla’s young age, it’s understandable why she spends her days writing him long letters he never seems to return.
When Elvis finally calls Priscilla to visit him, I wanted to immerse myself into the film and beg her parents not to let their 17-year-old daughter go. Of course, they do anyway.
We finally get to see Priscilla in Graceland, Elvis’ home estate in Memphis, Tennessee where he doesn’t protect her from the heavy use of drugs and alcohol.
In fact, he encourages it and gives her pills that ultimately leaves her unconscious for two days. During this scene, we hear his grandmother telling Elvis he can’t give her something she’s not used to. What about the fact that he has no business courting a teenager in the first place?
It’s clear to everyone around Elvis how young Priscilla is and yet no one does anything about it. When he takes her to Vegas with the rest of his goons, we feel for Priscilla and how eager she is to keep up with his world.
This results in her taking pills to be awake for high school every morning while he is sleeping in. The audience can see for themselves how miserable Priscilla becomes over the course of the movie, and it’s sad that she had to grow up so fast.
I didn’t know that Elvis made her dye her hair jet black and wear clothes that he only approved of. It broke my heart when she put on lashes before giving birth to Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ only daughter. This was just another thing Priscilla did for his approval and probably because she knew paparazzi would be invasive.
Kudos to Coppola for only having Elvis and Priscilla look happy in front of cameras and when their moments were captured on film.
I had never seen Spaeny in previous roles, but she is absolutely captivating in “Priscilla.” I forgot she was acting out a role and not living through this herself.
My only quarrel is that the last scene was too brief between Elvis and Priscilla where she tells him she’s leaving him. I understand Coppola’s take on it was that Priscilla is finally done with Elvis and wants to live her own life, but making this scene so short does a disservice to Priscilla Presley’s love for him in reality.
The couple separated in 1972 but Priscilla currently keeps Elvis’ legacy alive since she opened Graceland to the public as a tourist attraction, according to a March 2023 E! News article.
The film’s soundtrack was curated with so much intention and it even let me rediscover old songs I’ve always heard, but never added to my own playlist. The film’s final scene with Priscilla leaving Graceland as a grown woman paired perfectly with “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton.
“Priscilla” explores a side of Elvis behind the curtain that only Priscilla saw and the shocking lengths she went to for his attention. I think it’s necessary to see people for who they are, even a music legend like Elvis Presley. I applaud Coppola for having the courage to tell this story at the expense of die hard Elvis fans who refuse to admit he groomed Priscilla.
