Priscilla Review

Having a different perspective on the glitz, glam and unsurprising paranoia in the life of Elvis Presley is refreshing. Not that the Baz Luhrmann feature was awful, but Elvis left a few holes and spotty parts which went unchecked. It did enough to confirm Bubba Ho-Tep, the quality Bruce Campbell flick where an aged Presley fights an ancient mummy feeding off retirement home residents, is likely untrue. But what of those who lived on well after The King? What did they do with and without him? Sofia Coppola hopes to find out exactly that with Priscilla, a tender view of the man himself and his legacy – which has since been commercialised by the hands of an ex-wife who was treated with seeming disdain and disregard. Cailee Spaeny is given the role of a lifetime and Saltburn lead Jacob Elordi matches suit with a performance of Presley quite unlike anything else. 

By his own admission, he knows very little about the man, a stark contrast to Austin Butler, still stuck sounding like the Blue Suede Shoes singer. Presley here is presented as a monster. Rightly so. There is a chilling line between celebrity status and the gratification they can get from the morally unacceptable, the legacy of famous faces to do so is staggering. Priscilla is a chance, well-taken by Coppola and an exceptional Spaeny lead, to do just this. This is the reality to Elvis, the feature film obsessed with what made Elvis the man he was, who ground him down and who rinsed him dry of life. Priscilla is clear, however, the events between Presley and Priscilla would have happened either way – and it is disturbing, well-maintained and truthfully shown throughout this Coppola piece.  

A24 gives this cast and crew a chance to look at the uncomfortable truths quietened by the Presley brigade – who are rightly fascinated with his music but appear all too ready to forgive the man whose addictions are used to excuse his flippancy, his extramarital affairs and self-righteousness. Priscilla asks the bold question. Did Elvis deserve the retribution of a comeback? He offered the world remarkable music after it but Coppola digs further into those behind-the-scenes pieces, a young woman lifted from Catholic school and ordered through the popstar life. The new normal was shoved in, the everyday life was revoked. It is chilling yet the likes of Lynne Griffin and Daniel Beirne sell it well.  

A shellshocked effect washes over Spaeny’s portrayal of Priscilla. Swooned by the most famous man in the world, a man who won over the public, it is easy to see why so many thought her lucky, thought her to be living the dream. Far from it – and Coppola is clear to show this life in the spotlight at such a young age is detrimental, fearful and far from the glitzy lifestyle it was surely promised. Controlling Presley relatives and a dive into Elvis’ early death and disastrous management’s impact on those around him is explored more here than it was in Elvis. This is not a companion piece, though, it is a struggle and the clarity it brings is surprising yet expected.