{"id":153005,"date":"2024-01-20T11:39:22","date_gmt":"2024-01-20T01:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=153005"},"modified":"2024-01-20T11:39:22","modified_gmt":"2024-01-20T01:39:22","slug":"priscilla-movie-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/priscilla-movie-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Priscilla – movie review"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a boom time for new films from some of cinema\u2019s great stylists. In the past 12 months, we\u2019ve had new movies from the likes of Wes Anderson<\/a>, Christopher Nolan<\/a> and Martin Scorsese<\/a>. Now we have a new release from Sofia Coppola in Priscilla; a layered, impressionistic portrait of the relationship between Priscilla Presley and one-time husband Elvis.<\/p>\n

Coppola returns here to a recurrent theme of her work – young women trying to make their way in a world that\u2019s either indifferent, or actively hostile, towards them. These young women are often outsiders – Scarlett Johansson\u2019s Charlotte adrift in Tokyo in Lost in Translation, or Kirsten Dunst\u2019s titular Austrian in the French royal court in Marie Antoinette. These heroines are looking to make their own path, but must navigate obstacles in their way. In the case of Priscilla (the character), those obstacles are immense.<\/p>\n

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The central thesis of the film is basically laid out in the jaunty title sequence. Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) is getting ready for some event in her room. As her polished toes feel the deep-pile carpet, and she puts on cat’s eye make-up, the camera lingers on items in the room: a piano, a mirror, a porcelain elephant. As the film progresses, it becomes apparent this is her room in Gracelands, Elvis\u2019 rather palatial home in Memphis. In a telling later scene, Elvis (Jacob Elordi) ushers her into the same room – and all the objects picked out in that opening are already there. These aren’t her things – they\u2019re his<\/em> things. And he wants her to become another one of his things.<\/p>\n

Coppola adapts book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon into the film\u2019s screenplay. This is not the first adaptation (there was a 1988 TV miniseries), but Coppola wisely avoids getting into too much sordid detail. But it\u2019s pretty clear that Elvis doesn’t come out of this looking good. That didn\u2019t bother me – I\u2019m constantly baffled by Elvis\u2019s enduring popularity – and no one could accuse either Priscilla or Coppola of pandering to Elvis\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n

Sofia Coppola\u2019s films often have an ethereal quality, and this is no exception. The early scenes focus in on what it must have been like for a schoolgirl Priscilla to be wooed by the biggest pop star on the planet at that time. As Priscilla grows into her life with Elvis, the film takes on a more clear-eyed perspective. Coppola structures the film in such a way that events move quite slowly at the beginning, but rapidly towards the end, perhaps reflecting the character\u2019s experience. And while that approach really works in the context of their relationship, it doesn\u2019t allow for a lot of wiggle room in other areas of the film. Elvis\u2019s relationship with Black people, for example, is referenced in one brief scene that requires some background knowledge to understand.<\/p>\n

Unlike Napoleon<\/a> or Maestro<\/a> (which both explored noted men through their relationships), this film squarely centres Priscilla. Elvis is (refreshingly) reduced to basically a plot device to explore what\u2019s going on with her. So, even leaving aside his poor behaviour towards Priscilla, this isn\u2019t a love letter to Elvis by any means. And if you were hoping to hear lots of Elvis music, sorry, that\u2019s not happening either. I counted three songs associated with Elvis in the movie, but the only actual instance of Elvis performing is in an archival film clip. The music instead features era-appropriate songs, some anachronistic numbers (a device often used by Coppola) and an understated score by Phoenix.<\/p>\n